Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, at the week-end asked Ghanaians in the Diaspora to disabuse their minds of the negative stories churned out by a section of the media that there was chaos in Ghana following the Bio-metric registration.
Prof. Danso-Boafo, who was speaking at the inauguration of the Ghana Union of Ireland in Dublin, said emphatically that there was no fighting going on in Ghana and that the Bio-metric registration was part of the process in preparation for the December elections. The event, superbly organised, the first of its kind, and attended by hundreds of Ghanaians in Ireland, showcased exquisite display of Ghanaian culture, music and togetherness.
He asked Ghanaians not to listen to the doomsayers who are preaching violence and gave the assurance the government was determined to make the elections very peaceful and therefore would ensure that security was provided for all polling stations to protect voters.
Prof. Danso-Boafo said, despite the enormous improvement in the economy of the country, some people continue to spread false information, especially to Ghanaians in the Diaspora, that the country’s economy was collapsing.
He said Ghana’s economy is doing very well and for the last three years, it has continued to grow at a rate that has made it one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Ghana, the Ambassador said, was on the verge of economic boom because of the infrastructure being built currently by the government.
The evidence of the economic boom is in the government’s agricultural transformation, better economic management, better roads, more schools, improved electricity and water, other social intervention programmes, additional hospitals and clinics among others, Prof. Danso-Boafo said, adding “any visitor to Ghana today would witness the rehabilitation of the railway service, rehabilitation of the Airports, the construction of new Airports in the Northern and Ashanti regions of the country and in an attempt to halt the drift of the youth into the cities, the government is also extending Agriculture to most agricultural areas”.
The Ambassador praised Ghanaians in Ireland for being good ambassadors of Ghana and urged them to keep the ‘Black Star” shining.
Earlier in his speech, the Mayor of Fingal City, Ireland, Councillor Gerry McGuire, described his city as a strong supporter of economic development and a wealth of national and international businesses that was why the council was always willing to assist in the creation of new developments to create employment opportunities for all its residents which include Ghanaians.
He said in a diverse city as Fingal, where one in every five of the residents is a foreigner, the most prominent are Ghanaians, of whom he was very proud because of their contribution to the growth of the Fingal society and its economy.
Councillor McGuire describing Ghana as a most hospitable country in Africa with a rich and varied culture and a long period of struggle against colonialism, he said Ireland has much to identify with in the history of Ghana.
Ghana in 2012, he noted, is a proud African state that has seen great achievement since gaining independence in 1957 under the leadership of its first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who Councillor McGuire described as a strong advocate of Pan-Africanism.
He said the world has watched with keen interest over the past fifty years as Ghana shaped her economy, developing her Agriculture and exploring valuable natural resources and recently, crude oil.
He said in today’s economic challenges in which both Ireland and Ghana find themselves as beneficiaries and victims of the huge swing in the global economic performance, there was the need for the two countries to develop their strengths and build new partnership with Ghana as a strong African nation.
He retraced the historical ties between Ireland and Ghana saying, for generations Irish religious people have been travelling to Ghana, providing education and assisting in local development which today are still on-going.
Councillor McGuire was proud of Ghana’s association with Tullow Oil, which he said started as an Irish company in Carlow County in the 1980s and has grown in stature today as a global oil company with a major interest in Ghana.
Touching on Agriculture, he said as an agriculture nation, Ireland has been observing with interest Ghana’s agricultural history of growing global commodities including cocoa and coffee and despite the differences in the scale and scope of the two countries, Ireland is in a strong position to partner and support the current agriculture expansion in Ghana by providing modern farming expertise and machinery.
The inauguration of the Ghana Union in Ireland is only the beginning of discussions on how to foster and expand the partnership between the two nations, he said and congratulated the executives and all those involved in the formation of the Union in Ireland.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Union, Mr. Kwabena Antwi-Boasiako said it has always been the dream of Ghanaians in the Ireland to have a body that is recognised and is representative of all and can take care of their needs as Ghanaians.

Quoting former American president, Harry Truman, who said “The supreme need of our time is for men to learn to live together in peace and harmony” Mr. Antwi-Boasiako said, today the Ghanaian community in Ireland has shown that they can come together and stand for each other in times of need, sickness and death.

He said the main objective for which the Union was set up, was to serve as a representative body or an ‘umbrella body’ representing Ghanaians in Ireland to helping foster cordial relationship among Ghanaians in different counties and promote the cultural of Ghana.

Ghana Union is also to advance the general welfare and interests of Ghanaians, focusing on youth development and most importantly promoting integration and harmonious intercultural relations between Ghanaians and their Irish counterparts.

Reflecting on the theme for the occasion, which was “Deepening the Economic and Socio-Cultural Ties between Ghana and Ireland; The Role of the immigrant in the Diaspora”, Mr. Antwi-Boasiako asked members of the Union not to forget the existing economic and socio-cultural ties that already exist between the Ireland and Ghana and be good ambassadors of Ghana.

Citing companies like Guinness Ghana Limited, Tullow Oil, Atlas Food Ghana and many more including Irish Missionaries who served in Ghana in the early days before and after independence, he said all are indications that there is a platform on which Ghanaians can use to deepening the relationship that already exists between these two countries.

“So at this time of global economic hardships, I entreat you all to promote Ghana to our Irish Friends, Employers, Entrepreneurs and Business Partners to begin exploring the potential benefits that Ghana and Ireland can enjoy together, creating jobs here in Ireland and back home in Ghana”, he said.

Ending his speech, Mr. Antwi-Boasiako said the Executives and members of the Union very much appreciated the presence of the Ghana Ambassador, Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo, the Ambassadors of Kenya and Nigeria, the Honorary Consul-General of Ghana in Ireland and thanked all who made the event possible.

His Excellency, Prof. Danso-Boafo inducted the executive Board of the Union which included Alhaji Adam Mahama, Dr. Yaw Bimpeh,Elder Peter Addo, Ericaq Birch-Abban, Mrs. Margaret Boateng, Mrs. Pamela Hagan-Morgan, Joyce Henaku, Thomas Nguessan, Randy Asante, P. Opoku Wiredu, Nana Obeng Agyeman, Pastor Ricky Sarpong, Nana Paul Asamoah,, Frank Agyei and Eric Leon, into office and assured them of the support of his office.
Pastor Boateng, Ekwow Agyeman Prempeh, Eric Yao, Yaw Dankwa, Issah Huseini, Kofi Owusu-Ansah, Lucy Pepay, Kunle Thompson and Johnson Baah are the patrons of the Union.


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Ghana High Commission
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