Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, has tasked newly-appointed ambassadors and high commissioners to employ economic diplomacy to attract investments and tourists into Ghana from their duty stations.
Making the call at a five-day seminar organized by her outfit recently for the new ambassadors, Ms Botchway said Ghana's diplomatic missions and envoys would do Ghana proud if they market the country abroad.
“You will also be required to leverage Ghana's democratic and governance credentials, respect for the rule of law, the peace and stability of the country for the past two decades, to engender international goodwill and solidarity in order to attract trade, investment, scientific and technological transfer, among other areas of critical endeavour, for the development of the country.”
Noting that the role of the Heads of Mission would be critical in such endeavour, she said: “You should be mindful to attract genuine investors and tourists into Ghana and not those who will subvert our economy, destroy our environment and pollute our culture and national moral fibre.”
She said “economic diplomacy means conducting trade intelligence, obtaining phyto-sanitary, regulatory and import requirements of your respective countries and bringing to Ghana, partners who were willing to add value to our raw materials.”
She noted that in the search for wider markets, the envoys must especially pay attention to intra-African and Afro-Asian trade, adding that the dynamics of the world economy had changed dramatically over the past two decades with the South East Asian countries now a theatre of fierce competition for trade and investment even from the advanced countries.
The Minister therefore encouraged envoys, who were going to Asian countries to re-double their efforts in order to take advantage of the immense benefits that Ghana could derive from countries such as South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa for Ghana's socio-economic transformational agenda.
Ms Botchway said that her outfit had prioritized a number of missions for serious and comprehensive rehabilitation, outright purchase or construction of new properties subject to the release of funds, this year, adding that “fortunately, the Ministry has secured a $50 million bridge facility from Societe Generale for this purpose.”
Furthermore, she said she had directed the re-establishment of the Economic, Trade and Investment Bureau (ETIB) at the Ministry, adding that that would realign the Ministry's objectives to achieving government's economic diplomacy agenda.
“It is all about re-directing the focus of our diplomatic activities to reap economic benefits that will impact positively and raise the standard of living and welfare of the Ghanaian people.”
By Samuel Boadi
[email protected]
We’ll no longer tolerate your empty, unwarranted attacks – TUC blasts Prof Adei
Bawumia donates GHc200,000 to support Madina fire victims
IMF to disburse US$360million third tranche to Ghana without creditors MoU
Truck owner share insights into train collision incident
Paramount chief of Bassare Traditional Area passes on
Two teachers in court over alleged illegal possession of BECE papers
Sunyani: Victim allegedly shot by traditional warriors appeals for justice
Mahama vows to scrap teacher licensure exams, review Free SHS policy
Government will replace burnt Madina shops with a new three-story, 120-store fac...
