Fred Kwarteng, the recently dismissed head of IT at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., has publicly responded to corruption allegations made against him by Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen show on Thursday, May 29, 2025, Kwarteng refuted the accusations and insisted his actions were intended to improve embassy operations—not defraud the state.
Kwarteng explained that when he joined the embassy, most processes were manual and heavily reliant on paperwork. Using his IT background, he developed a digital platform to simplify visa and passport applications for Ghanaians living in the United States. He stressed that the initiative came at no cost to the Ghanaian government.
“I only identified a problem and found a digital solution,” Kwarteng said during the interview. “I didn’t take a pesewa from the state—I helped modernize embassy services.”
He also clarified that his association with the embassy dates back to 2014, and his appointment was officially approved in 2016 under the previous NDC administration. He offered this timeline to push back against suggestions that he was appointed by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Earlier in the week, Minister Ablakwa accused Kwarteng of operating a fraudulent system through which a fake link on the embassy’s website redirected applicants to a private company—Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). According to the minister, GTC charged extra, unauthorized fees for services that should have been handled through official embassy channels. The minister alleged the scheme had been running undetected for five years.
In response to the revelations, Ablakwa announced Kwarteng’s dismissal, suspended all locally recruited embassy staff, and referred the matter to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution. He also vowed to recover all illicit funds acquired through the scheme.
Kwarteng, however, insists he acted in good faith and that the allegations are based on a misunderstanding of his efforts to improve embassy efficiency.
Source: NewsandVibes.com
