President J. A. Kufuor has often been criticised for, what many consider, his numerous trips outside the country at a time when the economy needs direction. His critics say the president is more interested in hobnobbing with foreign Heads of State than sitting at home and tackling pressing economic issues.
Some have even compared him with his predecessor, Jerry Rawlings, who also received a lot of flak for his frequent foreign trips ostensibly to win investments. However, Foreign Minister, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, says there is no basis for the comparison because the President’s foreign trips are well selected.
Speaking on Joy FM’s current affairs programme, Front Page, Mr. Owusu Agyeman insisted that the President was doing the right thing. “The President embarks on these trips to sell Ghana and tell the outside world what we have. In these days of globalisation, every body is out there seeking capital for development and we cannot decide to sit down here.”
He dismissed suggestions that the President ought to stay at home and concentrate on affairs of the state saying he doesn’t have to always be in the country to manage its affairs. According to him, the President has a competent team that will keep affairs of the country running in his absence adding that all he needs to do is to communicate with them when he is not in the country.
Mr. Owusu-Agyeman also rejected criticisms that the government is over-relying on foreign assistance. He noted that the country is just identifying its needs and seeking support from those who can help. Mr Owusu Agyeman noted that the President embarks on most of the trips himself without delegating because “putting a face to a name makes a diffrence.
President Kufuor leaves Accra tonight for a state visit to Canada at the invitation of the Governor General, Madam Adrienne Clarkson and the Prime Minister, Jean Chretien. This is the first official visit by a Ghanaian Head of State. He is also scheduled to visit France on the invitation of President Jacques Chirac.
Meanwhile, a wide section of the public Joy FM interviewed expressed support for the President’s foreign trips to canvass support for the economy.
Although they acknowledged that the President could be represented by the Vice President or the other government officials on some the trips, they argued that the President is more likely to make a great impact with his personal interactions with other world leaders.
