Minister Dismisses Case As Nonsense

Mr. Kofi Osei Ameyaw, the deputy minister for tourism and diasporan relations who was allegedly criticise in 2006 for professional misconduct, improperly inducing a client to invest funds, misleading a client and the Law Society/BAR/LSC and failing to advance and protect the interests of his client met the Ghanaian diasporans in Sydney on the weekend. The deputy minister deny such allegation and call it nonsense and preposterous and that the case was set aside. The Ghanaian media expressed concern of disappointment when the president re-appointed Mr. Kofi Osei Ameyaw to the deputy minister for tourism and diasporan relations – and that the president failed to restore confidence in governance and hold ministers to a high standard of moral and ethical values. Immediately after an Australian newspaper published the case, the minister was relieved off his portfolio as the then deputy minister for trade. However, in Sydney on April 26, Mr Ameyaw claimed that he was not relieved off his portfolio as results of the case being made public, but rather the president had decided to cut down the number of ministers at the time and unfortunately became a victim – the case which the minister claimed to have challenged and set aside.

Mr. Ameyaw reiterated that there are some Ghanaians who perhaps, have nothing better to do other than to publish with malicious intention and unfounded articles about him to defame his high earned reputation, his effectiveness and devoted service as a public servant to serve Ghana. The deputy minister urged these individuals to profoundly obtain substantiated evidence before making such allegations and condemn the malicious intention as preposterous and nonsensical. And the individuals who have chewed sour grapes to sabotage him must read their facts right before writing on Ghana web.

The deputy minister was on a Ghanaian tax payer funded expedition to bridge the relationships of diasporans and the government by way of soliciting broader ideas to enrich the vision of diasporans relationships and many existing investment opportunities in Ghana. Ghanaians were told that there would be one stop shop for all diasporans to obtain information of conducting business in Ghana, to easily navigate to access all they need without having to travel to Ghana. The platform was to assist diasporans obtain information for better decisions making and to avert the ill feeling of diasporans with foreign passports been treated as non-Ghanaians when they travel home to Ghana and feel as aliens. Mr. Ameyaw recommended the president on implementing dual citizenship, the reestablishment of relationship between Ghana and Australia by appointing high commissioner H.E Kofi Sekyiamah, the ROPA which allows diasporan to vote, however, the EC was not able to put in place the mechanism for diasporans to vote for the up-coming election in December 2008, the implementation of new ministry as diasporans relations – so that Ghanaians would never be treated as aliens whenever they travel home.

Whenever Ghana applies for foreign loan there are conditionality and one of them is to assign foreign consultants to work on the specify project using the same funds they have given to Ghana – rather than allowing these foreigners earned these income, – the government intends to tap on diasporan Ghanaians to be given these assignments and work on the specify projects, of course, with relevant expertise – the deputy minister stated. The minister alleged that the current government does not in a minute believe Ghanaian diasporans wishes to travel to a foreign country and intend to stay there forever. It is one of these vision which has called for the need to address this issue and how both the government and diasporans can harmlessly work together to improve relations between both parties. Mr. Ameyaw also mentions that the government is looking at double taxation with donor and friendly countries as well, however, did not endow in-depth as to how and when.

On the question of the resignation of Alan Kyeremanten, and the probability of NPP been returned to form government under Nana-Akuffo Addo, Mr Ameyaw reiterated that the alleged claim of Mr Kyeremanten supporters been browbeat must be substantiated in order to deal with the situation because no individual is bigger than the NPP party and urged Ghanaians to the return the government in order to continue the good work for the country.

I must confess that the deputy minister for Asuogyaman was carrying interesting and compelling messages in his expedition. There were some positive and informative gratification in the tax payers funded trip which worth the value to many diasporans. We hope the minister carries through this apparition.

On the question of boosting tourism in Ghana, the deputy minister quantified that Ghana needs to invest in promoting the country through advertisement but was swift to admit such strategy requires huge amount of coinage and with limited and competing interest among various ministries incapable of realising such strategy. However, the saddest part is that – the minister is travelling around the world selling tourism by travelling on foreign airlines whiles our national airline is in tatters. To whom does the minister wishes to transport foreigners into the country to realise all the wonderful visions he claims to be selling? - Having said that, the deputy minister claimed to expose the government intention to improve the country’s deteriorated railway sector by extending the railway lines to the north of the country.

Either the minister purposefully dismisses or does not fundamentally share one of the most sentimental concerns of diasporans on land investments in the Country. When Mr Ameyaw was quizzed on why Ghanaian diasporans should dispose off their hard earnings to purchase a piece of land, only to return to realise that it has been sold to another person – Mr. Ameyaw claimed to have unknown of any such practices and diasporans should submit their concerns to his ministry.

It is somewhat affront to diasporans that the Ghana government has implemented “Joseph Project” to reconcile and unite African Americans, the Caribbean’s by way of special visas but the government garbage to grant requisition from Ghanaian diasporans with foreign passports on extended visa permit to stay in their own country for up to six months instead of the current three months with monthly renewal application.

Mr. Ameyaw also talks about the national identification card as a gizmo to control foreigners getting access to Ghanaian passports and the introduction of bio-metric passport next year. However, Mr. Ameyaw accentuated that Ghanaian diasporans are part of the problems of selling their identities to other Africans who then use it to obtain Ghanaian passports. Through the High commissions around the world, diasporans can now apply for their duel-citizenship.

CHARLES SARPONG is an accountant and freelance broadcaster for the minority Community in Australia.