GOVT MAKES PROGRESS IN TALKS WITH US ON IMMIGRANT VISA — ABLAKWA

He said Ghana was the only country among 31 African countries affected by the five-year visa ban imposed by the President Donald Trump Administration to have successfully negotiated the terms of the restriction, and was on course to become the only country out of 75 worldwide facing immigrant visa restrictions to secure a reprieve Mr Ablakwa disclosed this at a town hall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York last Friday. The meeting, the first by Ghana for its American diaspora in 10 years, was aimed at engaging the Ghanaian community on government policies and consular matters. The Foreign Affairs Minister said the feat was the result of President John Dramani Mahama's commitment to the welfare of Ghanaians abroad and the cordial relations between Ghana and the US. "I can assure you, the only outstanding matter when it comes to visa negotiations, which is the immigrant visa, we have made a lot of progress and I am confident that very soon, we again will set a record. We have been assured that because of our excellent relations, in no time from now, we will once again be accepted," Mr Ablakwa added. Evacuations Mr Ablakwa said since President Mahama's assumption of office, the government had cumulatively evacuated and repatriated more than 6,900 Ghanaians from harm's way across the world, including 1,964 Ghanaians recently evacuated from xenophobic attacks in South Africa. "Our motto, our creed, our raison d'être is simple: you touch one Ghanaian, you touch all of us. An attack on any Ghanaian everywhere in the world is an attack on all of us," he said. He said under the President Mahama Administration, Ghana had been among the first countries to evacuate its nationals in crises anywhere in the world. The Foreign Minister said government would not be deterred by criticisms from some evacuees, stressing that it would continue to prioritise the welfare and dignity of Ghanaians abroad. First consular database Mr Ablakwa also announced that the ministry had established the first comprehensive database on the consular status of all Ghanaians across the world. He said the database captured Ghanaians in ICE detention, those on watch lists and those facing immigration challenges and in need of legal assistance, enabling the Ministry to reach out to Ghanaians even in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. "If you ask me today the state of Ghanaians, even in this tri-state area, how many people are in ICE detention, I will just get into the database and give you the numbers, the names, the addresses," he said. Diaspora remittances The minister commended the Ghanaian diaspora for their contribution to national development, stressing that remittances rose from $4.6 billion in 2024 to $7.8 billion in 2025, almost double the previous year’s. He said the increase showed confidence in the President Mahama Administration and justified the President's decision to declare the diaspora as the 17th region of Ghana. "The economic miracle that we see in Ghana, you are integral to that miracle," Mr Ablakwa said. He assured the community that the ministry would continue to serve Ghanaians abroad with excellence, fidelity and patriotism.