Ghana is said to lack economic ambassadors who would canvass for aid for the country at the international level and lure investors into the various sectors of the economy.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Yagaba/Kubori in the Northern region, Ussif Mustapha, who made this point in his contribution on the president’s state of the nation address in Parliament yesterday, said the presence of these ambassadors who would project the image of the country globally is critical to the investment needs of Ghanaians.
To this end, the MP called on the government to consider appointing ex-Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor and former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, as economic ambassadors, who would tour the nations of the world and tell of the success story of Ghana.
“These are men with international contacts, they have made their names…so if we give them the opportunity they will be able to woo investors into the country to beef up our Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs)…,” the MP said.
The astute men of international standing, the MP added, can make use of their ‘international connections’ to help develop the economic potential of this country thereby complementing the effort of President John Dramani Mahama and all other ambassadors that are working diligently to place Ghana high on the international economic pedestal.
Citing an event in which former President Kufuor was able to solicit support of $9bn for the Senegalese government in London to buttress his point, the MP asked Ghanaians to imagine how well Mr. Kofi Annan or Mr. Rawlings would do when they are offered the contract of soliciting support for Ghana.
He said their role would complement that of international players and national sports teams including the Black Stars who openly boost up the economic potential of Ghana on the international stage.
He further called on government not to only look at the cost involved in deploying these men of international repute but also the benefits involved in such a venture.
The MP also called on President Mahama to reconsider his promise of expanding electricity to rural areas urging the president to concentrate more on how best he could get his constituency connected to the national grid.