Legal practitioner Amanda Clinton has backed the government’s handling of recent xenophobic incidents targeting Ghanaians in South Africa, while cautioning that urgent challenges at home must not be overshadowed by external engagements.
Ms Clinton, who made an appearance on JoyNews’ AM Show on Wednesday, April 29, lauded the approach taken by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, describing Ghana’s diplomatic posture as firm and consistent with how leading nations defend their citizens abroad.
“I think the foreign minister has done a great job in putting forward the message that Ghanaians everywhere will be protected. It’s very much what the US does; if something is happening to any of their citizens in any country, they will bring light to that,” she said.
She further endorsed the government’s readiness to facilitate the return of affected nationals, noting that the repatriation option sends a reassuring signal to citizens living overseas and demonstrates a willingness to provide protection when needed.
Despite this endorsement, the Head of Chambers at Clinton Consultancy raised concerns about what she perceives as a recurring tendency by political leaders to shift focus away from pressing domestic issues.
She argued that the same urgency that applies to international matters should be directed toward resolving the challenges confronting citizens in Ghana.
“The millions of Ghanaians who voted for you care more about you addressing our ECG problem. They care about executive gatekeeping. The OSP might not be working, so improve it or change the legislature, but address it,” she said firmly.
Her remarks reflect broader public anxieties over persistent concerns in the energy sector, governance, and accountability institutions. She stressed that these issues have a more immediate impact on citizens and require sustained government attention.
Clinton also criticised what she viewed as a misplaced presidential remark made during a period of heightened national concern, suggesting it detracted from more serious conversations.
“The president said something like ‘don’t eat banku after 7 pm’ or something like that, and I was just like, what? Everybody is talking about something that really matters, and you’re doing this?” she said.
On the situation in South Africa, she maintained that while government intervention was necessary, the scale of attention it received could have been moderated in favour of more urgent local priorities.
“This South Africa thing could have just been dealt with in a 10-minute briefing. Don’t make such a big deal about it when there are millions of Ghanaians right here waiting for you to address their problems,” she said.
Ms Clinton also rejected comments by a South Africa-based activist known as Queen V, who had suggested Ghana’s foreign minister should prioritise domestic job creation to discourage migration. She described those remarks as an attempt to divert attention from the core issue of xenophobic attacks.
Ms Clinton described the remarks as a “silly” and misguided attempt to deflect from the real issue of xenophobic violence she has been inciting.
Her intervention adds to the growing discourse on how governments balance international diplomacy with domestic governance, particularly at a time when economic pressures and public service delivery remain central concerns for many Ghanaians.
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