Prominent Ghanaian media personality Afia Pokua, widely known as Vim Lady, has launched a scathing critique against the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, regarding the recent closure of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. Vim Lady asserts that the Minister acted improperly by shutting down the diplomatic mission based on unsubstantiated claims of corruption, without conducting thorough investigations.
Speaking on her “Gyaso Gyaso” show on Okay FM on June 9, 2025, Afia Pokua strongly argued that there was no corruption at the embassy. She contended that a committee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had identified only a “conflict of interest” issue, which, in her assessment, did not warrant such drastic action as closure or the public embarrassment it caused.
Vim Lady accused Minister Ablakwa of seeking “social media popularity” through his actions, branding them as both illegal and politically irresponsible. She drew a parallel to Ablakwa’s own past, recalling how he was accused of corruption during his vetting process for allegedly residing in a luxurious home in Airport Hills. At that time, many, including herself, defended him due to the lack of concrete evidence. She expressed profound disappointment that the same Ablakwa was now accusing others of corruption without adhering to due process.
Issuing a stern warning to the current administration, Vim Lady stated, “Kudos to President Mahama. The NDC government is in its sixth month, but most of the ministers are already under pressure. If they’re not careful, they will disgrace President Mahama.”
She dismissed Ablakwa’s justification for the embassy’s closure, which cited corruption, and highlighted that staff from Ghana’s New York Mission have since been brought in to assist operations in Washington. “There was a legitimate contract signed between the Ghana Embassy and the company in question. They are lying, there was no corruption. For the minister to sack people based on that is unacceptable. He should be sued,” she declared.
Vim Lady further explained that the former Ambassador, Hajia Alima Mahama, had indeed signed a contract with a private company to manage mailing services for embassy applicants. While the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s committee did find that an embassy employee had a personal interest in this private company, she emphasized that a valid contract was in place. She reiterated her stance that a conflict-of-interest issue does not automatically equate to corruption. “Even if there was a breach of contract terms, you cancel the contract. That doesn’t mean there was corruption,” she added.
The media personality accused Ablakwa of politicizing the entire issue and using social media as a platform for propaganda, suggesting that such actions could ultimately tarnish the image of the current administration. “This over-politicization of every issue is dangerous. You have rushed into a decision and gotten it wrong. We stood by you when you were falsely accused, and now you’re doing the same to others without evidence…what you are doing you will disgrace President Mahama. You have dismissed people unjustly,” she concluded.
The Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., was temporarily shut down on Monday, May 26, 2025, following a purported corruption scandal involving its visa department. Minister Ablakwa had disclosed via a Facebook post that a local IT worker allegedly transferred embassy monies into a personal account. This individual was accused of redirecting applicants for visa and passport services to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where unauthorized fees ranging from $29.75 to $60 were reportedly charged and deposited into his personal account. Investigations suggested this scheme had operated undetected for at least five years.
In response to these allegations, all Foreign Affairs Ministry staff posted to the Washington D.C. embassy were recalled to Accra, the embassy’s IT department was dissolved, and all locally recruited staff were suspended pending further investigation. While the facility was temporarily closed, it has since reopened to the public.
