According to sources, the ban on the flights is due to the rising number of positive Covid-19 cases recorded on outbound flights arriving in Dubai from Accra and Abidjan.

Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says some international travellers have been left stranded due to the ban.

“As I speak to you, we have stranded passengers who have made arrangements, they have bought their ticket, they have paid hotels, bills, arrangements have been made for their pick up, and you leave them in limbo like this. And the most nauseating part is that this is so discriminatory you cannot imagine,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Ablakwa tweeted that the decision taken by Emirates is offensive and depicts racism since the active case counts of France, UK, Italy, the USA and India are far higher than that of the selected African countries which the ban affects.

“Emirates’ travel ban imposed on selected African countries including Ghana, effective December 28, 2021, is by a mile the most discriminatory, offensive, senseless and retrogressive step.

“Ghana, Angola, Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia do not have an active case count and hospitalisation anywhere near that of France, UK, Italy, USA and India whose citizens are all allowed, rightly so if I may add, to still travel to and transit through Dubai,” he said in a tweet.

He advised African presidents to collectively withdraw from the ongoing Dubai Expo, which is expected to close on March 31, 2022.

He further noted that global challenges like the coronavirus demanded global solutions and not biased reactions against countries.

“Global challenges demand global solutions, not blinded discriminatory knee-jerk reactions,” he said.