Ghanaians and foreigners working in about 22 embassies and diplomatic missions might have their jobs at stake if the campaign by the former Member of Parliament of Kunbumgu to get these missions and embassies scrapped succeeds.
Ras Mubarak says these 22 Ghanaian embassies and diplomatic missions have outlived their socio-economic usefulness, hence cannot continue to be a drain on the country’s limited financial resources.
In an open letter addressed to President John Mahama, Mubarak said scrapping these embassies could save the country hundreds of millions of dollars annually. These funds he suggests can be redirected to critical sectors such as healthcare, education, housing, and infrastructure.
According to him, Ghana can no longer afford to maintain costly diplomatic missions that offer little to no strategic or economic return.
“Many of these countries do not have significant trade relationships with Ghana,” he wrote. “We can’t keep paying for high rent costs while kids in schools up and down the country sit on the floor.”
The 22 Missions Ras Mubarak Wants Scrapped or Downgraded
- Algeria
- Austria
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Congo
- Czech Republic
- Equatorial Guinea
- Guinea
- Israel
- Ivory Coast
- Kuwait
- Liberia
- Libya
- Malta
- Namibia
- Norway
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Trinidad & Tobago
- United Arab Emirates
Reasons for the Proposed Closures
Mubarak outlined three major justifications for the move:
- Low Trade Volumes: Many of the countries listed have limited or negligible trade engagements with Ghana, rendering the missions economically redundant.
- Limited Diplomatic Activity: The embassies in question are reportedly inactive in terms of diplomatic initiatives that significantly benefit Ghana’s national interests.
- High Operational Costs: The cost of maintaining these embassies, including rent, staff salaries, utilities, and administrative expenses, continues to weigh heavily on Ghana’s strained public finances.
He stressed that even in cases where the properties were gifted to Ghana, such as in Namibia, the cumulative cost of operations still made little economic sense.
He cannot fathom why Ghana is running embassies that cost more to maintain than the value they return. He says that cannot continue when rural clinics are falling apart and school children lack basic desks.
But A Glimmer of Hope for Workers
To minimize job losses, Ras Mubarak suggests redeploying embassy staff to key missions with higher diplomatic or economic value. In lower-priority countries, Ghana could appoint Consul Generals or assign additional responsibilities to existing ambassadors in nearby strategic locations.
He cited Australia as a model, where a single High Commissioner oversees up to eight countries in West Africa, proving that diplomacy can be effective without being expensive.
The former MP believes as the government continues to look for ways to tighten spending while addressing public needs, these less impactful missions and embassies could reformed to make some savings for the country.
