Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has written to the US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, to appeal for a special dispensation that will pave way for Ghanaian students who have gained admission to American universities to get visas to travel for their education.
According to the MP, he is faced with several complaints from students that the visa appointment dates offered by the embassy, are long and will make them miss deadlines for reporting to school.
He bemoaned the situation has led many Ghanaian students in a state of distress and frustration.
He stressed that the refusal of other institutions to offer students extensions and declining requests to renew their scholarships makes the whole situation crucial.
Mr. Ablakwa explained that COVID-19 has indeed halted operations of various embassies, but the US Embassy in Nigeria have been able to adopt favorable changes to their consular services to give access to students who are seeking visas to travel for education.
The legislator has appealed that some extra effort should be made to address the legitimate concerns of Ghanaian students to secure them favorable interview dates ahead of their academic deadlines, as individual institutional exigencies demand.
See letter below:
By Annie Wharton Savage