International donors do not heavily invest in Ghana because they love us, former President Kufuor has said.
Speaking at the graduation of the first batch of students of the Kufuor Scholars programme, the former President said the donors do what they do in a bid to promote their personal interests.
He, therefore, emphasized the need for Ghana to strategically position itself to get the best out of international agreements.
“…Whether from the East or West, none of them come because they love us. They come for what they can get and we must also learn what we want from them and learn to negotiate and take it,” said Mr. Kufuor.
President Akufo-Addo a few weeks ago embarked on a state visit to China which among other things saw Ghana sign eight MoUs and agreements with China.
Some citizens have since expressed concerns over Ghana’s apparent reinvigorated relationship with China. They have argued that China stands to gain more from the deal than Ghana.
The criticism in most cases has been occasioned by the government’s own pledge that it is seeking to build a Ghana Beyond Aid. There are also concerns that the country is not getting the best from the aid largely due to rising corruption levels.
But the Mr. Agyekum Kufuor indicated that Ghana still needs the support of international donors to support the economy and drive development at all levels.
He insisted that Ghana’s current phase of development requires some form of financial support from international partners.
“It is a matter of phasing. We are in a phase of development. We just do not get up and say no aid. They have exploited us enough so we take to empower ourselves, to build ourselves through education and through attracting investment, creating employment, so it gets to a point where now when they come, they meet their equals. So we have to be careful to say that now where we are, we will not go and ask for aid. We will do it, but only as a stage to empower us.”
