Ghana: Attractive to invest in for re- gional, continental, domestic markets

The following are based on an exclusive interview with Mrs. Difie Agyarko Kusi, Ambassador of Ghana to the Republic of Korea conducted by The Korea Post for publication on the occasion of the 61st Independence Day celebration on March 6, 2018.

Question: Congratulations on the National Day of Ghana. Please introduce in detail the National Day for our readers.
Answer: Under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana gained independence from British colonial rule on 6th March, 1957 thus ending decades of white minority dominance. Subsequently, Ghana played a central role in the decolonization of Africa. The country’s independence was significant for the continent as it demonstrated the collective strength of the African spirit, and served as a precedent for many African countries to break free from the clutches of colonial rule.
Sixty-one years ago on this day, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah proclaimed: “Ghana is free forever. But the independence of Ghana would be meaningless if not linked up to the total liberation of Africa”. Inspired by Ghana, more than 30 African countries broke free from colonial rule within the next decade.
Today, the people of Ghana can look back proudly at that moment, knowing that their nation’s early independence and statehood were an inspiration to the freedom struggles of people all over Africa.

Q: As Ghana celebrates 61 years of freedom, we take a look at the significance of this milestone and a few things to know about the country’s Independence Day.
A: Formerly known as The Gold Coast due to its abundance of the precious metal, Ghana was named after the ancient Ghana Empire, which was located in the north of modern Ghana and between Rivers Senegal and Niger. Ghana was colonized for over a century by the British. Before colonization, the country was made up of several independent kingdoms, including Asante (Ashanti), Gonja, and Dagomba.
While Ghana’s independence is largely attributed to Nkrumah, the late pan-Africanist leader didn’t work alone. He was part of “The Big Six” leaders of Ghana, who in 1947 formed the United Gold Coast Convention which campaigned for sovereignty. The five other leaders were Obestsebi-Lamptey, Dr. Ako-Adjei, Edward Akuffo Addo, J.B. Danquah, and William Ofori Atta.
The name ‘Ghana’ means ‘Warrior King’, and so it should be no surprise that it was the nation which was christened Ghana which would be the one to step out and take back its heritage and reclaim its name. The fight was not easy, and reached further back than the days of Yaa Asantewaa, a woman who epitomized the core zeal and strength of the African woman as she led the Ashanti rebellion known as the War of the Golden Stool against British colonialism.

Now, here in the present, an independent Ghana is being celebrated as the model for African progress and development, a poster child for economic success, anti-imperialism, stability and democracy in Africa; celebrated within the continent for being at the centre of the liberation struggle and therefore holding a special place in pan-African history.
So as we celebrate 61 years of independence, 61 years of standing on our own two feet, proud and free, what is the mantra of a free Ghana as we look to the future? I think Mr. Michael Kwame Gbordzoe said it best when he wrote the following to assist in the composition of our national anthem, composed by Philip Gbeho: od bless our homeland Ghana, and make our nation great and strong. Bold to defend forever, the cause of freedom and of right Fill our hearts with true humility, make us cherish fearless honesty And help us to resist oppressor’s rule with all our will and might forevermore.?

As the flag of the new nation was raised on 6 March, 1957, it symbolized victory and new beginnings. Designed by Theodosia Okoh, a Ghanaian stateswoman, teacher, and artist, the flag consists of three pan-African colours: red, yellow, and green. The red symbolizes the blood of the black Africans that was shed during the country’s struggle for independence. The yellow represents the country’s mineral wealth, while the green is a symbol of Ghana’s rich forests and vegetation. The black star in the centre of the flag was reportedly adopted from the flag of the Black Star Line, a shipping corporation established by Jamaican political leader Marcus Garvey.
Inspired by the Ethiopian flag, the Ghanaian flag was the second African flag to feature a combination of red, yellow and green. The design of Ghana’s flag, in turn, influenced that of many other African countries on attainment of independence.

Q: What are the important developments scheduled between Korea and your country, including the possible visit of your Head of Government to Korea now that Korea has President Moon Jae-in as new President?
A: Relations between Ghana and South Korea have grown steadily since Ghana first established diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1977.
During this period, various initiatives have been undertaken towards strengthening the existing warm bilateral relations and enhancing political economic and technical cooperation between the two countries. Korea has become increasingly attractive to Ghana as a source of foreign direct investment (FDI), technology transfer, as well as the sharing of knowledge and expertise, leading to significant contributions towards ongoing economic development between the two countries.
Korea’s grants to Ghana have enabled Ghana to provide goods and services to key sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, health, power transmission, education and e-administration for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to improve efficiency and productivity in the public sector.

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has been undertaking many projects over the years, with some recent examples of the cooperation being the Dawhenya Integrated Rural Development Project.
Ghana recently benefited from a concessionary loan facility of $200 million from the Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).
There have been many visits to Korea by Ghanaian Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentarians and officials. Some of the Ministers who visited Korea include Hon. George Andah, Deputy Minister for Communications, who led a delegation to attend the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom World 2017 Exhibition in Busan. The delegation included parliamentarians like A.B.A. Fuseini and Ms. Ama Pomaa Boateng.
Others are Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng, Deputy Minister for Finance who led a six-man delegation to attend a workshop organised by the Korea Development Institute in January 2018.
Again, in February 2018, a three(3) member delegation led by Mr. Ben N. Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee attended the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
Concerning a possible visit to Korea of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, I can assure you that arrangements will be concluded through diplomatic channels to make the visit possible.

Q: What is the current volume of bilateral trade, its outlook in the next 12 months?
A: Trade between the two countries in recent times continue to witness steady growth. Of late, many Ghanaian businessmen and women travel to Korea to conduct various businesses. Korea exports manufactured products to Ghana including refrigerators, computers, automobiles, electronic equipment and machinery, polypropylene, sodium, cement clinkers and clothing. It imports raw materials, including cocoa beans, manganese ores and concentrates, aluminium and copper waste, scraps and gold from Ghana. The volume of trade between Korea and Ghana is relatively small. The balance of trade is therefore in favour of Korea. The average annual volume of trade for a ten year period (2008-2018), of exports from Korea to Ghana totalled US$200,964,500 while exports from Ghana to Korea for the same period totalled US$30,885,300. This shows a favourable average trade balance in favour of Korea.

Acknowledging the strategic importance of South Korea, an emerging global power, Ghana deemed it necessary to establish relations with her for accelerated development through effective cooperation. The relations have, however, been lop-sided particularly in the area of trade. Trade relations between the two countries tilt in favour of South Korea. Research examined the causes of the trade imbalance and established that some of the causes of trade imbalance between the two countries are: (1) Ghana’s exports non -value addition products while Korea exports finished products to Ghana. As a remedy, it has been recommended that serious efforts be made through collaborative programmes by both countries on all bilateral issues especially pertaining to improvement of trade. At this point, Ghana must increase her export capacity through the increase of Non-Traditional Export Products (NTE’s). It was also noted that South Korea’s development was largely based on close government and private sector collaboration. Ghana can learn from it by creating the necessary environment and empowering the private sector to help accelerate the country’s economic and industrial development.

On the importance of Foreign Direct Investment in a country’s development process, it has been noted that specific growth-oriented industries (technology transfer) be identified from South Korea to help augment Ghana’s efforts at industrialization. Such a policy option which has the potential for increasing productivity and export earnings can help Ghana to bridge the trade deficit with South Korea.
However, a major constraint militating against the expansion of Ghana’s trade is the small range of goods that can be exported and the inability to expand and sustain the supply base of these goods. There is no reason why Ghana cannot commence direct supply of cocoa, which constitutes the main item exported to Korea. Further enquiries indicate that Lotte Confectionaries of Korea do not buy their cocoa beans directly from Ghana, but through agents in Europe. Why should this be?

“Ghana Chocolate” is a Korean delicacy produced by Lotte Confectionaries, a branch of the conglomerate, and has existed in South Korea for more than thirty years. It is explained that when Ghana was the leading producer of cocoa as well as producer of premium quality cocoa, its cocoa beans were the input for Korean chocolate hence giving rise to Ghana’s name being put on the chocolate.
We are also aware that Korea imports a wide range of horticultural produce from other parts of the world, such as banana, pineapple, pawpaw, mango and various species of pepper suitable for making kimchi, a Korean staple. We should therefore expand our production of these products by establishing strict hygienic methods of cultivation, harvesting and preservation in order to export them to Korea.

Ghana, therefore, has to diversify its exports base, e.g. salt, textiles and palm oil can be exported as value-added goods. We must improve the competitiveness and marketing skills of the Ghanaian exporter through training and participating in international fairs and exhibitions. Ghanaian businessmen must produce catalogues either jointly or individually to exhibit their products. They should also be prepared to pay local experts for market research services so that they can adopt correct strategies for penetrating the Korean market.

Q: What are the areas in your country where you want Korean companies to invest and what are the areas where you wish your businessmen to invest in Korea?
A: During a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo by the immediate past South Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Lyeo Moon-ki, to bid him farewell as his tour of duty had come to an end, President Akufo Addo said: “We are particularly interested in getting Korean industries to interest themselves in Ghana as a basis for producing things not just for the country, but for the regional and continental markets. We are about to institutionalize the continental free trade area. All of this is to give us an opportunity to develop our own industrial and manufacturing bases. I think the involvement of Korea in this exercise will be mutually beneficial for all of us,” he noted.
Potentially, Ghana would like Korean investors and companies to invest in infrastructure developments like railways, highways, information communication technology (ICT), agro processing, tourism, renewable energy, smart cities, manufacturing, assembly of vehicles and electronics and household products.
On the other hand, Ghanaian businessmen and women will be interested in packaging and marketing of products, Public-Private Partnerships, Tourism, Transport and Health Services.

Q: Who are the Korean companies actively engaged in the promotion of economic cooperation between Korea and your esteemed country? (Please provide The Korea Post with a list of about 20 representative companies complete with their contact information so that we could provide each of several best ones with an adequate space for details and photos for their introduction to induce other Korean companies to enter your country for economic cooperation.)
A: Please find attached a list of Korean companies and their contacts operating in Ghana. (See attached list.)

Q: Please introduce your Head of Government in detail, including major achievements.
A: The Head of Government is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He was elected into office in December 2016 on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party and sworn into office on 7th January, 2017.
Born March 29, 1944, in Swalaba, Accra, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was raised in Accra, Ghana’s capital. His father’s residence in Accra was effectively the headquarters of the country’s first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), after it was formed at Saltpond on August 4, 1947. Three of the Big Six (founding fathers of Ghana) were Nana’s blood relatives: J.B. Danquah (grand uncle), William Ofori Atta (uncle) and Edward Akufo-Addo, (who became the third Chief Justice of Ghana and later ceremonial President of the Republic from 1970-72,) was his father. Akufo-Addo had his primary education at the Government Boys School and later Rowe Road School both in Accra Central. Nana went on to England to study for his O-Level and A-Level examinations. He returned to Ghana in 1962 to teach at Accra Academy Secondary School before going to the University of Ghana in 1964 to read Economics. After graduating as an economist, he went on to read law in the UK and was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971 and the Ghana Bar in 1975.
He is married to Rebecca, daughter of the Speaker of the Parliament of the Third Republic of Ghana, the late Mr. Justice J.H. Griffiths-Randolph. They have five children, with five grandchildren, and are both devout Church-going Christians.

LEGAL AND BUSINESS CAREER
Akufo-Addo stayed in France for five years as a lawyer at the now-defunct New York-based international law firm, Coudert Brothers. Apart from the welcome exposure to the dynamics of international corporate transactions, his stay in France also made him fluent in French.
In 1975, he returned home to Accra to continue with his legal career. He joined the chambers of U.V. Campbel from 1975 to 1979, and in 1979 co-founded the law firm Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co., which has become one of the prominent law firms in Ghana. Some Ghanaian lawyers who passed through his law firm are among the most outstanding lawyers at the Ghanaian bar today. They include Sophia Akuffo, former Justice of the Supreme Court, now Chief Justice of Ghana; Joyce Darko; Daniel Afari Yeboah; Philip Addison; Joe Ghartey, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, now Minister for Railways; Alex Quaynor; Frank Davies; Kwaku Pentsil, Ms. Ursula Owusu, now Minister for Communications; Mr. Atta Akyea, now Minister for Works and Housing, Akufo-Addo’s successor as MP for Abuakwa South constituency; Akoto Ampaw; Yoni Kulendi; Kwame Akuffo; Kwaku Asirifi; and Godfred Dame.

Like the “Doyen of Gold Coast politics”, J.B. Danquah, and others before him, Akufo-Addo used his law practice to champion the cause of human rights, rule of law, justice, freedom, and democracy. He was well known for giving free legal assistance to the poor and fought for the rights and liberties of the Ghanaian people. Indeed, many of the important constitutional cases of the modern era, which, inter alia, protected the independence of the judiciary, the right of the citizen to demonstrate without police permit, and the right of equal access of all political parties to the State-owned media, were undertaken by him. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant advocates in the history of the Ghanaian Bar.
Akufo-Addo has served on the boards and committees of a number of political, legal, commercial, and social organisations in the country. He was the first Chairperson of DHL (GH) Ltd.; Chairperson, Kinesec Communications (Co) Ltd. publishers of The Statesman; and the first Chairperson of the Ghana Committee on Human and People’s Rights. He was responsible, through his association with the US Company, Millicom, for introducing mobile telephony into the country.

POLITICAL CAREER
In his early thirties, Akufo-Addo was the General Secretary of the broad-based People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ), which was composed of political stalwarts such as Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, William Ofori-Atta, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, Albert Adu Boahen, Sam Okudzeto, Obed Asamoah, Godfrey Agama, K.S.P. Jantuah, Jones Ofori-Atta, Johnny Hanson and Nii Amaah Amartefio (“Mr. No”). This group led the “NO” campaign in the UNIGOV referendum of 1978, designed to solicit popular support for a one-party military-led State. The “No” campaign ultimately brought about the downfall of the Acheampong military government on 5 July 1978, and the restoration of multiparty democratic rule to the country in 1979. Akufo-Addo had to go briefly into exile after the referendum, when his life was in danger. But, from Europe, he could be heard constantly on the BBC World Service, vigorously criticizing the military rulers back in Ghana and calling for a return to democracy. He is acknowledged as one of the leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Ghana.

In 1991, Akufo-Addo was the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Danquah-Busia Memorial Club, a club dedicated to the preservation of the memory and ideals of the two great advocates of Ghanaian democracy, J.B. Danquah and K.A. Busia, Prime Minister of the Progress Party government of the 2nd Republic of Ghana. Akufo-Addo travelled throughout Ghana to establish branches of the Club in the grassroots style for which he is known. These branches eventually transformed into local organs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prior to the elections of 1992, which heralded the reintroduction of democratic governance under the 4th Republic.
In 1992, he was the first national organizer of the NPP and, later that year, campaign manager of the party’s first presidential candidate, Prof. Albert Adu Boahen, the man of courage who broke the “culture of silence” in Ghana, and played such a crucial role in the reintroduction of democracy.
In 1992, Akufo-Addo set up and financed The Statesman newspaper, which has become the unofficial mouthpiece of the NPP.
In 1995, he led the famous “Kume Preko” demonstrations of the Alliance For Change (AFC), a broad-based political pressure group, which mobilized millions of people onto the streets of Ghana to protest the harsh economic conditions of the Rawlings era. Some pundits in Ghana believe that he was instrumental in re-establishing the NPP as a more formidable force after Professor Adu Boahen.
Akufo-Addo was elected three times between 1996 and 2008 as Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South Constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana. From 2001 to 2007, as Cabinet Member, first as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice for two years, and later as Foreign Minister for five years, Akufo-Addo served in the government of President John Kufuor with distinction.
As Attorney-General, he was responsible for the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, which, hitherto, had been used to intimidate the media and criminalize free speech. The repeal has enabled the Ghanaian media become one of the most vibrant and freest in Africa. Under his chairmanship of the Legal Sector Reform Committee, the implementation of the court automation programme was initiated.

As Foreign Minister, he was fully involved in the successful Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peace efforts in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Guinea Bissau, and was Chairman of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council in 2003.
In 2004, Ghana was elected one of the 15 pioneer members of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council, a mandate that was renewed at the AU Summit in Khartoum in January 2006. Akufo-Addo was chosen by his peers on the AU Executive Council to chair the Ministerial Committee of 15 that fashioned the Ezulwini Consensus, which defined the African Union’s common position on UN Reforms. He negotiated for the 2007 AU Summit to be held in Accra as part of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, and chaired the AU Executive Council in 2007.
Ghana was elected by her peers to take the non-permanent West African seat on the UN Security Council for 2006-07. In August 2006, Akufo-Addo chaired the meeting of the Security Council which took the decision that halted Israel’s massive incursions into Lebanon. Again, Ghana was elected to the new UN body, the Human Rights Council, with the highest number of votes - 183 out of 191 - of any country, and as a pioneer member of another UN body, the Peacebuilding Commission.

PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION
In October 1998, Nana Akufo-Addo competed for the presidential candidacy of the NPP and lost to John Kufuor, the man who eventually won the December 2000 presidential election and assumed office as President of Ghana in January 2001. Akufo-Addo was the chief campaigner for candidate Kufuor in the 2000 election and became the first Attorney General and Minister for Justice of the Kufuor era.
Akufo-Addo resigned from the Kufuor government in July 2007 to contest for the position of presidential candidate of his party, the NPP, for the 2008 elections. Competing against 16 others, he won 48% of the votes in the first round of that election, but was given a unanimous endorsement in the second round, making him the party’s presidential candidate.

In the 7 December 2008 presidential race, he received, in the first round, more votes that John Atta Mills, the eventual winner. In the first round, Akufo-Addo received 4,159,439 votes, representing 49.13% of the votes cast, placing him first, but not enough for the 50% needed for an outright victory. It was the best-ever performance for a first-time presidential candidate in the Fourth Republic. In the run-off, Mills received 4,521,032 votes, representing 50.23%, thus beating Akufo-Addo by the smallest margin in Ghana’s and indeed, in Africa’s political history. Akufo-Addo accepted the results without calling even for a recount, thereby helping to preserve the peace, freedom and stability of Ghana. Akufo-Addo again contested in the 2012 national elections against the NDC candidate, the late Mills’ successor as President, John Mahama, and lost. That election generated considerable controversy, and was finally decided by the Supreme Court in a narrow 5/4 decision in favour of John Mahama. Akufo-Addo is credited with helping to preserve the peace of the country by the statesmanlike manner in which he accepted the adverse verdict of the Court, at a time of high tension in the country.
In March 2014, Akufo-Addo announced his decision to seek his party’s nomination for the third time ahead of the 2016 election. He secured an unprecedented, landslide victory of 94.35% of the votes in the party’s presidential primary in October 2014, in a contest with seven competitors. Akufo-Addo also served as Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Mission for the South African elections in 2014.
He was elected President of Ghana in the December 7, 2016, elections, after obtaining 53.85% of the total valid votes cast, as announced by the Electoral Commission.

Some major achievements of the government of Ghana since 2017:
- The introduction of free Senior High School (SHS) education:- The government introduced the free SHS education for all public schools in the country; the policy means that prospective students do not have to pay admission fees before they are enrolled in second cycle institutions. Students do not have to pay utility fees, government will provide access to free libraries, free text books, no payment for examination fees and free boarding.
- The government launched the National Digital Property Addressing System: - dubbed “ghanapostGPS”, the system is to address governments vision of formalizing the Ghanaian economy and transforming the informal nature of the economy and to broaden the tax base, deepen and widen financial inclusion and deliver services to the most in need.
- The government introduced the Paperless Port Transaction System:- the system seeks to eliminate all customs barriers and other attendant bureaucracies at the port and improve efficiency on the country’s transit corridor. It is on record that with the introduction of the system there has been an increase in government’s revenue generation at the country’s ports.
- A flagship programme dubbed “One-district, one factory initiative:- has also been launched successfully. Government’s overall aim, with this project, is to open the doors for industrialization across the country; Ghana is endowed with so many natural and mineral resources and if exploited in the right manner with value addition, would turn the fortunes of the country around. About 173 factories are ready to be rolled out as part of the initiative and the concentration would be on the private businesses, with strong support from the government, to ensure that the project realizes its full potentials. It is expected that the project would create job opportunities for the youth of the country.
- The government initiated the Planting for Food and Jobs:- the vision of government on the initiative is to help address the declining growth of the agricultural sector of the country; and it is targeted at creating more job opportunities for the youth to deal with unemployment challenges: According to the Ministry of Agriculture, since its inception a year ago various jobs in the areas of input supply and distribution of surplus food resulting from the programme have been created. In the long term, the programme is expected to produce enough for export and for local consumption.

Q: What are the attractive tourist destinations of your country?
A: There are many tourist attractive areas in Ghana for tourism. Some of these are:
a. Kakum National Park, which is home to endangered mammals like forest elephants, bongo antelopes and primates like Diana monkey. The park is rich in butterflies and birds including the African grey parrots. A canopy walk way which is suspended 30 meters above the ground provides treetop views of the forest.
b. Elmina Castle is a landmark slave trading post and museum in the Central Region of Ghana.
c. Cape Coast Castle is also a Museum of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the Central Region.
d. Lake Volta. The largest man-made lake in the world. Dammed, its waters produce hydroelectric power for the country and its neighbours.
e. Aburi Botanical Gardens, provide a serene attraction with rare trees, some over 200 years old.
f. Larabango Mosque in the Northern Region.
g. Kwame Nkrumah Museum in Accra.
h. Independence Arch: A large independence square for official function.
i. WEB Dubois Memorial Centre.
j. Mole National Park in the Northern Region.

Q: Please introduce yourself in detail including your career, family and hobbies.
A: My name is Difie Agyarko Kusi, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. I was born on 8th February, 1950. I am married with two (2) children. My elementary education started at Methodist Primary School in Ghana’s second largest city called Kumasi from 1956 to 1960. I continued at Mmofraturo Girls’ Boarding School also in Kumasi from 1960 to 1961.
I proceeded to Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast, also a city in Ghana from 1961 to 1968 for my Ordinary and Advanced Levels; I was the school’s Senior Prefect.
In December, 1966 to April 1967, I represented Ghana at the 1966/67 World Youth Forum (the Herald Tribute for future leaders. I got selected after a nation-wide essay competition and interviews for 6th formers which was organised jointly by the United States Information Service and the Ministry of Education). I have been privileged to have met with leaders from all walks of life including the then President of the United States of America, Lyndon Johnson, at the White House.

Later in 1968 to 1972, I enrolled at Ghana’s premier University; University of Ghana and the University of the Ivory Coast with B.A. (Hons) French. I was a French Government Scholar and benefited from training at the French office for modern techniques of education (OFRATEME) - an outfit run jointly by the Ministry and radio France from 1973 to 1973.
Subsequently, from 1991 to 1994 and 1998 to 1999, I was an student of the University of Paris 1 (La Sorbonne): Licence de Droit (Equivalent LLB), and Maitrise de driot (equivalent Master’s) respectively.
I started my career with the Ghana Embassy in France from 1975 to 1991 and I worked as a member of the Ghana Permanent Delegation to UNESCO.
Hobbies include; Reading, meeting people, travelling, learning new words and languages.
I speak three international languages and four local tongues; English, French, Spanish, Twi Fante, Ga and Krobo.
2000-date: Private legal practice in partnership with husband. Consult mainly for International Organisations.
2003-2006: Member of Ghana Education Service Council
2004-2012: NPP Parliamentary candidate for the Lower Manya Constituency.
In 2016 I was made an Ambassador to the Republic of Korea by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.