Fred Kwarteng, the former Head of IT at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington D.C., has publicly denied allegations of financial impropriety and abuse of office, defending his actions as transparent and beneficial to the Ghanaian public.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM, Kwarteng responded to accusations that he used the embassy’s official platform to promote a private business, a development that led to the temporary closure of the embassy by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
“Can we look at the good part—the part that people benefited from—and forget about the fact that someone was benefiting from something he had genuinely put together?” he asked, emphasizing the value his services provided.
Kwarteng claimed that his digital innovations helped improve communication with passport applicants and allowed better document tracking. He insisted there were no public complaints during his tenure.
“Tell me, all these years, did anybody go online or on social media to say someone had stolen their money or passport? No—there was no complaint,” he asserted.
Clarifying the nature of his earnings, Kwarteng said, “I was working for the embassy and got paid for those duties. The other solutions I provided were for outsiders who paid me to assist with communication and delivery.”
He also maintained that his work was done openly with the knowledge of the embassy’s leadership. “Are we saying that the Heads are not allowed to find solutions to problems? If they had a problem with what I was doing, they would have made me stop,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to investigate the matter.