Next NDC government will formulate an economic diplomacy blueprint—John Mahama
Next NDC government will formulate an economic diplomacy blueprint—John Mahama
The next National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government will formulate an economic diplomacy blueprint to serve as a policy guide to diplomats and all staff of the Foreign Service if voted into power.
The NDC Economic Diplomacy Blueprint would provide clear deliverables under Ghana’s economic diplomacy agenda, enhance the general conditions of service for Foreign Service Staff including; restoring duty waivers on vehicles for staff returning from postings.
According to the flagbearer, Former president John Dramani Mahama their “People’s Manifesto: Jobs and Prosperity for All,” focus on International Relations and Foreign Affairs.
It seeks to leverage and place Ghana’s hosting of the African Continental Free Trade Secretariat at the heart of the industrialisation drive by ensuring that Ghana becomes Africa’s trade, transport and investment hub.
He said his government would restore the high regard for career diplomats, enhance esprit de corps and meaningful career progression deserving of career diplomats by ensuring that majority of ambassadors and envoys were selected from the stock of career diplomats.
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Mr Mahama promised to establish a Consular Support Fund as a line item in the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to cater for distressed Ghanaians abroad who may require urgent consular assistance.
“It would conduct an asset inventory of all diplomatic property with the view to pursuing an aggressive asset improvement and maintenance programme.”
“This review will also seek to address the phenomenon of unsustainable expenditure on rent in favour of the more economically prudent option of owning our own property,” he added.
Mr Mahama indicated when given the chance to govern again he would deepen Ghana’s famed Pan African credentials by putting forth a raft of policies targeted at forging stronger and concrete bonds with Africans in the diaspora and African Americans beyond the occasional visits afforded by “PANAFEST” and “The Year of Return” to a more permanent mutually benefiting relationship.
“We will actively canvass for many more Ghanaians to assume high offices in reputable multilateral organisations,” he said.
The next NDC, firmer President said would renew Ghana’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 by fully domesticating and aligning our development goals across all sectors with these global imperatives.
It would further enhance Ghana’s internationally renowned image in peace operations which marked a milestone this year in commemoration of 60 years since Ghana’s first peace operations deployment in the Congo.
The next government of the NDC would improve conditions of engagement and also increase the number of females in troop deployment consistent with modern UN standards.
The NDC said it would protect the inviolability of the premises of all Foreign Missions in Ghana as required under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations in order to avoid the recent embarrassing spectacle, which created a diplomatic stand-off between Ghana and Nigeria when the latter’s property were demolished in Accra.
The next NDC government would reappraise the geographical representation and economic significance of Ghana’s diplomatic and consular missions and establish new missions strategic to the national development especially in the areas of trade and investment, tourism, and educational opportunities.
