[ 2012-05-17 ]

Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo

Disabuse your minds of negative stories on Ghana, Ghanaians in abroad told
Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo, Ghana’s High Commissioner
to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland at the
weekend asked Ghanaians in the diaspora to
disabuse their minds of the negative stories
churned out by a section of the media that there
was chaos in Ghana following the biometric
registration.

Prof. Danso-Boafo, who was speaking at the
inauguration of the Ghana Union of Ireland in
Dublin, said emphatically that there was no
fighting going on in Ghana and that the biometric
registration was part of the process in
preparation for the December elections. The event,
superbly organised, the first of its kind, and
attended by hundreds of Ghanaians in Ireland,
showcased exquisite display of Ghanaian culture,
music and togetherness.

He asked Ghanaians not to listen to the doomsayers
who are preaching violence and gave the assurance
the government was determined to make the
elections very peaceful and therefore would ensure
that security was provided for all polling
stations to protect voters.

Prof. Danso-Boafo said, despite the enormous
improvement in the economy of the country, some
people continue to spread false information,
especially to Ghanaians in the diaspora that the
country’s economy was collapsing.

He said Ghana’s economy is doing very well and for
the last three years, it has continued to grow at
a rate that has made it one of the fastest growing
economies in the world.

Ghana, the Ambassador said, was on the verge of
economic boom because of the infrastructure being
built currently by the government.

The evidence of the economic boom is in the
government’s agricultural transformation, better
economic management, better roads, more schools,
improved electricity and water, other social
intervention programmes, additional hospitals and
clinics among others, Prof. Danso-Boafo said,
adding “any visitor to Ghana today would witness
the rehabilitation of the railway service,
rehabilitation of the Airports, the construction
of new Airports in the Northern and Ashanti
regions of the country and in an attempt to halt
the drift of the youth into the cities, the
government is also extending Agriculture to most
agricultural areas”.

The Ambassador praised Ghanaians in Ireland for
being good ambassadors of Ghana and urged them to
keep the ‘Black Star” shining.

Earlier in his speech, the Mayor of Fingal City,
Ireland, Councillor Gerry McGuire, described his
city as a strong supporter of economic development
and a wealth of national and international
businesses that was why the council was always
willing to assist in the creation of new
developments to create employment opportunities
for all its residents which include Ghanaians.

He said in a diverse city as Fingal, where one in
every five of the residents is a foreigner, the
most prominent are Ghanaians, of whom he was very
proud because of their contribution to the growth
of the Fingal society and its economy.

Councillor McGuire describing Ghana as a most
hospitable country in Africa with a rich and
varied culture and a long period of struggle
against colonialism, he said Ireland has much to
identify with in the history of Ghana.

Ghana in 2012, he noted, is a proud African state
that has seen great achievement since gaining
independence in 1957 under the leadership of its
first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who
Councillor McGuire described as a strong advocate
of Pan-Africanism.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Union,
Mr. Kwabena Antwi-Boasiako said it has always been
the dream of Ghanaians in the Ireland to have a
body that is recognised and is representative of
all and can take care of their needs as Ghanaians.


Quoting former American president, Harry Truman,
who said “The supreme need of our time is for men
to learn to live together in peace and harmony”
Mr. Antwi-Boasiako said, today the Ghanaian
community in Ireland has shown that they can come
together and stand for each other in times of
need, sickness and death.

He said the main objective for which the Union was
set up, was to serve as a representative body or
an ‘umbrella body’ representing Ghanaians in
Ireland to helping foster cordial relationship
among Ghanaians in different counties and promote
the cultural of Ghana.

Reflecting on the theme for the occasion, which
was “Deepening the Economic and Socio-Cultural
Ties between Ghana and Ireland; The Role of the
immigrant in the Diaspora”, Mr. Antwi-Boasiako
asked members of the Union not to forget the
existing economic and socio-cultural ties that
already exist between the Ireland and Ghana and be
good ambassadors of Ghana.

Ending his speech, Mr. Antwi-Boasiako said the
Executives and members of the Union very much
appreciated the presence of the Ghana Ambassador,
Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo, the Ambassadors of Kenya
and Nigeria, the Honorary Consul-General of Ghana
in Ireland and thanked all who made the event
possible.

His Excellency, Prof. Danso-Boafo inducted the
executive Board of the Union which included Alhaji
Adam Mahama, Dr. Yaw Bimpeh, Elder Peter Addo,
Ericaq Birch-Abban, Mrs. Margaret Boateng, Mrs.
Pamela Hagan-Morgan, Joyce Henaku, Thomas
Nguessan, Randy Asante, P. Opoku Wiredu, Nana
Obeng Agyeman, Pastor Ricky Sarpong, Nana Paul
Asamoah,, Frank Agyei and Eric Leon, into office
and assured them of the support of his office.

Pastor Boateng, Ekwow Agyeman Prempeh, Eric Yao,
Yaw Dankwa, Issah Huseini, Kofi Owusu-Ansah, Lucy
Pepay, Kunle Thompson and Johnson Baah are the
patrons of the Union.

Source - Ghana High Commission,London

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