Ghana will leverage economic diplomacy to create jobs for youth — Ablakwa

Ghana will use her economic diplomacy to address youth unemploy­ment through regulated migration of Ghanaian artisans and profes­sionals to work abroad.

Based on that, Ghana would sign bilateral agreements with nations to export her artisans and profes­sionals, including medical doctors, nurses, mid-wives, technicians and teachers to work outside and pay a token to the nation.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Foreign Affairs Minister-des­ignate, said this when he appeared before the Appointments Commit­tee of Parliament on Friday.

Responding to the President’s appointment of Lieutenant Colo­nel (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey as an Envoy to the Sahel, the Minis­ter-designate said the appointment was a “strategic national interest” to maintain its diplomatic relations with its neighbours.

“Ghana’s foreign policy inter­est is to remain friends of all and enemies of none,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa said, upon approval, he would advocate the establish­ment of a Consular Fund for the Foreign Service staff to support Ghanaians in the diaspora who may be in distress.

Ghana, he said, would also task her foreign ambassadors through clear key performance indicators (KPIs) to attract investors to the country.

Responding to issues regarding his activities to expose wrongdo­ings in Ghana’s foreign missions, the nominee explained that all the interceptions, due diligence and parliamentary oversights he carried out were done in the national inter­est, which saved Ghana billions of dollars.

On his activities with the Oper­ation Recover All Loots (ORAL) team, the nominee said the op­erations of ORAL had saved the nation 20 bungalows and in few days would hand-over its report to the President for the next step.

He expressed the optimism that the discoveries made by the ORAL would aid the Attorney-General’s Office to prosecute the suspects in the coming days.

Mr Ablakwa said the National Democratic Congress-led Gov­ernment believed in the Left-of- Centre ideology that promoted humanism and non-exploitation of the vulnerable and was proud of that ideology.

—GNA