Ghanaians Abroad Are Suffering Under NDC Gov't - NPP Germany

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has witnessed an unprecedented increase in support and sympathy among large sections of the Ghanaian community in Germany since the beginning of 2011, according to Mr. Kawaka Appiah General Secretary of NPP-Germany

Addressing party supporters in Stuttgart over the weekend, the General Secretary disclosed that six new branches of the party have been established within the last two months in Bremen, Hannover, Mainz, Koln, Munich and Darmstadt.

Mr Appiah said several factors including the economic crisis Ghana, the incompetence of the Mills-Mahama administration, the massive corruption at all levels of government and the complete lack of focus, explains why Ghanaians the world over have become disillusioned with this government and are now turning to the NPP.

The General Secretary pointed out that the failure of the NDC government is negatively affecting Ghanaians irrespective of where they live whether in Ghana, Germany, USA, Canada, Italy or Australia adding ’we may not be resident in Ghana, but we support our families in Ghana, have our investments in Ghana and hope to return to Ghana’.

“Under the Mills-Mahama administration, the burden on Ghanaians in the Diaspora to support families at home has increased while the value on our investments is on a downward spiral” he concluded.

According to him, the anti-business policies of the NDC government has led to the closure of some German-based Ghanaian businesses and cited for instance that in 2008, a twenty feet container of used spare parts attracted a duty of 20 million cedis.

“Today the same container cost more than 50 million cedis to clear and said there has not been a corresponding increase in the services if anything at all, services have gotten worse”.

Mr Appiah explained further that used-spare parts dealers are not the only businesses to suffer under the anti-business policies of the Mills-Mahama administration, Cargo companies engaged in the shipment of personal belongings have also come under severe suffering since the advent of the NDC government.

He indicated that in the Stuttgart area alone, four Cargo companies owned by Ghanaians have suspended their business operations to Ghana in view of the exorbitant custom duties and the general high cost of doing business in the country.

The General Secretary emphasised that the cumulative effect of all these is that, it discourages Ghanaian businesses and accounts for the reasons why some Ghanaian businessmen ship their goods through neighbouring countries where the duty regime is more business friendly.

He therefore called for an urgent review of the customs/duties regime to make it more transparent and business friendly.

Source: Kwaku Anane-Gyinde, Germany