Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has urged Ghanaians to refrain from frustrating investors who choose to do business in the country.
Speaking on the importance of creating a welcoming environment for foreign direct investment, Ambassador Smith cautioned that corrupt practices such as demanding kickbacks discourage investors and undermine the nation’s economic growth.
“I will appeal to Ghanaians, don’t frustrate investors when we bring them. Don’t ask them for kickbacks when the business has not even started,” he said on Face to Face on Channel One TV on Tuesday, September 23.
Sharing a personal experience from his time as a Regional Minister, Ambassador Smith recalled how a Chief Director once tried to pressure him into signing a document without proper review.
“I have worked as a regional minister before. I have had a Chief Director come to me and is trying to encourage me to sign somebody’s paper, and I said I have not seen it, so I cannot sign it. But he said he has looked at it and thinks it is okay, and I said you cannot coerce me to sign it,” he recounted.
He emphasized that while not all civil servants or politicians engage in such misconduct, the actions of a few could tarnish Ghana’s reputation as an investment destination.
“These are some of the things civil servants do… they hide, and some of them do it. Not all of them, not all politicians. So Ghanaians in general, it is an appeal that please don’t do things that will take businesses from us,” he urged.
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