Phillip the Predictor, a Ghanaian based in the UK and a regular guest on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide with DJ Nyaami, has shared his frustrating experience with Ghana’s embassy services abroad.
According to Phillip, acquiring a Ghanaian passport or visa in the UK is unnecessarily difficult. He emphasized that the entire process should be done online rather than in-person to reduce corruption and make services more efficient.
“When I tried renewing my passport in the UK, I needed it urgently. The official system gave me a three-month window just to submit my documents. With no choice, I resorted to the ‘goro’ (middleman) system. Through that, I got an appointment the very next day—but it cost me an extra £300,” he revealed.
Phillip noted that many Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait, have no Ghanaian embassies despite hosting large Ghanaian populations. Meanwhile, during his visit to the Liberian Embassy in Ghana, he witnessed professionalism—consular staff there actively supported affiliate business partnerships. He had a similar experience with the Canadian and Japanese embassies, where officials provided detailed guidance on scholarships and collaboration opportunities.
“In contrast, Ghanaian embassies are full of gatekeeping and corruption,” he said. “They focus only on visa and passport renewals. There’s no effort to build international partnerships or help Ghanaians abroad access opportunities. Most embassies are dominated by long-serving staff who now work hand-in-hand with goro boys. The ambassadors are often nowhere to be found.”
He urged the Ghanaian government to modernize embassy services and eliminate manual procedures that encourage corruption. “Serious governments prioritize online systems and hire professionals for customer service—not people who’ve been there forever without checks.”
Phillip also shared how difficult it was to replace his lost passport in Ghana.
\“After eating waakye at Lapaz, I lost my passport and other documents. Getting a new passport took longer than getting a visa from the UK. I had to travel to Ho for biometric bookings. Why can’t Ghana introduce real emergency passport services?”
He compared this with other countries like Vietnam.
“There, you can apply for a visa online and receive it in under six hours. It’s simple—just upload your documents, book your flight and hotel, and your visa is ready. Ghana needs to catch up.”
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