Ayorkor Botchway laments cut in Foreign Ministry’s IGF
The Finance Ministry’s decision to limit the Foreign Affairs Ministry to only 35 percent of its internally generated funds will make it challenging for them to fulfill commitments to Ghanaian missions abroad, as well as pay a $50 million loan from Societe Generale secured in 2016 for the refurbishment of Ghana’s foreign missions.
Parliament on Thursday approved almost GHC 400 million allocation for the Foreign Affairs ministry, but the minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway feared outfit’s ability to handle some basic responsibilities and cater for emergencies with the 35 percent cut.
The retention allows the ministry to assist distressed missions because Government releases normally delay.
“The money that we are supposed to use to service the loan is the money that has been reduced considerably by the ministry of finance so what is going to happen is that, we might not be able to do anything and that will be a sad situation for us,” she bemoaned to.
The Minister noted that, her ministry has taken up the reduction with the Finance Ministry “and they understand our plight.”
“We don’t even have enough money to recruit staff to run goods and services and assets. We are not given that much. So we rely on the 35 percent that we retained of the 100 percent retention to run the missions… What happens is that, the 35 percent that is retained is what is sent to some of these missions to rescue them in times of difficulty.”
