COGNAI President Faces The President Of Ghana

The visit by Ghana’s President, J.A. Kufour to Italy was significant to Ghanaians resident in the country. The meeting with the Ghanaian communities representatives and the Council of Ghana Nationals Association in Italy (COGNAI) at the Ambassador’s residence in Rome was a memorable one for the records.

J.A. Kufour delivered an impressive speech but there some reservations from Ghanaians resident in Italy.

This is the full text of President of COGNAI, Omari Somuah, after J.A. Kufour’s speech followed by response from Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Akufo–Addo and Minister of Finance & Economic Planning, Kwadwo Baah Wiredu.

Omari Somuah: This COGNAI is an umbrella of all The Ghana Nationals Association in Italy. Italy is a vast country and it has many provinces and Associations which has been helping our various compatriots in these provinces. We have Associations from Milan, Bergamo, Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Pordenone, Udine, Treviso, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Parma, we have presently 17 Ghana Associations and most of these Associations have been helping a lot, some even in the past have been able to achieve in collaboration with the Italian government to send buses to Ghana. The yellow buses which were sent to Ghana sometime ago were engineered by an Association in Treviso with the help of one Mr. Djanie. The Association in Pordenone which hosted the recent Miss Ghana Show in Italy has also done well with the help of one Mr. Calabriase who happens to be here and he has promised to help Ghanaians. Also we have Ghana Association of Modena which has formed a GHANACOOP introducing Ghanaian agricultural products to the Italian system. In the past it has not been easy for so called third world countries to enter into the agricultural market sector of Italy. This GHANACOOP has been able to pave the way, they have set up an agro-based firm in Ghana producing their own pineapples through a broad- based farming.These are Ghanaians based in Italy they have been bringing these pineapples to Italy. Not long ago COGNAI organised a Ghana Day by offering Ghana’s Pineapples to the public at various points in some cities, north of Italy, in exchange to raise funds.

The proceeds from that event was sent to the Ministry of Health in Ghana to help combat Malaria.

I’m here representing these 17 Associations, we commend our government for what it has been able to attain within this short period of time in power. We look back and lament saying if we have had such government in the past most of us would not have been in Italy, we would have come home, unfortunately it was not so, but it’s better late than never.

We say more grease to your elbow Mr. President and continue on the way you have embarked on, with God’s help you will be able to make it.

We however, have these reservations anyway.

First at our ports in Ghana. We are here, we are working and we send items, machineries and what have you to Ghana, but the treatment that we meet at our harbors is not all that encouraging.

It has been observed that Ghana is almost the first nation in the world that one has to pay taxes and the people to collect these taxes are not there. You may ship a car or some cars to Ghana and may go to the harbor to clear them and you will be in a queue from morning to evening and when it comes to your turn the officer at post would tell you they are going on break, that means you have money in your hand to pay to the government and people have deserted their post to go on break.

If the workers are not enough we are pleading to the government to employ more people if possible run shift so people will always find officers to pay and collect their goods. We are willing to pay the taxes to the government if the people there are willing to collect them. That is point number one.

Point number two is the security system in the country, we have a lot of Italians who would like to come to Ghana to invest and if one goes with a Ghanaian friend and see the way things are happening in the nation, in terms of security, that his cellular phone or car can be snatched at gun point or robbed that will be a turn off.

Recently, some Ghanaians went to Ghana with Italian friends, they were lodging in a hotel and in the night armed robbers charged in and robbed them. We believe there is real case of insecurity in our country and though the government has done so well within these years we are still pleading they do more so people can feel safe and more secured.

The third issue is on our pension in Italy. We have about 50,000 Ghanaians in Italy and in 1986 when I was here the Italian government gave resident permit, gave us working permit and the right to invite your family – a spouse, children to join you. We have been working and contributing to the Italian social system that is the social security but we are not secured.

The Italian social security presently demands a woman attains the age of 60 years or 65 years for men with a minimum of 20 years work or contribution before eligible to collect pension money. Some of us were already 40 or 50 years before coming to Italy and it would be almost impossible to work for 20 years or more before having a pension.

We are therefore pleading with you Mr. President if you can negotiate with the Italian government on terms that even if one contributes 5 years the person will have a right to have some sort of pension money so we would not come home empty handed to be a social liability to our country, Ghana, when we come home and no longer able to work.

Finally, on the issue of passport fees in Italy. There are 40,000 Ghanaians in Italy who are properly documented. I don’t think there is anywhere in the world you will find that number of Ghanaians who have regularised documents to stay in a country and work to make a living.

For the past two years Ghanaians in Italy have been made to pay higher passport fees than our compatriots in the Euro Zone. We have been paying €200 for the renewal of the Ghanaian Passport whilst others in countries like France, Belgium, Germany are paying €115. We sent a plea to the government through our Embassy, the letter reached the government and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs came to Italy to discuss the issue with us in March this year assuring us that within the shortest possible time all of Ghana’s Missions in Europe, except the UK, will charge a common fee for the same course on documentations. We don’t want to believe that the government of Ghana is thinking that we in Italy work shifts and so earn more money and thus should be made to pay more than our counterparts elsewhere.

Mr. President, we are looking forward to hearing from you and your government that this fees are reduced because Italy is also passing through some crises and families here are no more able to cope with it.

President Kufour: Omari you are truly a powerful politician and I believe you have earned your position as leader of the Ghanaian communities here. You have raised very important issues. Fortunately I am here with the Minister of Foreigner Affairs and Minister of Finance and some of the questions fall in their sectors but before I give the microphone to them,I want to thank you and the Ghanaian communities for their appreciation of the good work government is doing for our nation back home in Ghana.

You talked of the passport fee issue and the Foreign Minister will even out what you pay and your compatriots elsewhere.

Foreign Minister (Nana Akufo-Addo): This is one of the difficult problems the Ministry has to face. This discrepancy is really very simple and we have to speak the truth.

Frankly speaking it was deliberate because the volumes of passport replacement or missing cases that were being dealt with in our office in Italy were much more extensive and higher than elsewhere and it’s important we come up front to speak the truth about this. The demand has gone down considerably since the decision was taken and higher quality Ghanaian Passport is about to be introduced which is going to lead to much less ability to manipulate and the fees for passports are going to be uniform throughout the Euro Zone, the others that are paying €115 are going to pay €200 that you are paying in Italy. I’m sorry to say the discrimination was unfortunate but it has to be done for us to start controlling the situation. Like I said the demand has gone down considerably and we are now in the position to iron out a system and make sure there is a uniform fee that is paid right through the Euro Zone.

President Kufour: The next question I believe is in the court of the Financial Minister and it’s about the poor collection of duties at the port. It is as if Ghana doesn’t need the money but I assure you we need every pesewa we can collect The Finance Minister will address that and the pension scheme. We want to see if we can work out something with the Italian government so that at the end of the day when you are coming back home you can come out with something if even you have not contributed 20 years.

The Finance Minister will address both issues.

Finance Minister (Kwadwo Baah Wiredu): Number one is the pension scheme. Fortunately the Italian Ambassador to Ghana is here and we are going to meet the Minister of Cooperation and hope we pick this issue out and work out the best means you can get the money back to Ghana without contributing 20 years. We need to understand the legal system that pertains to that aspects of the law but if there is anyone of you here who is a specialist or knows something about the issue we will like to meet that person so practically we can find a solution because first and foremost we much understand their laws. Secondly, the issue raised at the ports is very important. It falls within the Ghana Ports Authority and The Custom & Excise.

Next year our budget target for revenue is about 31 trillion cedis but at the same time the demand from teachers (teaching and non-teaching staffs) of Ghana amount to the same 31 trillion cedis so what do we do for the other people. So collecting revenue is very important. We have set security cameras so we can monitor the performance of the people and the time people come to work is also being improved upon.

Computerisation is also taking place, suspensions and dismissals of officer have also been going on simultaneously, example at Tema Harbor, Kotoka International Airport, Aflao border. There is also a special appeal to you. Some of us also want ‘short cuts’ as people want to pay bribes and collect their goods at less cost. The point regarding revenue collection is very important and we will take a serious note of that. -