We use the term Diaspora to describe a community of people who live outside their shared country of origin or ancestry but maintain active connections with it.
Many Ghanaians in the Diaspora maintain a strong connection to Ghana. There is a joke that the Ghanaian Diaspora are the only ones who display the Countries flag in their cars.
Many Ghanaian Diaspora groups are working to achieve greater impact and a stronger voice in matters that relate to Ghana.
The Ghanaian Diaspora community make vital but most often unrecognized contributions to the progress of Ghana. They share goals with governments, businesses, and NGOs, including: Access to global markets for skills and financial capital
The Contribution of the Ghanaian Diaspora in the National development cannot be over emphasized. There is credible information that the Ghanaian Diasporian remittances to Ghana in 2015 was about 15 Billion USD. Such a formidable contribution cannot be overlooked. This is more than the revenue generated in the country from sources such as gold, diamond, oil.
Such a contribution cannot be ignored and such a group need to be Nurtured, Grown and Catered to.
Lip service has been paid in the past to this formidable Constituency. Under the Kuffour’s administration a Bureau of Diasporian Affairs was established, a diasporian summit arranged with great fun fare only to be relegated to the background without any credible engagement with the diaspora.
The same process happened under the Mahama administration with the creation of the Desk of Diasporian Affairs in the President’s office. Nothing substantial was achieved and yet again the Diaspora was left to its own.
President Akuffo Addo has established several focused new Ministries to tackle the myriad of problems facing Ghana. Inner City and Zongo, Railways, Business Development, Special Development Initiative, Water and Sanitation to mention a few. I propose the establishment of the Ministry of Diasporian Affairs to engage the Diaspora in a more strategic way to tap on the potential of the Ghanaian Diaspora for the benefit of the country.
The time could not have been more opportune to take advantage of the wind of change to make the Ghanaian Diaspora more meaningful to the country. There are several innovative ways to coordinate the activities of the Ghanaian Diaspora to make it meaningful to the development of Ghana.
The diaspora cannot be seen only a source of tax revenue and remittances. The scope and usefulness of such a Ministry is immense and as a matter of URGENCY I urge the President to create such a Ministry. THE MISTRY OF DIASPORIAN AFFAIRS. If established soundly the Ministry can be even self-supporting.
Several countries all over the world have tapped effectively and in an organized fashion into their Diaspora and Ghana cannot be any different.
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