Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has defended the government’s decision to proceed without parliamentary approval in its agreement to temporarily host African nationals deported from the United States.
He explained that the arrangement is based on a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU), which, according to him, does not fall under agreements that require parliamentary ratification.
“If you look at the work we do at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on a daily basis, we could sign about 50 MoUs. If we were to bring MoUs, which are not legally binding, to Parliament, it would be impractical,” he said.
“Our foreign policy will grind to a halt, and we will not be able to function. Notes of understanding, note verbale, cannot be treated as agreements or treaties, as we have been well advised by the Attorney General,” he clarified in an interview on Citi TV.
Mr. Ablakwa, who also serves as Member of Parliament for North Tongu, further disclosed that the Attorney General has informed the ministry of a legal action filed by citizen activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor regarding the matter. “As such, we should be guided in our public discussions,” he cautioned.
Ghana recently received 54 African deportees from the U.S.,14 in the first batch and 40 subsequently, after offering to serve as a temporary host for individuals from the West African sub-region who were removed from the United States.
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