Ghanaians in Diaspora MUST start working towards their departure

Ghanaians in Diaspora need to take advantage of the technology Ghana web offers and cross over from individual remittances to corporate investments in Ghana to create permanent jobs for their dependants. This calls for a network of all Ghanaian associations in the Diaspora.

‘Global Development Finance 2005’ report, the World Bank noted that ‘workers remittances provide valuable financial resources to developing countries, particularly the poorest’. It estimated remittance flows to Africa at $200 billion-far more than official development assistance and foreign direct investment. Yet these African countries including Ghana do not see much tangible effects on the economy. Figures released on September 9, 2005 by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Ghana show that money transfers for January-July 2005 amounted to US$2.35 billion (in Ghana). This compares to US$1.51bn for the same period in 2004 – whole 55.6 percent increase above 2004’s level. Remittances have enjoyed constant periodic hikes since 2001. The annual total for 2000 was below $350m. Since 2000 the remittances have been shooting up but this trend may not go on forever. So our government must as well start planning against any shocks today.

Immigrant workers transfer part of their salaries to their dependants back home usually for social goods. According to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, of the total remittances received for January-July 2005, $666.2m (28%) was from individuals. Most of these remittances go into food and clothing of relatives. Hence it does very little to affect the poverty cycle. Why can’t Africans in the Diaspora form cooperatives or get together to put their remittances into tangible projects and industries that will provide jobs for their dependants in the homeland, while at the same time building equity and profits for themselves?

The saying goes, teach a man how to fish and you’ve given him food forever but when you give him a fish you only feed him for the moment (paraphrased). If we could have even teams of 10 diasporans working together in Limited Partnerships or forming corporations it may be able to employ hundreds of youth walking on the streets aimlessly. Unfortunately the only hope for the youth is to win the Green Card Lottery. $1000 each from each group of 10 would yield $10,000. This would be a moderate starting capital for many small businesses in Ghana. And if you can find 100 people doing the same that will amount to $1000, 000. Let’s say we have a visionary government who can prepare the grounds for these investments; guess how many jobs Ghanaians in Diaspora will be providing?

African governments should know that it is small businesses that hold an economy together not government or state corporations that cannot manage itself thanks to looting by public officials and mismanagement. So why is our government not encouraging her citizens in the Diaspora to think in this light but continue to demonize them and make it so hard for them to invest? If Ghana government would consider encouraging this concept, soon the brain drain she is throwing tantrums over will be reduced drastically. When these businesses take root the Diaspora will think of coming down to manage the businesses on their own. This is common sense.

Unfortunately all our government seems to be interested in is the foreign exchange she will get to import her vehicles for parliamentarians, and loans from other countries which never see the light of day. Our government would rather impose excessive CEP taxes on the importation of goods rather than creating benefits for individuals in the Diaspora to sent machines and technology. On the same vein instead of our governments coming out with solid policies to encourage such ventures they go about blaming brain drain on the Green Card Lottery. So does our government think her citizens enjoy being held preys by connection men who allege to be helping these neglected Ghanaian youth? We saw in August 2005 how criminal connection men are really killing Ghanaians in Morocco with the pretence of sending them to Europe but end up facing deportation from the authorities after they are abandoned on the desert for couple of weeks. In Diasporian News of Sunday, 21 August 2005 it was reported that some Ghanaians were deserted in Morocco by connection men and were getting them killed by forcing to get some one whom they called captain to convey a minimum of 45 persons in a very small skeleton boat made of (T & G) and plywood. Many got sank beneath the sea after they were in off shore. One such connection man, Cudjo who hailed from Brong Ahafo region in Samp, for example, was reported to have run away from Morocco to Ghana leaving over 100 persons in two small rooms in Morocco.

One wonders what the government of Ghana did when the news came out to evacuate Ghanaians when food to eat and getting money back home to Ghana was a problem for these Ghanaians. But today some government officials are so quick to blaming brain drain on Green Card Lottery. Do these government officials think Ghanaians just love to be intimidated and reduce to nothing in foreign lands? On August 9, 2005 ten (10) Ghanaians were arrested by Para military of the Gambia and were transported to a border village –Amdalai near Senegal and ordered not to return to Gambia. The 10 were residents of one house in Brufut near Ghanatown where 8 bodies of Ghanaians alleged to have been killed by the Gambian police were discovered. They were held by the Para military for a week and were made to work on farms and tortured before their deportation. They then arrived in Senegal leaving behind their belongings in the Gambia and stranded. In a similar related development in the Gambia the migration department arrested a number of Ghanaians in Serrekunda for alleged migration offences and kept them at the mile II (2) prisons near Banjul for several days without being charged at court. In the same month of August 2005 on of Friday, 26 an overcrowded Paris apartment building housing (300 children and 30 adults) African immigrants were trapped by fire while in their sleep and killing 17 including Ghanaians (Diasporian News).

All our government does is to urge Ghanaians in Diaspora to remain steadfast in their resolve to help develop the nation. But when they ask for participation in the homeland affairs they say they don’t deserve that privilege. If the government of Ghana recognizes that Ghanaians living abroad are making significant contributions towards the reconstruction of the nation and stressed that the desired progress could only be achieved through the collective and sustained efforts of all Ghanaians then why is the government not doing anything to integrate the Diasporan? The Diasporan is considered a Ghanaian when he or she remits back home but when it comes to participation in voting they say we are not qualified. Interesting! Oh Ghana our beloved country, a land besieged by its own!

Any time one calls on the government to act they say ''Governments cannot do everything. Yes; but it can create the atmosphere for people to do the work. Hopefully Ghana government has a plan for these helpless youth she is crying for their return. But why doesn’t our government make sure they can create their own jobs successfully if the government cannot employ them before they arrive back home? Talking of brain drain, African leaders must also take job creation very serious as it is not the duty of advance countries to absorb our youth who are desperately looking for opportunities to make a living.

GHANA ASSOCIATIONS IN DIASPORA
Meanwhile Ghanaians in Diaspora MUST start working towards their departure today. It is important that Ghanaians in the Diaspora unite our efforts in diverse ways to help development in the mother land. United we stand, divided we fall. We need to reclaim Ghana with some sense of love and unity. Unifying all the tribes begins in the Diaspora where region or tribe is not an issue. Getting to know one another in times of peace is worth than waiting until there is some crisis. Let us all join forces today AND WORK ON IDEAS TO BUILD OUR COUNTRY.

Let Ghana web or Ghana Leadership Union, Inc. compile all names of Ghanaian unions and organizations for effective coordination. Please help us with names and locations of Ghana Associations in the Diaspora. We need to have their addresses handy and move from funeral clubs to investment clubs. You may please post or send contacts to www.ghanaleadership.com or [email protected] Attention: Secretary. Let us have the name, the address or emails of the executives. Today.

We need to have a document compiled that all Ghanaians can get access and begin to work together for the bigger goal-Ghana. BOTTLENECKS The Embassies or government must also help us to organize effectively since some governments make it difficult for the organization of foreigners. For instance, Belgium has a tendency to deny the right of Blacks living there to form associations, so it would be a good start for our government to approach such countries and bring that to the fore. Our government can help ease the outrageous track record when dealing with Africans. If the government OF Ghana believes in attracting her citizens corporate efforts it would be wonderful for the various Ghana Embassies in these countries to advocate and negotiate with countries like Belgium to support credible Ghanaian associations in the Diaspora.

Long live Ghana and God bless our homeland. OKYERE BONNA