Orientation course held for ambassadors designate
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Hannah Tetteh, has charged ambassadors-designate of Ghana to actively engage Ghanaians living abroad for them to contribute more to the country’s economic growth and development.
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She urged them to explain government policies and programmes to the Ghanaian community in the Diaspora to avoid the situation where the people would be fed with unreliable information on developments back home.
Opening an introduction course for heads of Ghana’s missions at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) Monday, Ms Tetteh said, “The more information we give to Ghanaians in the Diaspora, the better,” adding that the ambassadors-designate should be open-minded in those engagements.
There is a large Ghanaian population in the Diaspora and over the years, they have had an increasing stake in the national economy and politics, as their remittances keep increasing to strengthen the health of the economy, while their demand for voting rights in national elections keep intensifying.
It is on the basis of these developments that the foreign minister wanted the President’s representatives abroad to actively engage Ghanaians in the Diaspora with the view to increasing their participation in the national development agenda.
Purpose of course
The course is intended to define the duties of the ambassadors-designate and orientate them in a manner that will make them function better in their new assignments as heads of Ghana’s missions abroad.
Experts in various fields, including the Minister of Finance and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, will take turns to brief the new appointees on economic, legal and other pertinent issues necessary to bring their roles in promoting the national interest into sharp focus.
Ms Tetteh urged the participants to apprise themselves of the Directive Principles of State Policy, as enshrined in Chapter Six of the 1992 Constitution, the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA), the Financial Administration Act and other regulatory and policy frameworks.
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She also asked them to familiarise themselves with the work plan of their missions because that would be the basis for the annual assessment of their performance.
Economic diplomacy
Ms Tetteh said one of the priorities of Ghana’s foreign policy was economic diplomacy and urged the ambassadors-designate to redirect the focus of their diplomatic activities to that cause in order to promote the country’s economic development.
She also urged them to promote partnership in respect of investment, while putting in place flexible policies to attract more tourists into Ghana.
Ms Tetteh further urged them to promote the export of Ghanaian products and expertise, especially in African countries, in order to create more jobs at home.
Writer’s Email: kofi.yeboah@graphic.com.gh