Contrary to allegations in some quarters to the effect that Ghana’s Mission in the UK is polarised along political lines and some members of staff believed to be elements of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are in charge of affairs, the Head of Mission Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo says, the allegations are unfounded, baseless and must be treated as tittle-tattle.
He said “I came to inherit most of my staff and do not think I can pinpoint anyone who is posing ‘so called’ problems for me. That cannot happen because I make the decisions and they have to implement them”. “I have read and heard in some circles that the Head of Chancery is an NPP and is controlling affairs in the Mission. All these allegations are based on tittle-tattle; it’s just that some individuals out there want to play mischief”, he added.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Gold in London, he said that since his appointment, things have gone on smoothly and he has received the utmost cooperation from all the officers, including the Head of Chancery. “I came from a different background, I am an academic, and operating an academic institution is different from a Mission. But where I think decisions have not been implemented the way I want them to be, I have stepped in” he added.
On whether or not the Head of Chancery at the Mission, Mrs. Sena Osew- Boateng, is an NPP mole and posing problems for him by not following his instructions as alleged in some quarters, the Head of Mission, who is also the newly elected Chairperson for the Commonwealth Foundation, said “The Head of Chancery is one of the most efficient officers I have come across and she does nothing without recourse to me”.
He pointed out that the Heads of Chancery in Missions are not responsible for decisions, but rather that the buck stops with the Head of Mission. He expatiated that in the operations of Diplomatic Entities, no decision is made without the Head of Mission who is the ultimate responsible party. “If I delegate certain decisions for individuals to execute, that does not mean I am not in charge” he added. He further explained that there are various sections within the mission, and that the Head of Chancery is in charge of Administration, who also takes instructions from him. He indicated that Heads of Missions are to be supported by individuals with offices, assigned specific duties and are paid by the Government of Ghana.
On whether any of the officers had ever defied or protested to some of the decisions he has made, Danso-Boafo said that he had not come across a situation where an officer had refused to implement decisions or policies based on political lines. “I have not seen such a situation and if there were to be such a situation I would not have tolerated it up to this time” he submitted.
He noted that he had not seen any wrong doing on the part of his predecessors who were appointed by the NPP, and he is continuing from where they left off, to ensure progress and to further actualise the Better Ghana agenda that his government promised the good people of Ghana. “It’s not up to me to come here and find problems where there are not”. He submitted that his two predecessors operated in a different era and he is also operating in a different season, thus people should judge him based on the context within which he is operating.
Danso-Boafo said, “Nobody takes decision without recourse to me. I make the decisions and I ask them to be implemented. If people don’t understand these things I hope they will consult me”. “I am a very impatient person who wants things to be done with precision and in our political environment you can’t travel with precision, but I have guided folks and not hesitated to voice my opinion or call people to order” he stated.
