Former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Constituency, Ras Mubarak, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to do away with Ghana’s embassies in 22 countries to aid revenue generation for the government.
The countries are Algeria, Austria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Czech Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Liberia, Libya, Malta, Namibia, Niger, Norway, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates.
He explained that it costs the nation millions of dollars to operate the embassies in those countries, yet the benefits are minimal and contribute little to the country’s economy.
The former MP stated that the low trade volumes, limited diplomatic engagements, and high costs of maintaining these embassies in those countries justify his call.
“These diplomatic missions and embassies have been selected based on a combination of factors, including: many of these countries do not have significant trade relationships with Ghana, making the maintenance of diplomatic missions less critical; some of these missions are not actively engaged in substantial diplomatic activities that benefit Ghana’s national interests; and maintaining diplomatic missions is very costly.
“The cost of maintaining embassies in the above countries costs the Ghanaian taxpayer several million dollars yearly. Even though a handful of Chancery buildings in places like Namibia were given to Ghana for free, there are other costs that make no economic sense,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Ras Mubarak added that the revenue generated could be used to invest in infrastructural development and improve education.
“We can’t keep paying high rent costs while kids in schools up and down the country sit on the floor. Keeping these embassies cannot be justified when clinics in rural Ghana are in a deplorable state. By scrapping these missions, Ghana can save on operational costs, including rent, utilities, salaries, and other expenses,” he added.
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Read his full post below:
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