By Iddi Yire
Accra, Dec 22, GNA – Parliament has approved GHS816.75 million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for the 2023 financial year.
This includes compensation of GHS655.51 million (80.20 per cent), goods and services, GHS121.17 million (14.80 per cent), and capital expenditure, GHS40.06 million (five per cent).
The total budget allocated to the Ministry in 2022 was GHS574.74 million, which was subsequently reviewed to GHS624.47 after being granted an upward adjustment of GHS53.46 million in its compensation vote.
This is to assuage the reduction in remittances to Ghana’s Foreign Missions as a result of the depreciation of the Ghana cedi.
For the 2023 outlook, the Ministry will put in place measures to enhance its revenue collection by extending the issuance of Biometric Passports to more regions and missions abroad, aimed at making passport processing more accessible.
Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, who moved the Motion for the approval of the budget, said the delays in payments to the Missions abroad was not the norm but that occurred because of the shortfall in the cedi–dollar ratio.
Mr Bryan Acheampong, the Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Abetifi, said the Ministry planned to commence redevelopment of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in 2023.
Touching on the creation of a consular fund, Mr Acheampong said the Committee noted with concern the Ministry’s continuous repetition, over the past four years, of establishing a consular fund but no conscious efforts had been made to achieve that.
He said the Committee was, however, informed that the Ministry of Finance was yet to agree to the terms of establishing the Fund.
The Committee recommended that the process must be fast-tracked to enable the Foreign Ministry to provide funds for emergency situations that may call for evacuation of Ghanaians from abroad and other urgent consular support.
With regard to projects for execution in 2023, the Chairman said the Committee was informed that the Ministry would furnish the Foreign Service Institute, upgrade the Hamburg Consulate to Consulate-General, and commence construction of the Ministry’s Annex building.
Others are open diplomatic missions in Mexico, Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago, as well as build three regional passport application centres.
However, some Committee members expressed the view that the Ministry should defer the upgrades of consulates, the construction of the Ministry’s Annex building and the opening of new diplomatic missions until the current economic situation improves.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Ranking Member for Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for North Tongue, said the Ministry needed resources to work with and must be supported.
He urged the Finance Ministry to ensure the timely release of funds to the Foreign Affairs Ministry for the pivotal role it plays in arranging all the multilateral and bilateral meetings including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) negotiations, among others.
He encouraged the Government to put up offices and residential properties for the nation’s Missions to save the state monies used for renting such facilities.
GNA