Ghana's ambassador to Spain mandate renewed

Impeccable information emanating from the Flagstaff house has it that president Akufo-Addo has renewed the mandate of an Ambassador who was appointed by former President John Dramani Mahama to three years in office.

This development, follows a petition sent to the flagstaff house by former Ghana's ambassador to Spain,pleading to president Akufo-Addo , that she is not a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ,but belongs to the elephant movement.

Snippets of information filtering in has it that , on February 04,2017, the Flagstaff House through foreign affairs ministry , extended the mandate of the out-gone Ghana's Ambassador to Spain, Mrs. Elizabeth Adjei ,who served in NDC administration from 2015 to 2016 to three years, which is literally 2019.

There is a growing uproar within the office of the foreign affairs ministry, amid the retaining of the 55 years political ambassador.

Even career diplomats, who were called out of retirement to be Ambassadors have been rightfully recalled.It is therefore mind boggling as to how a political Ambassador properly so called will be asked to stay put.

Realising of being sacked, after the NDC party lost the polls, former Ghana's ambassador to the Republic of Spain, Elizabeth Adjei, who was appointed by former president John Dramani Mahama, in December 2015 to represent Ghana in southern European country of Spain, petitioned the seat of government for an extension of her mandate.

In petition which was accepted by the Flagstaff House, Mrs Adjei ,who headed the immigration service during the erstwhile administrations of President John Agyekum Kufour and the late Prof John Evans Atta Mills for seven and two years respectively , told the foreign affairs ministry and flagstaff house that she went for the position in the NDC administration because she was poorly-off and, that should not be equated she is a member of the umbrella movement,but she remains a staunch member of the Danquah-Bussiah-Dombo fraternity.

Mrs Elizabeth Adjei, was emphatic in her petition that she was not an NDC member, but a true member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) .

Confirming the reappointment of the political ambassador in a telephone interaction , Mrs. Shirley Ayorko Botchway, the foreign affairs minister, said it is indeed true that the Elizabeth Adjei's mandate which ended on 31 January,2017 has been renewed and extended to 2019 to represent President Akufo-Addo in the South Eastern European country which is located on the iberian peninsula.

According to her, the decision was not by her ministry, but taken by the president with alot of reasons.

In an statement which can be termed as defending the political ambassador (Elizabeth) , the less- than- one-month Foreign Affairs minister , Shirley Botchwey, told this reporter that the the woman in question has only been at post for ten months,after former President John Dramani Mahama appointed her as Ghana's Ambassador to Spain.

She told this reporter that all the 40 diplomats are back in Ghana.

After assuring this reporter of explaining the reasons behind the controversial appointment of Mrs. Elizabeth Adjei later in the day , numerous calls and SMS message sent to her went unanswered, as she failed to elaborate further what necessitated for the extension mandate of the political ambassador.

Numerous attempt to reach the minister of Information , Mustapha Hamid , for further information about the mandate extension of Mrs.Adjei did not materialise as his handset remain off for three days when reached on phone.

A telephone call made to the Ghana embassy in Spain to talk to Mrs Elizabeth Adjei,in Madrid ,also went answered by secretary to the ambassador ,saying her superior is out of town.

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw.