I’m leaving Ghana with fond memories - Jon Benjamin
Departing British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jon Benjamin, has said he is leaving the country with fond memories of a great people and high hopes for the future of the country.
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He, however, wants the government to do more to combat corruption which, he said, could derail the progress of the country.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic at his office in Accra last Monday, he said,"We are very confident about Ghana's medium to long-term economic future.”
The diplomat added that he had the chance to travel across the country, interacted with the people one-on-one and on social media and had enjoyed his stay.
Mr Benjamin departs this weekend after a three-year tour of duty.
He worked with two Presidents - John Dramani Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo - and appreciated the support they offered him.
Vociferous diplomat
A vociferous diplomat, Mr Benjamin did not hide his dislike for the rot in the Ghanaian society, especially corruption, and used social media and other platforms to voice his concerns, while asking leadership to act.
A section of the people, however, saw him as a controversial figure, especially when his public statements sought to question some government decisions.
Nonetheless, he said his statements were not meant to attack the integrity of the past government.
Diplomatic/Trade relations
The diplomat emphasised that the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana had a long history of cordial and fruitful relationship and said his country looked forward to seeing more of such relationships.
Mr Benjamin lamented the slump in trade between the two countries.
Current trade volume between Ghana and UK stands at $1 billion from the previous $1.3 billion. The figure accounts for about 3.5 per cent of Ghana's total international trade.
Mr Benjamin stated that the world was still trying to cope with the aftermath of the great recession, a development that had affected global trade.
He stated that the fall in commodity prices was also a factor for the drop in Ghana-UK trade, especially, as Ghana still depended on the export of oil, cocoa and gold.
Mr Benjamin said the overall difficult economic conditions in Ghana over the past years had equally been a factor in the reduction in trade.
In trying to respond to the slump in trade, the diplomat said, the UK had set up a new UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, which is independent but situated at the offices of the High Commission, and which was attracting a lot of new British companies .
