Ghana’s Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called on Ghanaians living abroad to play a bigger role in the country’s economic transformation by investing in value addition, supporting local industries and working together to build a stronger economy.
Speaking during an engagement with members of the Ghanaian community in the United States, the Vice President said the diaspora remains one of Ghana’s greatest economic assets and deserves greater appreciation for the sacrifices they make while living abroad.
The event, dubbed Ghanaians Meet the Vice President, was held on Thursday, July 23, at the residence of Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, in Washington, D.C. It provided an opportunity for Ghanaians in the diaspora to interact with the Vice President on Ghana’s development agenda, investment opportunities and the role of citizens abroad in national development.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang urged Ghanaians back home to recognise that life abroad comes with its own challenges.
“They have not chosen to live away from home, and don’t think that where they live now is a perpetual vacation site. It’s a lot of sacrifice on their part too,” she said.
She added that the country should value every contribution made by Ghanaians overseas.
“So whatever they give us, we must appreciate and take good care of it,” she said, describing the diaspora as “one of the biggest drivers of our economy.”
Invest in value addition
A key part of the Vice President’s message centred on Ghana’s determination to move away from exporting raw materials and instead develop industries that process them locally.
“We are putting a halt to this whole strategy of exporting raw materials. Enough. We must add value,” she said.
Using cocoa as an example, she noted that value addition does not always require large factories and encouraged Ghanaians abroad to invest in small and medium-scale processing businesses.
She said creating a reliable market for locally processed goods would encourage more entrepreneurs to venture into manufacturing.
“So that whether it’s big or small, we must support everyone,” she added.
The Vice President also encouraged members of the diaspora to pool resources through collective investment schemes.
“How about forming consortia? How about the Ghanaian diaspora in North America floating shares and running it like a business? Is it feasible? I leave that thought to you,” she said.
She stressed that attracting investment into Ghana should not depend solely on foreign investors, but also on Ghanaians themselves.
Put Ghana first
Professor Opoku-Agyemang also appealed for greater national unity, urging citizens to put the country’s interests ahead of political or religious differences.
“We all need good roads. Good drinking water. Land that is not poisoned. We want education that counts. Healthcare that takes good care of us. We want to live in safe environments,” she said.
“These have nothing to do with whether we go to church or we don’t. So there’s a need for all of us to come together to build the Ghana we want.”
She said achieving Ghana’s development goals would require discipline, sacrifice and accountability.
“This calls for discipline in everything we do. It calls for holding all of us to account. It calls for all of us putting the country first,” she said.
“It calls for all of us to cut our cloth according to what we have.”
While acknowledging the country’s many development challenges, she appealed to Ghanaians to remain patient as government works to address them.
Planning for the future
The Vice President also underscored the need for long-term planning and prudent use of resources, urging citizens to prepare for future challenges rather than focus on short-term gains.
“You must always plan for the rainy day,” she said.
She called on all Ghanaians, both at home and abroad, to contribute to the country’s development.
“Break by break, city by city, we are building the Ghana we want. And we are inviting all of you to come on board.”
