Ghana has become a tourist destination for Adwoa Safo – Ablakwa mocks

North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reacted to the continued absence of his colleague lawmaker, Sarah Adwoa Safo (Dome-Kwabenya), from the country and Parliament for that matter.

Ablakwa likened the protracted absence of Adwoa Safo to someone who was treating Ghana as a tourist destination having settled-in quite well in the United States.

In a May 7, 2022 social media post, Ablakwa asked if it was not time that the government considered giving the embattled MP an international position to allow her to quit Parliament and her ministerial portfolio.

“After all, we are told she’s no longer interested in her Gender Ministry portfolio, neither does she seem committed to her parliamentary duties. Indeed, her home country Ghana appears to have become a tourist destination which she visits sparingly,” his post read in part.

According to him, it was perhaps high time President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo offers “a different appointment to the Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo as Ambassador-At-Large in Charge of the Restoration and Revitalization of Ghana’s International Brand.”

He added that the state will make financial savings if his proposal is acted upon especially because Adwoa Safo had enough contacts and was suitably fit to help with Ghana’s international image which he said had suffered a beating due to a number of critical reports from international agencies.

“This may appear quite hilarious but we may want to give it serious thought, at least, for the sake of our battered international image,” his post concluded.

Adwoa Safo’s absenteeism dominates news

Adwoa Safo earlier this year became topical in political discourse with a number of NPP MPs suggesting that her continued absence from Parliament was adversely affecting government business because of the hung nature of the lawmaking chamber.

In an interview on Okay FM monitored by GhanaWeb, Michael Okyere Baafi, the New Juaben South MP said Adwoa Safo had clearly been attempting to use her seat as a bargaining chip and in essence has been working to sabotage the government.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong and some members of the Majority Leadership.

She is currently the subject of a summons to appear before the Privileges Committee of Parliament to answer question over her protracted absence without permission. Two other NPP MPs facing similar summons are Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey.

Read Ablakwa’s full post below:

With the avalanche of recent damning international reports on our dear country, from the infamous downgrades by credit rating agencies, Corruption Perception Index, US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices and the latest Press Freedom Index, shouldn’t we make a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo to offer a different appointment to the Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo as Ambassador-At-Large in Charge of the Restoration and Revitalization of Ghana’s International Brand?

After all, we are told she’s no longer interested in her Gender Ministry portfolio, neither does she seem committed to her parliamentary duties. Indeed, her home country Ghana appears to have become a tourist destination which she visits sparingly.

Hon. Adwoa Safo has many advantages going for her: we will no longer be paying my good honourable friend for no work done — we shall be ending the financial loss to the state; we would be leveraging on her vast international network (remember when she claimed her extensive World Bank contacts helped her establish the Dome-Kwabenya E-Block); she is already comfortably well-settled abroad, and so we wouldn’t have to spend extra taxpayer funds on perdiem and other relocation costs that other candidates for the top job will demand; I cannot think of any other suitable nominee who possesses her unique social media skills which would prove valuable in marketing and rebranding Ghana; and then most importantly, such a coveted high office requires a very powerful and feared candidate who is untouchable as she is, in order to command the attention and respect of big international actors, and also ensure stability in her new role.

This may appear quite hilarious but we may want to give it serious thought, at least, for the sake of our battered international image.