Help government to succeed -Kwesi Botchwey

Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Skills Bank at the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC, the Guest Speaker, the former Minister of Finance Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, said, it is only with humility that Ghanaians who have acquired skills in America and Europe could fit into the Ghanaian situation.

According to Dr. Kwesi Botchwey who is currently a Senior Fellow at Columbia University, some professional Ghanaians who have worked abroad turn to portray an attitude of superior complex on their return and invariably clash with their colleagues whose sacrifices, sustained the economy.

Dr. Botchwey was speaking to over four hundred professional Ghanaians who had traveled from all over United States for the launch of the Ghana Skills Bank. The development of Ghana should be a burden for all to bear he explained. The Government of President Kufuor, he said, is doing its best and that it was left to the professionals to be humbled and contribute their quota and stop being pessimists.

Africa’s worst pessimists have sometimes been African themselves who having traveled abroad and found advanced levels of development could not comprehend Africa’s underdevelopment.

Paying professional Ghanaians what was due them on their return had always been a sensitive issue. He asked whether it was right to pay 5,000 dollars a month to a Ghanaian who did not stay to help solve the many difficulties at home but who is coming home with new skills.

While some of those who stayed may be prepared to work with the returned professionals, there would always be resistance and lack of co-operation if those who had returned did not initiate mutual respect.

About 40 billion dollars a year, he said, is spent on 200 skilled professionals to work in Africa and other developing countries. More often, Africa could not readily supply the profiles of their skilled professional men and women even when they protested and the opportunity was given Africans to use their professional people to execute World Bank and other projects. It was in that direction that he commended the initiator of the Ghana Skills Bank, His Excellency Alan Kyerematen and explained that its usage would be immense in the business of international development assistance and projects.

According to Dr. Botchwey, in his travels and meetings with African leaders and international development agencies, there is an inexpiable feeling all over that Ghana will overcome its poverty and difficulties and urged all to work towards that realization.

Dr. Botchwey who is also head of some African development foundations within and outside of the United States promised to make available potential sources of sponsorship for the bank.

Another Guest Speaker was the former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Dr. Susan Rice. She was of the opinion that Ghana was gradually emerging again as the place to look for in Africa for development and investment.

The country, she said, has escaped the conflicts in other African countries and enjoying great stability, which is good for planning.

The Skills bank, she said was as important or better then possession of natural resources since natural resource could depreciate but human resources have always been infinite and fundamental to many things.

Ms. Sharon Cromer, Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged that the organization was happy with the launch of the Skills Bank and will use some of the Bank’s personnel to execute some of its programs in Ghana. She marveled at the immense talents of Ghanaians and said it should reflect on the Skills Bank.

There were other representatives from aid agencies and other financial institutions including the World Bank.

Mr. Nick Robinson, Former Director of the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Accra and now of the Africa Bureau of the U.S. State Department led a team of African (Okyerema Asante) and African-American jazz players from the U.S. and Caribbean entertained the audience.

The Bank, which is the first ever initiative of the Embassy and professionals working outside it has as Chair His Excellency Alan Kyerematen with his Minister Counselor of Information-Ivor Agyeman-Duah as Projector Director. Other members include Kofi Honu, an IT specialist who is Technical Director, Francis Tsegah, Deputy Chief of Mission, Lawrence Akwasi Agyeman Prempeh, Municipal Management Consultant, Francis Tamakole of the World Bank, Washington, DC and Dr. K. Laast, medical practitioner.