Dual-citizenship: It is about time Ghana moved beyond the rhetoric – Prof. Asare

A Fellow of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) in Public Law and Justice, Professor Kwaku Asare, says it is about time Ghana moved beyond the rhetoric concerning the repeal of the dual-citizenship prohibitions.

According to him, repealing the law that prohibits dual-citizens from holding key public offices will align Ghana’s public office holding policies with the country’s diaspora related policies.

He noted that with the country seeking to attract skilled labour and investment from Ghana’s diaspora and the African diaspora at large, removing the blockades that prevent dual-citizens from holding public office will make the country even more attractive.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he said the perception that dual-citizens are disloyal to Ghana must be eschewed for a more progressive outlook on citizenship.

“We need to move beyond rhetoric in this area. Repealing the law aligns our public office holding policies with our rhetoric on the Diaspora. You know, we always have the Joseph project, the Year of Return and so on. And when we do this we even give some foreigners citizenship.

“Now what are we telling the foreigners? That we are giving you citizenship and thereby making you a dual citizen and in so doing we’re making you disloyal to Ghana and your other country.

“Why would we on one hand say that dual-citizens are disloyal and yet happily confer citizenship on foreigners so that they become citizens and we exclude them from our political space but if their other countries were thinking like us then they will also be excluded from their political space. Fortunately, most countries do not think that way,” he said.

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