Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has stated that Hajia Alima Mahama, the former Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), is in hot water over a visa scandal.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Hajia Alima Mahama will not escape accountability as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is investigating the corruption at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Ablakwa noted that the former ambassador’s attempt to discredit the findings was shocking and condemnable.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, June 26, 2025, Ablakwa detailed, “We have provided Parliament with a full report of the fact-finding mission. The levels of corruption and naked conflict of interest we uncovered were absolutely egregious. No responsible leadership, when confronted with such rot, would choose to look the other way”.
What is worse is that instead of putting an end to this illegality, Ambassador Alima Mahama, in 2023, signed a contract with the same Fred Kwarteng to legitimise his operations,” he noted.
He added, “How does an ambassador sign such a sweetheart deal with a staff member who had already been accused of undermining the state’s interest?” he queried. “This is a classic case of naked conflict of interest.”
“I can understand why she’s desperately moving from one radio station to another—because she knows she’s really in hot waters. The ongoing EOCO investigations will soon catch up with her. But she should not be peddling falsehoods, she should not distort what the fact-finding team discovered, and she should not downplay the gravity of the infractions and breaches at stake in this matter.”
“This is a new era. It is a reset. We will not condone corruption or look the other way. We did not obtain the mandate of the Ghanaian people to watch individuals enrich themselves at the expense of the state,” he concluded.
It will be recalled that Fred Kwarteng, the former IT staff member, have been accused of corruption at Ghana’s Washington, DC Embassy.
Hajia Alima Mahama revealed that Fred Kwarteng, the former IT staff member accused of corruption, was contracted by Ghana’s Washington, DC Embassy to provide services to visa and passport applicants.
Alima Mahama further refuted claims made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs that GH¢4.8 million was lost annually to Fred Kwarteng’s company.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on June 19, 2025, Alima Mahama detailed, “We signed a contract with Fred’s company, called Ghana Travel Company, and we allowed the company to provide services to visa and passport applicants by dispatching their passports to them. So, it’s like a courier service. And the contract is clear. That was his role, and he also takes full responsibility for any undelivered package.
“We stated clearly in the contract that the company will not receive any payments, and the Ghana Embassy is indemnified. He takes responsibility for any losses or any misapplication, which was clearly stated in the contract. So, I gave that contract just to declare that this is our position. He has been mailing for the embassy since 2019,” she added.
She further disclosed, “I think it is his imagination, and I don’t know how he calculated it. The Ghana government does not engage in courier services. We don’t take funds for such services as we are not in that business. So, if we give a contract to somebody to engage in courier services, it’s not as if we are taking the work that the Ghana government should have done and given to somebody. That assertion is false”.
“So, the Ghana government does not provide courier service, and the Ghana government does not benefit financially from any courier service. He took the courier service and engaged the various companies, coming to terms with them about payment. At his company, he did engage. They gave me a flat rate for every country, and whatever he gets, I don’t go to look at it because it’s not Ghana’s government business,” Alima Mahama added.
Meanwhile, Fred Kwarteng has boldly stated he did not engage in any illegality at the embassy.
The former IT staff denied allegations that he diverted Ghana’s embassy funds.
According to Fred Kwarteng, his work has positively impacted many Ghanaians, and officials within both the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were fully aware of his activities.
He further urged Ghanaians to focus on the value of the services he has been providing rather than his personal earnings.
