The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has apologised to diasporans and all Ghanaians over the “whining” comment made by Deputy Minister of Trade Robert Ahomka-Lindsay.

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay, addressing the Diaspora Homecoming Summit at the Accra International Conference Centre last Thursday, told the diasporans to stop “whining” about things that do not work in Ghana.

He said: “Nobody likes whiners; people that spend all the time whining all the time really get on people’s nerves, so stop whining.”

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay’s comment has been interpreted by critics as harsh and arrogant.

Speaking on the issue in an interview with Accra News on Thursday July 13, the Acting Director of Communications of the NPP, Yaw Adomako Baafi, said: “The comment was unfortunate and so we apologise to all Ghanaians.

“We in the NPP, unlike the NDC, admit our errors and accordingly apologise and correct those errors. Yes, the Deputy Minister made that comment, it was unfortunate that it happened and so we apologise.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ahomka-Lindsey has issued a statement saying his comments were taken out of context adding: “None of my comments were meant to cast aspersions.”

Read his full statement below:



13th July 2017

STATEMENT ON MY SPEECH ON DIASPORA MEETING

I refer to recent discussions on a 2 to 3-minute clip from my 14-minute speech given at the Ghana Diaspora meeting in Accra. The clip is a complete misrepresentation of the speech and taken completely out of context.

I was asked to give my candid opinion on my experience as a Diaspora returnee and how I would advise others who intend to make a similar journey. My speech was in 5 parts:

1. Your approach to trying to get results in Ghana 2. What you should expect when you make the move to Ghana 3. The opportunities available for you in Ghana 4. The rewards for perseverance 5. The next steps

The clip being shown referred to section 1 of the speech. Listening to it independent of the other three sections gives a completely different meaning to the speech I would implore all that want to get a true picture of my speech to look at it on You Tube: https://youtu.be/YbkQCoNgSBc

None of my comments were meant to cast aspersions. They were an expression of my personal experience. I wish to assure the people of Ghana and all those who have been offended by my comments that I did not in any way intend to sound offensive in my presentation. I hold all Ghanaians in the greatest respect and would not in any way do or say anything that would impugn their integrity.