Head of Policy Evaluation and Monitoring at the Presidency, Dr. Tony Aidoo, has called leaders in the nation not to portray the country as “begging” for help during G8 Summits.

He wants them to stand their ground and pontificate the interest of the nation when they mount such international platforms.

Speaking in relation to President Mahama’s participation in the G8 Summit on Radio Gold’s ‘Alhaji Alhaji’ on Saturday, he expressed the hope that governments will be able to project Ghana’s image during such summits and not appear as always seeking help from the western countries.

According to him, during such summits, the leaders should be seen presenting their “basket of interest and you bargain, you don’t beg.”

“In our dealings with them, we should not consider ourselves as if we are disadvantaged. That we are people who need aid…There’s no harm in standing your ground when we know that justice is on your side and when you know that you can come back home and convince your people that, look, we couldn’t pick this concession because we knew that it was going to be used to our disadvantage. If you cannot do that, then it means you do not have a vision, and you do not have a constructive policy.”

He also called on the leadership to ensure that Ghanaian workers gain an upper hand in the energy sector and other sectors of the economy.

“We, on the other hand, should also be able to impress upon the British that, in the Confederation of Economic Cooperation agreement, we want to see as much of our local content policy featuring as possible,” he said on the subject of the visit by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is expected in the country this year, to further strengthen the diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Ghana.