Ghanaians in Houston unhappy about closure of Consulate

The Ghanaian community in Houston, a city in Texas of the United States of America, is concerned that the Ghana Consulate in the city has been shut down.

The Consulate, according to the Executive Board of the Ghana Association of Houston, has been shut since May 2021, depriving Ghanaians living in the city of consular services.

Ghanaians in need of consular service in the city are now forced to travel to other states and cities, a situation that comes at an extra cost.

The closure of the consulate was occasioned by the Government of Ghana’s failure to put in place a succession plan after the government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, announced the removal from office of the Honorary Consul of Houston, Jack Webb, effective May 31, 2021.

When the announcement of Mr Webb’s removal was made, the Ghanaian community issued a release expressing fear that “…its timing have dire implications for the operations of the Ghana Consulate in Houston, economic activities, and the lives of Ghanaians in the Greater Houston area”.





They demanded that the government provided a “realistic transition period for Mr Webb to successfully hand over operations of the Consulate to the newly appointed person”, a failure of which they feared could impede Visa acquisition and other essential services.

This, a member of the executive board of the Ghana Association of Houston, said fell on deaf ears and that the Consulate has since not been operational after the exit of Mr Webb.

They are calling on the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene and open the Consulate which they say was the most efficient Consulate serving Houston and neighbouring cities.

Source:3news.com