Undertake national service in Ghana - Group urges diaspora

The Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, Mr Akwasi Awua Ababio, has urged Ghanaians living abroad to persuade their descendants to undertake their national service and industrial attachments back home.

He said through such exercises, they would establish links and relationship while it will make it easy for them to be abreast of the local environment, invest or transfer their acquired knowledge and wealth.

Mr Ababio made the call when members of the Oman Ghana Baako, to wit, a United Ghana, group paid a courtesy call on him to announce their presence in Ghana and brief him about the group at the Jubilee House in Accra.

The Oman Ghana Baako, a non-governmental organisation made up Ghanaians home and abroad, mobilise money to help develop communities.

Every Ghanaian willing would pay one unit of the currency of the country they lived in.

The members include the Chief Executive of Oman Ghana Baako, Mr Alex Appiah;

Senior Pastor of the Shalom Ministries in UK, Rev. Margaret McCarthy and the President of Reconciliation International, UK, Archbishop Kwaku Frimpong-Manso.

Service

Mr Ababio said most of the descendants did not have any attachment to their country of origin with a lot of them only visiting for a while but with the opportunity to serve their country as service personnel, they would experience Ghana at first hand and also jump the legal hurdle of serving their country.

He noted that those who would undertake the attachment would also be introduced to the work culture, opportunities for employment and investment.

He said it was very encouraging that most of the young people who had the opportunity to come home had established their own businesses and industries, creating employment opportunities for their compatriots back home.

Mr Ababio also announced that the office was collaborating with other agencies to strengthen the Diaspora Engagement Policy that would cement the rules and regulations governing the relations and work with the diaspora.

He said moves for the amendment of the law for people with dual nationality to hold certain positions and appointment which they could not do currently was progressing.

He added that remittances and others contributions from Ghanaians living abroad amounted to $3.8 billion yearly in recent times, but indicated that their descendants might not contribute to this amount, hence the need to let them contribute their quota in other forms.

Diaspora Fund

Mr Ababio announced that the government would soon come out with the Diaspora Bond which would afford Ghanaians living abroad the chance to buy long-term government bonds as a means to contribute to the development of the country, while at the same time reaping from their investments.

Transparency

He urged the executive members of the group to ensure that accountability, openness and integrity became their watchword so that people would trust and contribute to the fund mobilisation to complement the government’s efforts in addressing developmental challenges.

CEO

The Chief Executive of Oman Ghana Baako, Mr Alex Appiah, said the executive members believed that one dollar each from those in America, one-pound sterling from those in the United Kingdom, one Euro from those domiciled in Europe, as well as GH¢1 from Ghanaians would add up to to a huge amount of money.

He said such pooled resources could be used to build hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure to help accelerate the progress of the country and that every amount collected would be accounted for.