The Ghanaian community in Houston, Texas, is worried that the Ghana Consulate in the city has been closed.
According to the Executive Board of the Ghana Association of Houston, the Consulate has been closed since May 2021, depriving Ghanaians in the city of consular services.
Ghanaians in need of consular services in the city are now obliged to travel to other states and cities, incurring additional costs.
The closing of the consulate was caused by the Ghanaian government’s inability to put in place a succession plan when the government announced the departure from the office of the Honorary Consul of Houston, Jack Webb, on May 31, 2021, via the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
When Mr. Webb’s dismissal was announced, the Ghanaian community released a statement expressing concern that “…its timing has grave consequences for the operations of the Ghana Consulate in Houston, economic activity, and the lives of Ghanaians in the Greater Houston region.”
They requested that the government give a “realistic transition time for Mr. Webb to effectively transfer over operations of the Consulate to the newly designated individual,” failing which they worried would hinder Visa acquisition and other critical services.
According to a member of the executive board of the Ghana Association of Houston, this fell on deaf ears, and the Consulate has remained closed since Mr. Webb’s departure.
They are pleading with the Ghanaian government, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to intercede and reopen the Consulate, which they claim was the most efficient in servicing Houston and surrounding areas.
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