Reduce trips - Minority tells President

The Minority in Parliament has slammed President Kufuor for his numerous trips outside the country since taking over office and accordingly called on him to concentrate on more domestic matters.

The Minority says it has noted that the president had travelled abroad 10 times over the last five months, making an average of one trip every fortnight. "Coming at a time when the country has been declared HIPC, the strain of the expenditure of foreign travel on the national budget could be adverse especially regarding the large numbers of ministers and aides who accompany the president on such trips", the minority leader, Alban Bagbin said in a statement.

The Minority says considering the present tight economic situation, the Minority says it expects the President to stay at home and galvanise his team of ministers and advisors to bring relief to the people of Ghana in the face of present high cost of living.

It expressed disappointment that in comparison with the 10 trips made outside the West African nation, the President had carried out only one working visit on the domestic front to the Ashanti Region.

The former president and his government came under intense criticism for the numerous trips they made abroad whilst in power in the name of campaigning for investment.

The NDC minority in what seems as a replay of what it suffered whilst in power thinks that it is necessary for the President to tour the country and acquaint himself with the problems of the people, especially the hardworking farmers during the farming season.

Whilst the group recognises presidential travels abroad to attract investment and donor support, some of the trips could be delegated to the Vice-President, the Foreign Minister or some other high profile representatives, adding "certainly not all the trips abroad, require the physical presence of the President himself."

Some of the President's trip outside since he took over was to Morocco, South Africa, Togo, Libya and Spain.