President John Dramani Maham left Accra yesterday for Berlin, Germany, for another official visit.
A statement issued from the presidency and signed by Presidential Aide, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, which described it as a ‘state visit’ said, “The visit is expected to strengthen relations between the two countries and explore new avenues for cooperation.”
President Mahama is expected to hold discussions with the Federal President, Joachim Gauck and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
President Mahama would hold meetings with other German officials, institutions, businesses and address an investment forum tomorrow during which he is expected to discuss issues of concern to the West African sub-region and the African continent, including fighting terrorism, strengthening the regional blocs and the establishment of emergency health alert systems.
It’s the president’s second trip outside the country since the beginning of 2015 – having visited Brazil earlier for the inauguration of that country’s president.
Sources say he will also go to Switzerland and another country before returning home, making the trip a three-nation mission.
It’s not clear when he will be returning home as no indication was given in the statement issued from his outfit.
On his return, he is expected to travel to Ethiopia for African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa.
President Mahama was lampooned last year for travelling too much, with some critics calling him an ‘absentee president’ and others ‘visiting President.’
Some Ghanaians, especially those on the minority side in parliament, have raised issues with his several travels abroad, some of which they believe are unnecessary.
But President Mahama and members of his government have always justified his travels, claiming they (travels) bring investors into the country and strengthens ties with the host countries.
Concerns
Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, aka Napo believes most of the president’s travels are not just wasteful, but unnecessary.
He could not fathom why President Mahama would be globe-trotting when there are many pressing issues in his own backyard.
“Certainly, when you combine all his travels since 2009 as a vice president acting on behalf of President Mills, to now, we don’t seem to see the benefit that has accrued to the nation and especially, now that we sorely need a leader to unite us, to sharpen our sense of purpose and focus, to address threatening issues in the sub-region; we don’t hear from our president within this country and we see his advisers, his handlers, demeaning his office…,” Napo said sometime last year.
Reason
According to him, notwithstanding the huge per diems and entourage that he takes on his travels, the frequent trips abroad had not yielded any positive results for Ghana.
Aside that, Dr Opoku Prempeh said, “President Mahama has broken the record of presidential travels abroad in the history of Ghana.”
The Manhyia MP insisted that there were more pressing domestic issues to deal with than always roaming abroad under the guise of bringing in investors.
“Though his predecessor, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, was criticised for frequent foreign trips, they yielded positive results,” he noted.
He therefore asked President Mahama to cut down the travels and work.
According to him, “People like the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, are taking advantage of President Mahama’s absence to arrogate power to themselves.”
Defence
However, Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, disagreed with Napo’s position, describing his comments as unsubstantiated and untrue.
“Why does he find it necessary to come and criticise President Mahama’s trips when he is unable to provide substantial proof about what harm those trips do to the fortunes of the ordinary man?” he queried.
He claimed that similar criticisms which were made during the Kufuor administration were strongly opposed by his New Patriotic Party (NPP) members.
Felix said, “He should refrain from those comments because they are fruitless; they are recycled; they are nothing new.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu