We the Ghanaian citizens in Diaspora, United Kingdom wish to express our concern over the spate of murders committed against Ghanaians who return home to set up businesses with their hard earned savings.

When Ghanaians sojourn in foreign countries such as European countries or the US, they work under extremely harsh weather conditions in order to earn their livelihood. On their retirement they return to Ghana and use their hard earned savings to help families back home or invest in viable businesses that go to create more jobs and build the nation as a whole. However, the spate of murders committed in Ghana against these people scare many Ghanaians away from returning home and investing their money in businesses.

Typical example was the cold-blood murder of Lauretta Tay on the 6th of February 2010. Lauretta, who lived in the UK for about 30 years, returned to Ghana as a result of the favorable political conditions with the aim of setting up a joint Tomato Processing Factory with her friends who had also been living in the UK. She bought 20 plots of land At Amasaman, which she would develop for the establishment of the tomato factory, but shortly after that she was found murdered in a pool of blood at her residence on 6th of February 2010. Unfortunately, nobody has been prosecuted to date.

Even though investigations are ongoing, the way they are being carried out is unsatisfactory and therefore leaves much to be desired. As similar murders have been committed across the country at one time or another against Ghanaians who return home to invest with their hard earned savings, those of us who are aspiring to return to Ghana with investment in mind are scared. We therefore appeal to the government and other relevant institutions to do much to bring her killers to justice and stop the killings because failure to do that may discourage investments from abroad which have potential of creating more jobs for the people.

There are many foreign investors out there ranging from small-scale businesses to large scale investors who want to invest in Ghana due to the favorable political situation in the country. However, murders committed against such aspiring investors may create a cloudy or unfavorable social situation that could scare all investors away from the country.

Lauretta put her trust in the favorable political situation in Ghana and that was why she and her friends decided to invest in Ghana and create more jobs for the people, but her trust was betrayed when she was killed in cold blood. But her death will not be in vain if those who committed the murder are found and brought to justice. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Article by concern Ghanaian citizens in UK.