A number of Ghana�s diplomatic missions considered to be unproductive and of not much economic and diplomatic benefit to the country are to be closed down soon.
A reliable source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which gave the hint in Accra yesterday, said Ghana�s Dublin Mission had already been closed down and the staff relocated to London for the rest of their four-year duty tour.
The source could not say for sure the number of missions to be affected but explained that the measure was to maximize good returns for the country and give her �value for money.�
Dismissing the view that the closure of the missions would affect the staff of those missions negatively, the source said �unless for disciplinary measures� no diplomatic staff would be asked to return home.
It said staff who would be asked to return to Ghana, were those who had completed their four-year duty tour and would be obliged to return home.
Explaining further, the source recounted the wasteful opening of the Dublin mission by the previous administration and added that the Ambassador designate never assumed duty before the change of government.
The source said before opening the Dublin mission, the staff there were already operating from the London mission, which then had an oversight responsibility for Dublin.
Ghana has about 49 Embassies/High Commission and Consulates in certain parts of the world.
There are 10 in West Africa, four in North Africa, 12 in Europe and four in the Americas, among others.
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