Ensure judicious use of resources - Kufuor

President John Agyekum Kufuor asked the newly nominated Ambassadors and High Commissioners to ensure the judicious use of the resources and financial remittances at the country's missions.

"An end must be put to the financial malpractices which have marked the operations of some of our diplomatic missions in the recent and immediate past."

President Kufuor was addressing the closing session of a two-week induction course for 27 newly nominated Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Accra.

The course was designed to re-orient and re-focus their responsibilities in the implementation of the country's foreign policy under the NPP administration.

President Kufuor warned that adverse findings on any mission by the inspection team of the Auditor-General's Department would not be allowed to gather dust on the shelves, but would be acted upon by the Foreign Minister.

He said as heads of mission, they were expected to provide leadership, exercise good judgement at all times to manage the missions as one unit with a common purpose irrespective of which ministry individual members of staff may be representing.

"I will not countenance inter-ministerial or inter-departmental rivalries and bickering in the country's missions abroad, because the management of foreign relations is a costly business and we must get good value for our money."

President Kufuor told the envoys that a major part of their work would be to look after the interest of all Ghanaians in their host countries. Therefore the missions should not be opened to only those who support the ruling party but receive and assist all Ghanaians in their legitimate pursuits, adding "let our missions be truly for all Ghanaians."

He urged them to put an end to the horror stories about the inefficiencies, the delays, the lack of interest and downright rudeness at the foreign missions "because they are servants of Ghana, of Ghanaians and of all those who are interested in Ghana".

"The government's concept of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of a ministry for foreign relations and Ghanaians abroad, the consular protection of the citizens abroad should not play a second fiddle to your equally important and new focus of economic diplomacy."

President Kufuor said the government wanted to promote friendly relations with neighbouring countries, the rest of Africa and the world at large, adding that the NPP's vision for Ghana was to make it a self confident, democratic and prosperous country with the private sector as the engine of growth and the creation of wealth.

President Kufuor therefore asked the envoys to be sensitive to the needs of Ghanaian businessmen and others desirous of investing in the country.

Mr Hackman Owusu -Agyeman, the Foreign Minister said the course has sharpened the skills of the envoys and were adequately prepared and ready to embark on their new careers to help realise the vision and foreign policy goals of the government.

He said their attention was also drawn to the relevant sections of the NPP's foreign policy, which pledged Ghana's commitment to peace, understanding and co-operation and an uncompromising dedication to the promotion of multiparty democratic systems of government especially in Africa.

Mr Owusu- Agyeman said the missions should be made the nerve-centre for the dissemination of accurate data to assist potential investors into the country.

He asked them to respect the diplomatic privileges and immunities accorded them in order not become the subjects of oddity in their countries of accreditation.