The Minority in Parliament is urging government to acknowledge the role of the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration in laying the groundwork for Ghana’s electronic visa (e-Visa) application system, which was officially launched by President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, May 25.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, said the groundwork for the system dates back to 2020, when the Akufo-Addo-led government signed a technical support agreement with Swiss technology firm Orell Füssli to develop the e-visa infrastructure.
“That company has the equipment, the machines, the technology for building this e-visa system. That was how we began,” he said.
According to him, successive governments should build on existing national initiatives rather than present ongoing projects as entirely new.
He commended the current Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and government for rolling out the system, but insisted credit should also be given to the previous administration for starting the process.
“I have maintained and said that when you come and find something your predecessor has done which is good, you continue it. You do not discontinue it because someone started it.
“My only problem and sharp disagreement is when it comes to play or the impression is created as if it came from the blue, it came from the skies, nothing of this sort was existing, and it was not a build-upon,” he said.
The new platform enables foreign nationals who require visas to enter Ghana to apply online, eliminating the need for paper-based forms and reducing reliance on physical submission of documents through mail or courier services.
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