Ghana's Ambassador to attend Town hall meeting in Bern

Meeting has been organized by the Embassy and some Ghanaian Community Associations 15th September 2009: Ghana’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Mrs. Ellen Serwaa Nee-Whang, will be in the centre of a quiz program on Ghana, at a town hall meeting, in Bern. The town hall meeting which is the 1st of its kind here, is a forum being run at BANHOFSTRASSE 4,3073 GUMLIGEN near Bern, on Saturday, 19th September. A program released by the Embassy indicates that the meeting is being jointly organized by the Embassy and some Ghanaian Community Associations in Switzerland. The Embassy has, therefore, asked the Associations to encourage all their members and families, and also urged Ghanaians not belonging to any associations to attend the town hall meeting, which observers see as part of the Embassy’s ‘open –door’ program.       Mr. Frank Agyir-Croffet of the Asanteman Association in Zurich, was elected unopposed at a recent meeting by representatives of five associations at a planning committee’s meeting in Bern, as moderator for the forum. Participants attending the meeting will be given the opportunity to participate in a “question and answer” session, which will principally be based, among others, on Ghana’s Foreign Service policies, flexible investment opportunities, private sector development with emphasis on entrepreneurship strategies in Ghana and the country’s cultural, social, and economic-political issues. Security situation in Ghana to be addressed The Ambassador is expected to address some of the highly sensitive issues on current security situation in Ghana, especially in Accra, reportedly said to be ‘unsafe’ for Ghanaians in the Diaspora who are travelling home. She’ll also address the issue of difficulties faced by Ghanaians in dealing with Ghana Customs & Excise and Immigration officials. It has been alleged that some Ghanaians travelling home have been targeted by armed robbers and other tricksters, right from the Kotoka International Airport. It has also been reported that Ghanaians returning home are usually subjected to unnecessary customs harassment when clearing goods at the harbour, and face the same fate at the Accra Kotoka International Airport. Some have also been mistreated by Immigration officials. “While the services have been improved of late, much is desired to weed-out other yawning bottlenecks and loopholes,” a Community spokesman said, adding that “It’s sad and at the same time, a great pity that the harbour has no toilet facilities and ‘consignees’ are also subjected to ‘trial by fire’, under 30 degree scorching sun for hours, if not for days, simply to clear their goods.”   The Community spokesman called for modernization of services at the ports. “Ghanaian officials travelling to Europe especially Switzerland, know the relaxed nature of European Immigration, even in this high risk period: we have to modernize our operations or perish. The services in Europe or USA are assisted by modern screening or ‘VDT’ technology: this is what we have to adopt, install and operate to help improve our system and to stop unnecessary harassment of Ghanaians and tourists alike.” List of ill-fated programs in Ghana Another spokes-person of the community, talked about a long list of ill-fated programs in Ghana, which need a vision, foresight and political will for their effective implementation or reconstruction to advance the society. She named some of them as, soaring population explosion, teen-age pregnancy, defective family planning programs, rise in delinquency and criminality. “How can we allow hawkers and buyers to turn our streets into a shopping mall and gangs to control the street?” she asked. On aviation, she said political will is needed to plan and construct a worthy modern international airport, which could accommodate large planes to help increase air traffic and also boost tourism in Ghana. She said the airport should be constructed in the outskirts of  the city of Accra, just like London’s Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton. Such a move, she said, would help create new jobs and reduce accidents caused by planes flying overhead of buildings in highly populated residential areas in Accra. Other programs she mentioned, which she said need urgent and critical attention include University and school curriculum, suspected to be producing only white collar job seekers and undermining training of needed qualified technicians and engineers, poor waste management plans and sanitation programs, resulting in deadly mosquitoes breeding and increasing malaria related diseases, and also lack of proper preventive health care programs. She touched on the political bickering and antagonism now going on between the government and opposition: “This is not the time for this: they must get down to business trough compromise resolutions and consensus,” she said. Meanwhile Asanteman Association in Zurich has said that they are organizing transport “free-of-charge” for its members and families to attend the town hall meeting in Bern. By Kwaku Boatin, Geneva