Government urged to assist Ghanaian experts to return home

Mr Duah Owusu-Sarfo, Deputy Representative of United Nations population Fund (UNFPA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has appealed to the government to encourage Ghanaian experts serving in private and international organisations outside the country to return home to contribute towards the socio-economic development of the country.

He said most of them are prepared and willing to return home but cannot afford the cost of air tickets and the government could assist by paying for their fares.

Speaking to journalists in Addis Ababa Mr Owusu-Sarfo who is also the Vice Chairman of the Ghanaian Community in Ethiopia said the government could compile the names of these experts willing to come home.

He noted that after paying for social services and other utilities hardly could they save enough money to come back home and contribute.

"Such a gesture by the government would help many Ghanaian experts living outside in the diaspora to come home and provide services beneficial to the country and help improve the relationship between the government and Ghanaians in the diaspora".

Mr Owusu-Sarfo who has planned to attend the home-coming summit this month in Accra, said "the summit would be an action oriented one that would come out with concrete measures and recommendations to help develop the country.

"In addition, it would help mobilise the technological and human resources of Ghanaians in the diaspora to contribute their quota to national development".

Mr Owusu-Sarfo noted that people have a wide perspectives outside which they could bring decisions to bear on development.

He suggested that governments in developing countries should consider buying shares in multi-lateral companies that purchase their raw materials on the world market that operate in their countries.

Mr Owusu-Sarfo said since these companies have monopolised the markets, they dictate the prices but when the countries have a stake in their operations it would indirectly have an impact on the pricing of the commodities.

"If we rely on these Western countries and companies alone never would they offer reasonable prices for raw materials, from developing countries".