The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has started an exercise to collate information on Ghanaians and Legal Permanent Residents who are stranded abroad as a result of the closure of international borders as part of efforts in the containment of the spread of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The move is aimed at coming up with a programme to help assist the stranded to be transported back to Ghana.

To this end, eligible nationals who are prepared to pay for their cost of travel to Ghana have been asked to submit their information to various Ghana Embassies abroad.

In the United States of America (USA) for instance, stranded Ghanaians have been asked to submit their information to the Embassy of Ghana.

The registration is being done in Washington DC, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. An online link has also been provided for the registration.

In a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Asempa FM, on Thursday afternoon, [May 14, 2020], Mr Kofi Tonto, who is in charge of Information and Public Affairs at the Ghana Embassy in the USA, said about 200 stranded Ghanaians had registered in Washington DC alone as of the close of day Wednesday, May 13, 2020.

The 200 figure, he said was what had been obtained within 24 hours after the announcement on Tuesday.

He said many others, numbering about 100 had earlier reached out to the Embassy through email on how they could be assisted to get back home to Ghana or either extend their stay in the USA. 

He said, his information was that in New York almost a similar number of 200 had also been registered.

The Embassy intends to communicate the Ministry's final decision and associated procedures to all applicants.