Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Frank Annoh–Dompreh, has challenged Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, to back his claims with evidence if indeed he’s privy to any information suggesting President Akufo-Addo is being dishonest in his supposed ban on foreign travels for Ministers and other government appointees.
Anyidoho has contended that President Akufo-Addo did not come clean on the matter insisting the President’s latest action on foreign travels is as a result of the fact that the foreign Embassies in Ghana have resolved not to issue visas enbloc to appointees after it was established that many of them have been involved in human trafficking and visa racketeering.
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According to him, the Akufo Addo government has disgraced itself in the eyes of the international community such that the foreign Embassies and Missions do not trust the government any longer, hence their decisions on visas.
His comments come after the Chief of Staff issued a statement indicating that all ministers, deputy ministers, MMDCEs and all government appointees have been banned temporarily from embarking on foreign trips.
A memo sent to all government appointees by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare stated that only the Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is exempted from the directive.
The memo added that guidelines in respect of future foreign travels aimed at minimizing disruption to Government’s domestic work will be communicated shortly.
In a reaction on the fall out from the development on Kasapa FM, Mr. Annoh Dompreh said the move by government was to allow for proper regulation and modalities within which foreign travels are embarked upon and also promote efficiency in his administration.
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He said it’s regrettable that Anyidoho is misleading the public with his pronouncements only to further his agenda and make political capital out of the matter.
“This claim is baseless. Listening to him, he sounds more like a serial caller who’s talking without any proof. I dare him to provide evidence that gives credence to the fact that the action by government is because of the growing human trafficking and visa racketeering being undertaken by Akufo-Addo appointees, which explains why they’ve resolved not to issue visas enbloc to government appointees. If he has no proof he should retract, we need to improve our political discourse.”