Ghanaians in the United Arab Emirates had a special Eid Ul Adha this year when they trooped to the residence of the Consulate General in Umm Suquem in Dubai, as part of the Eid celebration.

In the UAE, the Eid Ul Adha holidays started from the weekend and goes on till Wednesday. The Consular Greneral Mr Abdulai Yakubu had, through the leadership of the Ghana Community, invited all Ghanaians for the Eid at his residence. Fact that many Ghanaians have not as yet met the Consulate staff face-to-face, the over five hundred Ghanaians who attended had a real party session and were served with varieties of Ghanaian dishes, courtesy of “Gateway to Africa Trading”, Deira Dubai.

Mr Abdulai paid tribute to the outgoing executive of the Ghana Community in Dubai, stressing that the gathering could not have been made possible without them, and thanked all for honouring the invitation. Mr Abdulai was equally full of praise to Ghanaians attending from the capital city, Abu Dhabi, their presence which obviously outnumbered those from Dubai and others from the Emirate of Fujairah. He exhorted all Ghanaians resident who have not yet registered with the Consulate to do so; and to live peacefully and be law-abiding residents, so as to hold the Republic of Ghana in high esteem. Introducing the staff of the Consulate to the large gathering, Mr Abdulai appealed to all Ghanaians present to feel at ease in approaching them for any official request or clarifications that they would need from the Consulate Team. The outgoing President of the Ghana Community in Dubai Mr Davidson Rich-Agoe introduced his Executives to the gathering and thanked Ghanaians for bearing with them and supporting them during their 3-year term of office which began on October 31, 2008, and which has just ended. He later introduced the Advisory Board Members serving as the electoral commission for the election. The Advisory Board's John Asante appealed to all to volunteer and take up leadership roles so as to lead the Ghana Community, by presenting themselves as candidates for the election.

The National Anthem was sung under the Choirmaster Kofi Kudu (the outgoing General Secretary). Music was provided by Franco and it was all fun to see our fellows busy on the dancing floor. As is the norms in UAE, no alcohol was served.

Source: Emil Akoma

Picture shows the Consul-General Mr Abdulai Yakubu (In-between the men in tie) with some of the Ghanaians at the party.