Australian Ambassador deletes ‘guinea fowl tweet’ after massive backlash

The Australian Ambassador to Ghana, Gregory Andrews, has been forced to delete a post on social media in which he joked about the return of guinea fowls to Ghana.

The diplomat, who is very active on social media, posted that he had been told that Ghana’s guinea fowls had flown to Burkina Faso but after he had seen guinea fowls in the Mole National Park, he was certain the guinea fowls had returned to the country.

But his post quickly attracted criticism given that the matter is a politically charged matter. Many advised him to not delve into such sensitive issues and concentrate on his duties as a diplomat. Other laughed it off as a joke. Some others castigated him for commenting on such a politically sensitive matter. In the end, he deleted the post.

“Someone told me Ghana’s guinea fowls once flew to Burkina Faso. But they were definitely back @Mole Park last week when I was there. In the National Park they are of course protected…,” he posted.

He later deleted it following a massive backlash.

Guinea fowls flying to Burkina Faso

In 2014, during the era of ex-President John Mahama, it was reported that some guinea fowls being reared as part of initiatives of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) had purportedly flown to Burkina Faso. The reports were later debunked by the Chief Executive Officer of SADA. But the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) used it as part of its campaign against the John Mahama Presidency. The issue has remained a politically sensitive matter and any mention of it is likely to generate much discussion.