What Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Told Appointment Committee

By Maxwell Ofori, Parliament House I Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey do solemnly swear that the evidence I shall give before this committee touching the matter in issue shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. Chairman of Committee, Hon Joe Osei Owusu – Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, congratulations […]

The post What Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Told Appointment Committee appeared first on The Chronicle - Ghana News.

By Maxwell Ofori, Parliament House

I Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey do solemnly swear that the evidence I shall give before this committee touching the matter in issue shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

Chairman of Committee, Hon Joe Osei Owusu – Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, congratulations on your nomination to the ministerial position of Minister for Foreign Affairs. Kindly tell us a little about yourself as briefly as possible.

Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey

Thank you very much Hon. Chairman. Hon Chairman my name is Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. I am 53 years old, next month I will be 54. I’ve 2 children, married. I’ve been in Parliament; this is my thirteenth year, fourth term as a parliamentarian. My hobbies, I like to cook, I like to read, I like to travel, that’s about it Hon Chairman.

Chairman – That cannot be about it. Tell us where you went to school, what you have done before coming to Parliament.

Ayorkor answers

Okay thank you. I went to primary school at New Hope Preparatory School, secondary education at Akosombo International School for my ‘O’ Level and then proceeded to Saint Marys Secondary School for my Advanced Level.

From there I did a course in Secretarial and Management studies at Pitman Central College. Also then I did, few years down the line I came to Ghana Institute of journalism to do Public Relations and Advertising.

Few years after that I went to the University of Westminster to do a Masters in Communications and I went to the University of Ghana Business School as well to do MBA in project management option.

 In between I have worked in various organizations in admin; I’ve owned my own company Dynacom for about four, five years. Whiles at Dynacom I did some consultancy for the Ministry of Tourism on the modernization of the capital city and then I came to Parliament. I’ve worked at Worldspace Ghana, first in admin and then marketing manager.

I’ve also worked at the Divestiture Implementation committee as PA to the Executive Secretary. In short this is what I’ve done. I’ve also done a number of short courses including ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Also short courses at Harvard, I have short courses in marketing management at GIMPA. I don’t know whether I’ve left anything else out Hon Chairman

Chairman – Were you ever a Minister of State or Deputy Minister of State?

Ayorkor answers

I’ve left that out. Yes in 2005, I was appointed into the President Kufour’s administration as the Deputy Minister, first at the Ministry of Information for about a year. Then I was transferred or appointed to the Ministry of Trade. No, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for over a year.

Then from Foreign Affairs I went to Ministry of Trade and then from Ministry of Trade I was brought back to Ministry of Foreign Affairs before we left power on the 7^th, on the midnight of the 6^th of January 2009 thank you.

Chairman – Have you also served on any Parliament outside Ghana? Have you been a Member of any Parliament outside Ghana Parliament?

Ayorkor answers

Yes, Hon Chairman, thank you for prompting me. Yes I’ve been since April 2013 I’ve been a Member of the ECOWAS Parliament and at the ECOWAS Parliament I was the Vice Chair for NEPAD [New Partnership for Africa’s Development] and APRM [African Peer Review Mechanism]. I’ve also been on committees. During my 12 years in Parliament, I’ve been on the Defense and Interior Committee as a member, I’ve also been on the Gender committee, I’ve also been on the Communications committee and I’ve been Ranking Member for 4 years on the Foreign Affairs committee thank you.

After some clarification on the nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (CV), the Chairman directed for the substantive matter to proceed, while calling on the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North, Barbara Ayisi Asher to begin.

Barbara Ayisi Asher – Thank you very much Mr. Chair, congratulations Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. I have three questions. Looking at your CV you have a lot of very rich experience to come to bear in this new ministry. How would you use your office to help in securing and encouraging Foreign Investors into this country?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon. Chairman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs like most ministries of Foreign Affairs in the world have shifted focus to what is called Economic Diplomacy and Economic Diplomacy apart from the normal diplomacy that we all know about  has to do with training foreign service officers to ensure that our foreign policy has a direct linkage to the country’s economic development and in doing so focus is on trade, on attracting foreign direct investment, and also attracting and boosting tourism.

So I would ensure that most or all Foreign Service officers who are posted outside this country are well trained to be able to carry out this important policy initiative of ours. Our focus has changed; economic diplomacy is a major plank of our Foreign Policy. And therefore training and ensuring that that becomes the focus of each mission outside the country would help in ensuring that we attract foreign direct investment and also help in marketing our non-traditional exports or commodities outside the country so training, training, training is important.

We are fortunate to have a sub vented agency under the Foreign Ministry which is the Legon Center for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) and it run courses so we will need to sit down with them and find out how they can help in terms of running short courses for Foreign Service officers. I believe that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an important role to play in that it will surfing the ground, make the initial moves for other ministries to benefit from it. Ministries such us the Ministry Of Trade and other ministries that have something to do with investment and of cause the GIPC thank you.

Barbara Ayisi Asher  – Thank you very much. There has been an increasing incidence of abuse in all forms against some Ghanaians living outside, what practical steps will your ministry take to ensure the safety of Ghanaians living outside?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon. Chairman, this is very unfortunate and very disturbing phenomenon. You would find that our compatriots live the shores of this country to go outside in search of greener pastures. They are lured by all kinds of agencies and then they take them to countries where they are maltreated, where whatever agreements that they may have signed with the so-called agents are not adhered to and as a result they are abused. And in most cases these are women. It is worrying but I believe that we should be careful we should sensitize people that they should be careful not to fall into the trap of these unscrupulous agents.

Secondly, I believe that our Ministry would work with the Ministry of Interior, especially because Ghana Immigration is under the Ministry of Interior so we need to work together. When you find a group of people living, you should be able to, as an immigration officer to question them, interrogate them as to where they are going and all of that.

And also, we need to work together with the Ministry of Employment, some of these agencies are licensed some are not and we need to crack down to ensure that these agencies, these so-called employment agencies, we look into their background before we allow them to do anything. But I think that more importantly we should sensitize Ghanaians that there is nothing like greener pastures outside, thank you.

Barbara Ayisi Asher – Reading the NPP manifesto page 45, it says that the NPP will task our Diplomatic Missions to link up businessmen with foreign counterparts; I just want to end here. How would you include businessmen and women outside the capital, because it looks like the focus is on businessmen in the capital, how do you extend it to the other regions especially to the rural areas? Thank you.

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon. Chairman, this is a difficult question for me because it is not within the remit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but I must say that, in linking local businessmen with local businessmen outside, I think it’s important that we don’t just look within the capitals but look outside the capitals into the rural areas.

Because when you take agriculture for instance and you are linking a local businessmen (farmer) to somebody outside in terms of export of his/her farm produce, you should be looking outside the capital because the real work or the real businesses are in the rural areas and therefore we shouldn’t look at what is happening in Accra only.

Of course when it comes to other businesses you find them in Accra but you find them throughout so we must have some policy or programme that will target probably a quota for each region and for each district, so that would be my answer to that.

Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, MP for Tamale North takes turn to quiz the nominee – Hon. Nominee congratulations – Do we have a Foreign Policy and what is it?

Ayorkor answers

Yes, Hon. Chairman we do have a Foreign Policy. Our Foreign Policy has changed over the period from when we gained independence to now. Our Foreign Policy started with Pan Africanism as a focus during the times of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. But what hasn’t changed is the fact that, as part of our Foreign Policy we intend to be a good neighbor to the countries that surround us and any other country that so desire to have relations with us.

We also are part of ECOWAS. We are part of the African Union. We are part of the United Nations and its agencies so this how it started. Along the line, Foreign policy of this country has shifted focus from what we call normal diplomacy, good neighborliness, good relations, making sure that everything the people, the countries around you, you are very charming with them and all of that.

What we moved to is Economic Diplomacy which I talked about a little earlier and that is to ensure that in every relationship that Ghana engages in, that relationship should end in promoting and protecting the interest of Ghana and also to ensure that it ends up in giving us positive dividends towards our developments economically.

So that is the trust of our Foreign Policy right now. But in the NPP manifesto we have decided that one area that we need to focus on is the area of our engagement with our multilateral agencies such as ECOWAS and also the African Union. ECOWAS because we believe that with the industrialization that we intend to embark on we should be able to trade within the region, that is West African region and also within the continent. And therefore our Foreign policy is to make ECOWAS strong, is to make the African Union strong and we should make our membership felt within these agencies.

We should be able as a country, as we have done in the past to shape consensus within the ECOWAS region because if we are able to get things right and get ECOWAS to work very well, we have a ready market of 350 million. Right now Ghana or West Africa and by extension Africa we do not trade amongst ourselves. We always look outside the continent to trade with Europe or with the Asian countries. I think it’s about time that we start looking within because there’s so much potential but we need to get things right.

Haruna ask a follow up – Are there aspect of the Foreign Policy that you may want to seek a revision to and why?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chair I don’t quite get the question that what aspect of the Foreign Policy would we seek a revision.

Haruna – My understanding is that his first question was whether Ghana had a Foreign policy, haven listened to you I heard you want to trade, a trade promotion related Foreign policy which focuses on it. So share with us which aspects of the Foreign Policy would you seek to improve by way of revision?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman, yes in the area of trade, in the area of Foreign Direct Investment, in the area of ensuring that our country and our region is secure, in the area of making sure that as countries within our sub region and the continent peace and security issues are not out there where we have countries that are in crisis because if the countries are in crisis than it will be very difficult for us as a nation to achieve the aims.

Haruna – Would you want to include terrorism on your list for revision?

Ayorkor answers

Yes Hon Chairman, terrorism, maritime security, we need to improve maritime security; we need to improve cyber security and areas such as that. We need to work and to ensure that all these areas are improved so that we are able to achieve our vision. Thank you

Suhuyini – Thank you very much Mr Chairman. From the answer I see more Foreign relation instead of a Foreign Policy at best what I see is a regime policy over the years from the 60s maybe that is something you may want to look at as Foreign Minister see whether we can have a national policy that we can call a Ghana Foreign Policy.

But moving on if you will indulge me Mr Chairman I would like to go back to the nominee’s CV just for some clarification. I see that you write on page two that June 2008 you were a student at Harvard Kennedy School, Boston USA doing a course that’s June 2008 and I also see on page 4 that at the same time or so it seems, you were Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry. Now when you were student, a foreign student for that matter at the same time you were the Deputy Minister for Trade and later Foreign Affairs, how did you attend lectures and all?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman, Hon Chairman this is a course that many Members of Parliament have attended. It is a 10 day course. I was then at the Ministry of Trade and I took my leave to attend that particular, to do the course. Yes, an executive program, thank you.

Suhuyini asks final question – Now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a new building that you would be occupying is of interest to me. And it’s of interest because of two government decisions. There was a government decision called the in-filling scheme, now this in-filling scheme led to abuse where allocations of state lands in Ridge, Cantonment and Airport Residential Area were made through either protocol or bidding.

Now that piece of land was subject for, in fact it was allocated to people by one government, another government came into power and confiscated the lands and thanks to that confiscation and a Chinese grant we have that magnificent building that houses our Foreign Affairs workers which you would be occupying. Now with the in-filling scheme I hate to say but you are listed as one of the beneficiaries of that in-filling scheme not at that particular place.

Chairman interjects – Hon. Member if you may avert your mind to Order 67 of our rules. This question is not admissible.

Suhuyini – I haven’t asked the question yet Mr Chairman.

Chairman – But your premise is mentioning and then making personal characterizations. So if you going to ask a question and you go straight to that, this characterization; and please I will advise that you apply yourself with that provision so we don’t keep coming back with interventions.

Suhuyini – So the question is as somebody who can be said to have been a beneficiary of the first decision of government and a beneficiary today if you are passed by the House to be our Foreign Minister where you will be working in that Foreign Ministry, how would this two decisions of different governments guide the discharge of your duties in the best interest of the state?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Mr Chairman, I don’t see any linkage between my benefitting from an in-filling scheme and if this committee approves my nomination and also the House approves me how it would affect my work in the Foreign Ministry. I don’t see any linkage. The Hon Member may want to draw the linkage for me thank you.

Dominic Nitiwul, MP for Bimbilla – Let me congratulate the nominee. She has done herself a lot of good. When I look at her academic achievements and her political achievements, congratulations madam nominee. The manifesto of the NPP emphasizes economic diplomacy and I heard her say that under the foreign policy guide that she will be pursuing and it is also clear that they will prioritize that particular section of the policy.

What I want to find out from her is how she would be able to tap into the rich business culture of Ghanaians staying outside the country, how she would be able to link that with our people back home to enable us take advantage of Ghanaians who are staying there and help this country achieve, after all many countries including Israel were built by people who stayed in other countries.

Not just the idea of foreign direct investment that she had already pre-mentioned but am talking of how she would galvanize them, how she would organize them, who she would link them to enable us take advantage of them than we are currently doing?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Mr Chairman, Hon Chairman I think, I must say that the Diaspora, Ghanaians who are living in the Diaspora, whether they have just moved outside Ghana or they are second or third generation citizens of Ghana who live outside or the youth, they are doing very well. Some of them are doing extremely well wherever they live.

I’m told that you can find Ghanaians in 33 countries in the world and some of them are captains of industry. I think it is important that we bring the expertise and the experience, and the skills that they have acquired outside Ghana to help us in our development.

There is always the need to link are youth especially those who are engaged in start up businesses to people who are already in the field and are doing it. It’s important also to say that, even if as we look at the wider policy of engaging people who are prepared to come and help us as a country, we should specifically target our own people who are outside the country they are doing well and therefore they should come and also help us develop our country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs started a unit called the Diaspora Unit where they were collecting data on people of Ghanaian origin who live outside in these countries then at some point they realized that this unit needed to be upgraded so that they would be able to do a comprehensive job of engaging people in the Diaspora so it was expanded into a full bureau which is a department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The center for migration studies at the University of Ghana has done a lot of work on what they call the Diaspora engagement policy, how to engage the people in the Diaspora for them to bring their experience to bear on what we do here.

They are in the process of collecting data of who and who in each country and all of that and also in their engagement with some of our compatriots what do they get in return and this is where in some of the meetings they mentioned that they would like to be part of the whole democratic process which is for them also to vote during election.

So this brings into play the issue of ROPAL which we passed many years ago but it’s into force. So we are looking at ways in which, it’s at a very basic level right now. We are now going to build on that policy, the policy will go before Cabinet and if God willing Cabinet approves it then we will start some engagement with the people in the Diaspora who can build this country for us. You have situations where doctors take some time off their annual leave and come into this country and render health services, operations and surgeries for Ghanaians.

Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu – Thank you very much Mr Chairman. My first question will flow from where you just took off, our engagement with Ghanaians abroad and this time I want us to narrow down on undocumented Ghanaians living abroad. We have seen that with the rise of Nationalist Party in Europe in the election of President Donald Trump, he has talked about an America’s first policy, he’s been greeted with protests all over within the United State of America and outside people are concerned with his immigration policies. Already I do know that in October last year one hundred undocumented Ghanaians were deported back to Ghana.

The German ambassador has also served notice that she would want to hold discussions with the Ghanaian government on this particular matter. Knowing that immigration has become the biggest issue in Germany ahead of Germany September 24 elections. I want to find out from you what would be your strategy in the face of all this rise of right wing Nationalist Party and the anti-immigration sentiments.

How do we protect undocumented Ghanaians living in Europe and America? What will be your strategy for engaging them, regularizing them and ensuring that their rights are protected and that they are not deported in some of the circumstances that we are seeing like it happened in October last year?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman. Hon Member you asked about my strategy and if we could regularize them. I think that will be difficult because the country has its laws and citizens of Ghana who have moved to other countries and have been able to acquire either citizenship or resident there become illegal and it will be very difficult for any mission outside the country to interfere in the affairs of that country to regularize them.

But we also need to engage countries that we know or we have evidence of them treating such persons in an inhumane manner. We need to engage them and ensure that these people when they are arrested are treated well according to human right of any person so that they brought back. I think what happens in some cases is that when they are arrested, some in their efforts not to be brought down will even say that, if he/she is a Ghanaian will say that I’m not a Ghanaian, I am stateless so you don’t know where to take them, the immigration officer don’t know where to take them.

So they stay in detention for a very long time and when that happens it is difficult for the Ghana mission there to intervene because the person says he/she is not a Ghanaian so we need to look at these things and also to sensitize Ghanaians that it is not bad, things are not bad here. We are all here.

You will find something to do and, therefore, come back home. I think that’s something that our missions can do, meet with Ghanaians and appeal to them to come back home and when a Ghanaian decides to come we will facilitate by ensuring that if they don’t have a traveling document we prepare a traveling document for such a person. But I think it will be difficult to intervene in the affairs of a nation.

Okudzeto Ablakwa – My concern was with the Ghanaians, how we engage with them and how we support them, we extend support services to them and guide them and the latter part of your answer speaks to that so I am okay with your response.

My second question has to do with economic diplomacy and you have been quiet heavy on that this morning. What would be your advice? Couple of weeks ago we listened to Theresa May, a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom drawing the roadmap, putting out the roadmap for Brexit, the final exist of the United Kingdom out of the European Union.

That has implications for trade with Ghana. We had an IEPA and we still have an IEPA, the interim EPA which this House has the initial, the European Union has rectify but with article 50 about to happen as Theresa May indicated, it will mean that you need to renegotiate with Britain alone out of EU.

What advice will you be offering President Nana Akufo-Addo, and how do you intend to work with the Trade Ministry to ensure that at the end of the day Ghanaian businesses are protected especially when it comes to duty free, when it comes to quota free access to the British economy and vice versa since trade agreements are reciprocal, what will be your strategy in this regard?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman indeed Brexit is on us and whether we like it or not it will have some effect on the relationship that we have with the UK. Like Hon member you said, we would have to renegotiate our trade agreements outside of the negotiations that we did where because the UK was part of the European Union it covered.

We would have to renegotiate but whatever we renegotiate I don’t believe will put us in a worse situation. We’ve been a trading partner with the UK for a very long time, we go back a long way and therefore whatever we do I believe that it would not put us in a worse situation, neither will it be against the WTO and therefore yes it will happen.

My worry, Hon Chairman is to do with, the UK would have to renegotiate trade agreements with bigger countries such as China, India and the rest and I hope that it will not adversely affect the agreement because when you are negotiating with big countries small countries such as ours. But we have tides of history and therefore I don’t believe it will put us in a worst situation. My advice to the Trade Ministry will be that we should start engaging very quickly. I’m told that it will take about two years for them to exit after they’ve trigged the article 50. And so we should start early so that we know the position, we know what exactly is the situation and we start putting our stuffs together early enough. That will be my advice.

OkudzetoAblakwa – Mr Chairman my final question. The biggest issue currently perhaps within the corridors of the African Union has to do with Morocco’s application to rejoin the African Union. We do know that last week an official visit had been scheduled with the President Nana Akufo-Addo with the Moroccan King. A statement was issued a few days ago that the visit has been postponed. It’s clear to those of us who are watching the international relation space that Morocco continues to lobby.

I want know what will be your advice to the Ghanaian President on this bid by Morocco to rejoin the African Union? But remember that that bid is linked to the right of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic to have their right to self determination and to remain a member of the AU. Morocco would want to join the AU with the Saharawi Republic been removed or losing its membership of the AU.

I want to know, to what extent are you conversant with this matter which is currently the most thorny issues within the AU corridors and what will be your advice to president Nana Akufo-Addo? Whose side are you on Morocco or the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic?

Chairman – Hon Member please don’t answer the question relating to sides. Just offer your advice.

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman let me say that we in Ghana believe in the right of a people to self determine where they want to be. It’s been our policy for a very long time. Indeed it is true that Morocco has applied to rejoin the African Union.

Western Sahara is a member of the African Union. We do have relations with all countries, so we do have relations with Morocco, we do have relations with Western Sahara. Up till now I haven’t seen any document that is saying Morocco wants Western Sahara taken out of the AU and therefore I really can’t speak much to that. But they are coming.

Their application has not yet been looked at by the African Union, I’m not even sure that the Summit coming up it will one of the issues to be discussed. But let me say that Morocco is a friend so is Western Sahara. It will be difficult at this point to take a stand as I sit here because the issues of expelling Western Sahara from the African Union I don’t believe have come up officially

Hon. Patricia, MP for Asokwa – Thank you Hon Chair. Congratulations Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. Hon as a Foreign Minister designate, I would like to ask you, what is your view and position in GITMO 2?

Chairman – Hello, one moment please. Is it on GITMO 2? Sorry the matter is [in court] so I advise that you ask another question please.

Hon. Patricia – Thank you Hon Chair. I will go on to my second question. You will agree with me that with reference to our economic diplomacy our missions will be the selling point and therefore should have a certain image.

What is the current state of our missions after Parliamentary approval of a $50 million? I don’t know whether you have any idea. Parliament approved $50 million to ensure we enhance our missions. Do you have any idea of our missions, the state of our missions? Thank you.

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman in the last 8 years I have traveled and I have had occasions to some of our missions. I must say that most of our buildings are in very bad state. And so the $50million Societe General facility is very welcome.

In some missions we need to do rehabilitations. In other missions we need to purchase a building because some of our buildings are rented and as a result we pay a very high rent and it would make business sense for us to purchase some of whether is the chancery or the residence, we need to do something immediately about it.

Hon Chairman, in some of the missions, or with regards to some of them I think we would have to relook at what we intended to do with that money. If you take the, in my opinion if you take the New York building, it’s in a very, very prime area but it’s in a very bad state. We have asbestos which would make any public environmental body close down a building that has asbestos but they’ve discovered asbestos there which causes cancer. And then you take the heating system is almost gone.

If we are to apply a paltry amount which I have seen, we would be able to create what we would like to see. So I believe that in some cases we have to be radical and look at other options whether it’s a build operate and transfer option.

You have a building in a prime area, you build it all the way to maybe twenty, thirty floors, whoever you go into partnership with will rent the rest you use whatever you need to use after a while it is transferred to you. So we have the money but I think we should reexamine the options available to us. Thank you.

Hon. Patricia – Thank you. Hon nominee, I know that our foreign missions, or let me state it this way, you are a member of the Transitional Team, the question I want to ask is, do you have a fair view of the conditions of service of our foreign officers and if it need some kind of enhancement? Thank you

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman until I become Minister by the grace of God and through your approval and recommendation, I wouldn’t know what the condition of service is for Foreign Service officers. But I know that they always complain so I will look at it

Hon. Bernice Adiku Heloo, MP for Hohoe – Thank you very much Mr Chair, I would also like to congratulate the minister designate for your nomination to this high office. I’m very, very happy about it and we women are really in supportive of women been nominated.

My first question really is about the acquisition of passports by our brothers and sisters living abroad. Recently I had to come in to support students studying in Cuba who had difficulty in acquiring passports when the ones they took had expired. Can you give us what you think can be done so that they do not go through such hardship when they have to renew or even acquire a new passport. Thank you

 

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman the issue of passport I knew would come up. It’s an issue that has become controversial for several reasons. But let me say that we now, as a ministry not we, as a ministry there are about six missions outside that issue passport.

The example you gave which is Cuba, they do not issue passport so what will happen is the people will go and fill the forms and then it will be sent back here for the passport to be issued and sent back.

What happens which is why delays are caused is that in some cases there are mistakes on the form and or some documents can’t be authenticated and as a result delays happen because then they have to find ways of contacting the applicant, correcting the mistakes, that takes time and that is one of the reasons why you would find such delays in the issuance of passport.

Chairman – Hon., before you go on, if you did an online application that same problem persist?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman that is why the online application has been introduced. It cuts out a lot of the mistakes that you find in passports. Unfortunately, if, I think I’ve got it right, some of the missions such as Cuba they will still have to do the manual completion and send it to Ghana but I stand for correction if that is not the case.

But I think that that is the case. We have about 6 missions where passports are issued such as Abuja, UK. I believe New York and Washington, Berlin and South Africa. But apart from those missions any other mission would have to send and sometimes the diplomatic bags through which these things are sent it takes time there’s a delay with that as well.

Hon. Heloo – Thank you my second question really is about the appointments that we make when it comes to ambassadorial positions. It is our history that we sometimes put political figures, we appoint political figures. Whereas the career diplomats also are qualified to serve as ambassadors, would you suggest a quota so that we have a win, win situation? I stand to get your view on this.

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman the appointment of political ambassadors lies in the bosom of the President. I have some strong views on it but I don’t think that I am qualified to give those views. But yes I think that (Haruna interjects)

Haruna – Mr Chairman sorry to interject. You will be the President’s principal legal advisor on foreign policy. You are not saying you should share. Foreign Policy, as Foreign Minister the President will rely very heavily on the advice that you would give so do we expect advice sharing your heavy position on this matter?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman in answering her question I think that there must be a quota. Presidents all over the world including those who have been President in this country and our President will have and will always appoint political persons to the post of ambassador.

What happens is you might want a certain emphasis to be laid in a certain area which is very important to you and therefore you send somebody who is not a career person to go. This is not to say that the career people are not capable.

Haruna – Mr Chairman sorry I’m back again. Hon Minister nominee, there is a career division of the foreign service of men and women who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of Ghana’s foreign policy, on a 60 40 basis, 60 career, 40 political or 80 career, 20 political, what will be your policy options?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman. I’m trying to be diplomatic that’s why. But Hon Chairman in my opinion it should be about 60 40 and also that in favor of the career diplomats and also that we do not appoint political deputy ambassadors. Thank you that’s my opinion.

Haruna – You are against Deputy Ambassadors at the missions?

Ayorkor answers

No, political Deputy Ambassadors

Haruna – Political Deputy Ambassadors, but the office of the Deputy Ambassador, what will you do with head of chancery?

Ayorkor answers

We have the Chargé d’Affaires in every mission so they will act in the absence of the Ambassador

Hon. Heloo – Last question, not too important but I need to know. Do you think that in the area of economic diplomacy that you yourself have talked about a lot, do you think that Ghana should continue to be a member of the non-aligned missions?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman I’m not even sure that it still exist, hahaha, I’m sorry but if it does, we’ve always been non-aligned. I mean we don’t take sides so that’s what I will say. If it exist we should be part of it thank you.

Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, Vice Chairman – Thank you Mr Chairman. Congratulations minister designate on Foreign Affairs and also to place on record that she is one of my mothers in politics and a mentor as well. I want to start by asking, public procurement is an area where finances of the state could be saved or wasted.

If you come to the European Union, they do have a directive on public procurement. As the minister designate for Foreign Affairs Would you advice that Ghana makes a strong case for the African Union or the ECOWAS to have a framework for all member states to draw their national procurement practices from as the lessons are in the European Union?

Ayorkor answers

This is a legal question, I am not a lawyer but I will attempt to answer this. I believe the ECOWAS (Adwoa Sarfo interjects)

Adwoa Safo, Vice Chair – Hon. Nominee, I withdraw. I would want to divert your mind to Article 40 of the constitution, which talks about international relations and it reads; in its dealings with other nations the government shall promote and protect the interest of Ghana, seek the establishment of just and equitable international economic and social order, promote respect for international law, treaty obligations and settlements of international disputes by peaceful means and it reads on and on and on. In your view would you say that is the Foreign Policy of Ghana, and would you add on, given current international developments all over?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman I believe article 40 encapsulates the foreign policy of Ghana. Promoting and protecting the interest of Ghana whiles you deal with countries and institutions of the world. Also ensuring that we promote and respect treaties, other obligations and international laws.

I think by and large we haven’t done badly as a country. Also that as I said earlier we are strong, as a country we have played very leading roles in ECOWAS in the AU. We’ve had our voices heard in the corridors of the UN. We have taken the Chair of the UN Security Council again and it goes on and on and on. I think we haven’t done badly and by and large that is our foreign policy.

Haruna Iddrisu, Tamale South, Ranking Member – Mr Chairman let me thank you for this opportunity and to congratulate the Hon Colleague, Hon Ayorkor Botchwey. I worked with her representing President Mahama and she then President elect Nana Addo Dankwa on the inauguration committee and by all standard I believe that this was one of our best inaugural ceremonies, but taking it from Hon Adwoa Sarfo, will you be guided by article 40 in the pursuit of your Foreign Policy?

Ayorkor answers

Yes, Hon Chairman I believe that our foreign policy, the base document for our foreign policy or any policy is the supreme law of the land which is the constitution so yes. I can see (Haruna comes in)

Haruna – So when the Hon Adwoa Sarfo was suggesting to you to add to it remind her that you don’t have the power to add to it.

Chairman it leads me to my first and major question. Securing passport in Ghana is the headache of many Ghanaian citizens across the country from Hamle in the Upper West region, Kukobla in the Northern Region to Zoalungu in the Upper East region and Boadi in the Western Region. Can you assure this House and give specific time limit. Your predecessor ministers had initiated decentralization of passport offices; I should think that we have 3 as at now, 6. When will we have ten across the regions?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you very much Hon Chairman. Hon Chairman this is so. We have major issues when it comes to securing passports for our citizens. Fortunately the passport office has chalked a lot of successes in terms of decentralizing passport acquisition.

As we speak, we have what we call the passport application centers in 6 regions of the country. I will assure the House that just as my predecessor has increased it from what it was, I would also, if I’m given the nod, I will also work towards having passport application centers in the rest of the 4.

Which is in Koforidua representing the Eastern region, in the Upper East, Upper West, Wa and Bolga and then the last one would be in Cape Coast , the Central region. So yes I, and then let may say that plans are far advanced as we say in Ghana.

We have identified, when I say we the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified properties in all four. In some cases they’ve been offered the properties by the regional administrations of those regions and therefore what is left is for some money to be made available for renovation and then they can set up in the four areas left.

So it shouldn’t take us too long, I can’t put a time frame to it but I can see it happening within, if I’m being very generous with time within two years thank you.

Haruna – Thank you. Related to that is Muslim Pilgrims who have to travel to Mecca for an important religious and spiritual exercise of Hajji, can we have some assurances from you? What you would do to allow their speedy and ready access to passport to enable them make the trip?

Ayorkor answers

Thank you Hon Chairman. I think first hand I have experienced the problem that Muslims pilgrims go through. My constituency has a lot of Muslims there and I know when it comes to going on the Hajji it create a lot problems in even acquisition of passports. I think the system has improved in that the passport office has during this period has allocated some days where they deal with Hajji applications and I think that has sort of (interjected by Haruna)

Haruna – Can I just have the assurance?

 

Ayorkor answers

Yes, you have my assurance. We will look at and even improve upon it

Haruna – Special attention, special working  relations. Whatever committee has to work to ensure that pilgrims are guaranteed early access to the passport to enable them make this important journey?

Ayorkor answers

Yes, Hon Chairman

Haruna – Related to that, your predecessor minister was very passionate and I recall I had a privilege to work with her in Cabinet that the 50 million that the Hon Appiahaegyei referred to, the Hon Hannah Serwaa Tetteh’s position was to argue for retention of the ministry’s IGF as security to guarantee this US$50million. Would that be your position?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman that is exactly my position. 25% retention is not enough and even then we do not always, the ministry of foreign affairs does not always get that money. I would even go further to advocate for an increase in the retention so that the ministry is not always cash trapped which is the case. This is the ministry that is always, always cash trapped thank you.

Haruna – Chairman thank you ones again, the matter that the Hon Okudzeto raised vis-à-vis Morocco versus the Saharawi Arab Republic, are you aware that at the last TICAD [Tokyo International Conference of Africa’s Development] meeting in Nairobi Morocco declined taking their seat if Saharawi Arab was not withdrawn from the meeting?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman I am not aware. I haven’t come across any such [information]

Haruna – What would be your advice as we seek in handling this delicate diplomatic matter?

Ayorkor answers

Hon Chairman this is a difficult one. This will be handled I believe at the levels of Head of States and this matters of course it will come to the Executive Council which is made up of foreign ministers.

Chairman – Okay thank you Hon member. Thank you for attending upon the committee you are discharged

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