from RUSSELL ADADEVOH in Accra, Ghana
Ghana Bureau
ACCRA, (CAJ News) – GHANA is encouraging businesses to provide jobs to citizens whom the government has evacuated from South Africa, where anti-migrant protests are escalating.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is appealing to prospective employers through its Jobs Initiative.
“We urge Ghanaian CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) and entrepreneurs to support our Jobs Initiative for our brothers and sisters being evacuated from South Africa,” said Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The ministry further stated, “We invite Ghanaian CEOs and entrepreneurs desirous of employing Ghanaians returning from South Africa to contact the Delivery Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Ambassador Alexander Grant Ntrakwa leads the unit.
The ministry disclosed that, so far, it had secured 120 job opportunities from Ghanaian business owners.
The number of Ghanaians expressing interest in leaving South Africa is rising.
At the weekend, Ablakwa revealed that 600 more Ghanaians had registered at the High Commission in South Africa to be evacuated.
The government has officially evacuated 300 citizens. This first batch of evacuees arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra last Wednesday via a government-funded special chartered flight.
“When the safety and dignity of Ghanaians are at stake, the Government of Ghana does not compromise or dither. I am immensely proud of the resilient spirit of Ghanaians,” Ablakwa said.
The West African government has been the most vocal against the violations by vigilante groups demanding that foreign nationals leave South Africa before a so-called deadline of June 30.
This has triggered a diplomatic fallout that appears headed for an economic tiff.
Ghana formally reported South Africa to the African Union (AU) regarding the rising tensions and recurring incidents of harassment and violence.
– CAJ News