General News of Monday, 23 January 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-01-23
Foreign Affairs Minister-designate, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway
The Foreign Affairs Minister-designate has entreated Ghanaians without proper documentations abroad to reconsider their decision and return home.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchway says “things are not bad” in the country for the citizens to live in inhumane conditions in foreign countries.
Taking her turn before Parliament’s Appointments Committee Monday, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Anyaa Sowutuom urged Ghanaians to stay and make their living in the country.
Issues of undocumented Ghanaians living in foreign countries made the news when at least over 100 Ghanaians were deported from the United States of America in November, 2016.
The deportees arrived at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on a chartered flight in chains few days to the US presidential election. They refused to disembark from the plane, citing inhumane treatment meted out to them by U.S immigration officials.
Some of them reportedly said they had served jail terms in US for various offences such as drug trafficking, and illegal documents.
The development generated intense debate in the country especially after cases of maltreatment meted to Ghanaians in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar were in the news.
International relation experts wondered what government was doing to protect Ghanaians living under harsh conditions in foreign countries.
Responding to a question about how the nation could protect undocumented Ghanaians, the Foreign Affairs Minister-designate said the best way out would be for the citizens to return home.
Ayorkor Botchway said individual countries have their own immigration laws, adding foreign nationals found to be without documents would be deported.
She, however, suggested that the nation has to “engage countries that we know or have evidence of treating such persons in an inhumane manner.”
“We need to engage them and ensure that when they are arrested, they are treated well,” she said.
