Government was wrong to reject MTN’s GH¢20m aid - MP

Member of Parliament(MP) for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has criticised the government for rejecting a GH¢20 million support package from MTN Ghana for Ghanaians affected by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Speaking on UTV, Boamah said the money could have provided immediate assistance to Ghanaians who suffered as a result of the attacks.

“We should have collected the money,” he stated.

According to him, MTN has made significant investments in Ghana, created jobs and contributed to economic activity, and its willingness to support affected Ghanaians should therefore have been welcomed.

“They have created jobs and also lots of activities in the country. They did not come as Father Christmas; they have invested in a lot and they expect to get profit from the investments,” he said.

Boamah argued that MTN’s South African ownership should not have been a reason to reject assistance from the company, particularly when Ghanaian citizens had faced difficulties in South Africa.

“So if something like this has come and it is a Ghanaian company with a South African majority and the country has been faced with a problem and they are willing to help and the country refuses, they do not lose,” he stated.

He said the rejection ultimately deprived affected Ghanaians of potential support.

"People have been affected and they could have used the money to support them," he said.

While condemning what happened to Ghanaians in South Africa, the MP called for diplomatic engagement to address tensions between the two countries.

"What happened to us there was not easy, but we need to use diplomacy to resolve lots of these issues," he said.

He maintained that accepting the financial support would not have prevented Ghana from pursuing diplomatic measures to protect its citizens.