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Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dr. Sulley Gariba has urged Ghanaian business owners in Canada to take advantage of the new Diaspora Section of the High Commission and establish businesses back home. Addressing Ghanaians at a town hall meeting in Ottawa, Gariba said this is one of the best ways to help develop Ghana’s economy.

Disapora Section at Ghana’s High Commission

During his Independence Day speech in March, Gariba announced the establishment of the Diaspora Section at Ghana’s High Commission dedicated to help Ghanaian business owners here establish businesses back home to help develop the economy.

The town hall meeting in Ottawa was his first in the city in a series of town hall meetings with Ghanaians across Canada. These meetings afforded Gariba the opportunity to interact with Ghanaians. His earlier interactions have seen him visit Toronto, Halifax and Montreal. “These meetings are held to give Ghanaians in the diaspora the opportunity to tell at firsthand how we can all help develop our dear nation,” Gariba said. “If we want to involve the diaspora, the best way is to interact and hear from you is to come to you.”

Gariba who took office about a year ago used the opportunity to explain the role of the diaspora section which has been established to help Ghanaian entrepreneurs in Canada invest back home. “There are a lot of incentives business owners can take advantage of under from this office,” he said. “We are doing this to encourage Ghanaians to create jobs for other Ghanaians back home and it’s a win-win situation.”

Gariba believes Ghanaian business owners have accepted the policy and would soon begin investing back home. President of the Ghana Association of Ottawa, Bismark Ottoo said “the establishment of the Diaspora office will bridge the gap between business owners and authorities.”

He said usually when Ghanaians in the diaspora plan to go and establish businesses back home, the frustrations from the bureaucracies discourage them most of the time. “I am therefore happy that this office will assume the role of directly helping our own people boost the economy back home.”

Ottoo said this move will encourage more Ghanaian business owners to go back and establish businesses. He also asked for government to give those who would establish businesses tax incentives.

Gariba also took the opportunity to explain issues such as dual citizenship, acquisition of new passports and visas to participants. He congratulated the Ghana Ottawa Association for electing new officers and urged them to embark on activities that will benefit Ghanaians in Ottawa. He praised the outgoing executives for a good work done and asked them to help the new executives with their experience.