Despite its status as Africa’s gateway, Ghana still lacks certain policy guidelines regarding visa application refund policy.
Currently, Ghana doesn’t have any universal policy or guideline for its citizens to demand a refund from embassies when their visa application forms are refused.
This development has empowered some embassies in the country to act evasively towards citizens by refusing them visas without any reasonable grounds.
Based on this, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Susatgad Boat Industries, Mr Novihoho Afaglo is appealing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Interior through the Ghana Immigration Service to immediately adopt a visa refund policy.
Mr Afaglo said the policy will help citizens demand visa refunds when the embassies denied their visa applications wrongly or intentionally.
Speaking to the Republic Press, he said is high time the Ghana government adopt policies to check the activities of these embassies and how they are treating Ghanaian citizens.
“It is sometimes strange and unexplainable how these embassies deny visa application forms to Ghanaians whose documents and paper works are genuine,” he stated.
Mr Afaglo mentioned Nigeria as one of the countries in Africa that have taken a step further in the visa refund policy.
The policy in Nigeria states that a refund will be issued, upon request, and with supporting proof and or evidence from the customer, for an acceptable reason for a refund to be made.
“Notwithstanding the above, Nigeria Immigration Services reserves the right to grant or deny refunds to anyone for any reason.”
He, therefore, called on the government of Ghana to initiate programmes toward the immediate adoption and implementation of a visa refund policy to ease the pressure on citizens whose applications are denied without a refund.
