President John Dramani Mahama had stated that Ghana cannot continue to spend over $15 million annually on renting properties abroad for its diplomatic use.
“This is not a judicious use of taxpayers’ resources, and the reset agenda requires an immediate reversal of this trend,” he stated on Thursday, when he commissioned the first batch of 18 new envoys.
President Mahama said that was why Cabinet had promptly approved the STRIDE initiative, which referred to the Strategic Transition from Rental to Developing their own properties.
He said he had tasked the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance to work urgently to resolve this long-standing challenge.
He stated that from his latest briefing, a transaction advisor had been appointed with standard designs being developed, while funding mechanisms were already being negotiated.
President Mahama reiterated that this decisive shift would ensure that Ghana’s missions abroad were housed in properties owned by the Republic, reducing wasteful expenditure while safeguarding the dignity of the country on the international stage.
The President reminded the envoys that the reset agenda was a shared enterprise and its success depended on close coordination between the missions abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all ministries, departments and government agencies.
It would also depend on how well they engaged the private sector, civil society and their dynamic Ghanaian diaspora abroad, he said.
“As you assume this noble mandate, remember that your service is not for yourself but for the country and God. Serve with humility, courage and excellence. May your tenure bring renewed favour to Ghana, progress to our people and dignity to every Ghanaian, both at home and abroad,” the President said.
The President on behalf of the government and people of Ghana, wished the new envoys well in their assignments.
“You carry with you the hopes of a nation. May your service strengthen Ghana’s standing, advance our interests and deepen the dividends of democracy and development for our people,” he said.
Mr Victor Emmanuel Smith, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked President Mahama for the honour bestowed upon them.
He urged his colleague ambassadors, high commissioners, and all appointees in President Mahama’s government, to focus on the vision of their leader and chart a course of selfless leadership wherever we may find ourselves, saying they could not afford to fail the good people of Ghana.
GNA