On Wednesday 23 May, President Kufuor met about 60 Leaders of the Ghanaian Community in Belgium at the Ghana Ambassador’s Residence in Brussels. The President who is the current Chairman of the Africa Union was in Brussels to meet with the European Commission President Barosso on the relations between the EU and Africa. The President and his entourage arrived on Wednesday morning in Brussels and before holding the meeting with the EU, took time to meet the leaders of the Ghanaian Community in Belgium.
The meeting was facilitated by Her Excellency Nana Bema Kumi, Ghana’s Ambassador to Belgium and head of Ghana’s Mission to the EU. The Deputy Minister of Trade, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu who was also in Brussels for the ACP-EU negotiations attended the meeting together with the staff from the Embassy and some press men and women from Ghana.
President Kufuor gave the audience an overview of the socio-economic developments in the country and the work done so far by his administration. His speech covered why Ghana went to HIPC status due to its bankrutpcy, the cancellation of debts by donors, the investment in education, the introduction of the Health Insurance policy, the new education policy, the massive investment in road networks, and the signing of the 547million US$ MCA funds to invest in Agriculture and the boost private sector and employment for the youth and also de cedi re-denomination.
On behalf of the Ghanaian Community in Belgium, Mr Kwaku B. Acheampong who is the President of the umbrella organisation The National Federation of Ghanaians in Belgium (GHANABA) read a statement which covered on issues for Ghanaians in Belgium, Ghanaians in Diasporia in general and also matters for Africa. The most significant among the issues was a call for the governmant to set up a Diasporian Development Fund (DDF) through the opening up of bank accounts into which Ghanaians residing abroad will contribute funds for development projects in Ghana. See below for his full statement.
Among the questions raised by the Audience were the Government’s solution to the energy crisis which is causing havoc and closure of businesses and the situation in Darfur as the President is the Chairman of the Africa Union. It was a nice meeting which ended with a small reception.
STATEMENT FROM THE GHANAIAN COMMUNITY IN BELGIUM TO H.E. PRESIDENT KUFUOR ON HIS VISIT TO BRUSSELS WEDNESDAY 23 MAY 2007
0. Your Excellency Mr. President, Honourable Ministers, Director of Protocol and our former Ambassador, Madam Ambassador, Staff of Ghana Mission in Belgium, Nananom, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. On behalf on the entire Ghanaian Community in Belgium, it is with the profoundest joy and honour that I welcome our dear President and his team to Brussels.
2. This is an occasion we have looked up to for so long. We know that the President is in his 7th year in office but we have not yet had the opportunity to meet with him in Brussels, the capital of Europe.
3. Mr. President we are therefore most grateful to you and your entourage for making time from your very tight schedule to meet your country men and women who have made Belgium their place of abode. We wish to most sincerely inform you we still consider that Ghana still remains our motherland.
4. We are also very grateful to our very enterprising /illustrious Madam Ambassador who has most ably facilitated this important meeting.
5. Mr President, Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, we wish to acknowledge the wonderful and very warm relationship that exists between the Ambassador and her team and the Ghanaian community in Belgium. We are happy to inform you that the Mission in Brussels has been very open and helpful to us. In fact, they are in continous contact with us day in and day out.
6. This close relationship led to the impressive activities we organised in Brussels and Antwerp to celebrate the 50th Golden Jubillee anniversary of Ghana’s independence. Mr. President, we have produced a short recording on DVD of those activities for you to watch later if you find time in your 24 hour working schedule.
7. Your Excellency Mr President, at this point, the Ghanaian Community in Belgium would like to acknowledge and appreciate the great work that you are doing for mother Ghana together with your team. Many of us do visit home regularly and we keep constant contact with our fellow brethren through the modern communication channels. We have seen for ourselves the immense work that you have done for Ghana. ? We hope that during your last 2 years in office you will intensify and accelerate the implementation of your development programmes and push your Ministers to deliver optimum results. In this way, your good performance and governance shall be rewarded come 2008.
8. Those of us in the Diaspora, would like to thank you and your team on two specific issues: the facilitation and implementation of the dual-citizenship programme and the passing of the ROPPA bill to enfranchise Ghanaians abroad. It is our hope that the Electoral Commission shall commence work as early as possible in order to make it possible for us to vote in the 2008 elections.
9. As this meeting is the first for us in Belgium to enjoy an interaction with you, we cannot let this opportunity pass without drawing your attention to a number of key issues which are of utmost concern to us. Kindly allow me to start with specific issues concerning Ghanaians in Belgium before continuing with those relating to Ghanaians in the Diaspora and in Africa in general.
10. Mr. President, we Ghanaians in Belgium would like to appeal to you to use your good offices to negotiate with the Belgium Federal Government to open a fully fledged Belgian Embassy in Accra. We are aware that opening a Belgian diplomatic mission in Ghana is completely within the competences of Belgium. However, we strongly believe that you and Ghana can play a major lobbying and facilitating role.
11. Arguments in favour for the establishment of a Belgian Embassy in Ghana include the following: ? trade, financial, tourism and other areas of bilateral cooperation between Belgium and Ghana are on the increase; ? the number of Ghanaians holding Belgium passports is also on the increase; ? quite a number of Ghanaians are studying in Belgian Universities; ? the hardships endured by Ghanaians going to Cote d’ Ivoire to seek the services of the Belgian Embassy in Abidjan are becoming unbearable. We therefore plead for your kind intervention to facilitate the establishment of a full Belgian Embassy in Accra.
12. Another major concern of ours relates to taxes levied on goods, especially second hand cars, that we ship to Ghana. We continue to follow the theoretical arguments on the positive and negative aspects of the importation of second hand vehicles. However, it is incredible to note that we sometimes pay about 200% the cost of purchase and shipment of ordinary 1.6 liter saloon cars as custom duties and other taxes. These cars are mostly sent home for use during holidays and are sometimes thereafter turned into taxis to generate income for our brethren. These cars also help to improve transport and mobility in Ghana. In addition to saloon cars, the duties and taxes vehicles such as trucks and tippers we ship for the construction sector and for transporting agricultural produce need a re-examination.
13. For both the ordinary saloon cars, trucks and tippers, we suggest that the government should come out with a policy that allows Ghanaians who have stayed for a certain number of years abroad to enjoy some exemptions or discounts on duties and taxes for specified types imported into the country. Such a policy exists for personal goods/effects but not for vehicles. Mr. President, we emplore you to extend this practice to small capacity non-luxury cars as well as trucks and tippers imported to the country by diasporians for construction purposes or hualage of agricultural produce and goods from the country side.
14. We also call for maximum efficiency in the administrative and management systems in the public service, especially at the ports, harbours and the education and health sectors.
15. Your Excellency Mr President, we are aware that we cannot ask for favours and privilegies without recognising some obligations and responsibilities on our side. Those of us in Diaspora know that the development of our country depends much on our assistance. In that vein, we highly recommend that the Government sets in motion the establishment of a Diasporian Development Fund (DDF) and a mechanism through which Ghanaians in the Diaspora can contribute on a monthly basis funds into specified Bank Accounts in the various regions of the world for financing specified national development programmes.
? We Ghanaians in Belgium would like to assure you of our readiness to contribute into such fund if transparency and accountability in the administration and management of the fund are clearly defined.
16. We are convinced that the DDF will to a modest extent reduce the country’s over-dependence on foreign aid and loans and the accompanying interference in the design and implementation of our national development policies and priorities.
17. Mr. President, we are all proud that you have been chosen as the Chairman of the African Union. One important issue at the continental level that we wish to draw your attention to is the relatively high air fares (for both persons and baggage) being charged by the various Airlines flying to, from or within Africa. It is no secrete that air fares between Europe, the Americas and Asia often attract about half the fares charged for similar travels to, from and within Africa. We most humbly suggest that the African Union uses its continental negotiation powers to push for a change in the existing discriminatory pricing policies and methods being used by airlines for flights and baggage to, from or within Africa.
18. Lastly but not the least, we are also concerned with the on going negotiations with the European Commission on the Economic Partnership Agreements(EPAs) and their disastrous repercussions on trade, industrialisation, employment and the development of the ACP economies. We emplore the Africa Union and its Regional Integration Communities to stand firm and not allow themselves to be bullied into signing agreements which will mean complete de-industrialisation of Africa and the causing of unmanageable socio-economic upheavals. We believe the ACP countries and Africa in particular deserve a better deal from the EU. The development objectives of the EPAs must be made to take precedence over trade issues.
19. Once again, we most warmly welcome His Excellency and his entourage to Belgium. We pray that the purpose of your coming to Brussels will be fully achieved. We wish you a happy stay and a safe trip back to Africa.
20. Long Live Ghana and Africa.
Signed: See list attached:
