Ghanaians Living abroad must rise! – PAM

by Kofi Ayim, Harlem, New York

Ghana is at a crossroads and either it moves forward or risks retrogressing into an unending abyss. This assessment was made by Mr. Kwame Fosu, chair of a newly formed organization, the Progressive Alliance Movement (PAM) July 12 at the Riverside Church, New York. PAM formed in 2011 in a vigorous and aggressive campaign to ignite change in Ghana, seeks to reduce endemic corruption in government and to increase production in agriculture and local industry, among others. In an inaugural speech, Mr. Fosu said it is the goal of PAM to make Ghana the envy of Africa so that the international community would have the confidence to engage and invest in Ghana. He therefore challenged Ghanaians Living Abroad (GLA) to team up with PAM in order to help rebuild Ghana and place their country back on the pedestal level. He said PAM and GLA cannot sit aloof while the country experiment with transitional leaders instead of transformational ones. “We who have been privileged to see people build industrial empires from college dormitories and garages can do no less for our country”, he emphasized. Mr. Fosu pointed out that the seeming sustenance of Ghana contingent upon continuous international loans and foreign aid irrespective of political party in power does not bode well for the country. He said PAM intends to harness and utilize creative and innovative brains of its people to attempt to stem the vicious cycle that has put Ghana in economic stagnation and the mode of asphyxiation. Quoting Albert Einstein, Mr. Kwame Fosu remarked, “we cannot use the same level of consciousness that created the problems to resolve the problems,” and called on Ghanaians irrespective of political and other affiliations to come on board the moving train of PAM.
Dr. Kofi Boateng, the man credited with creating ROPAA, the voting rights legislation of Ghanaians in the Diaspora charged PAM to resurrect ROPAA and ensure that the Electoral Commission of Ghana to implements the Act before the 2016 presidential and parliamentarian elections in Ghana.ROPAA is currently a law but its implementation has been shrouded in political shenenigan. .
U.S. Congressman Hon. Charles S. Rangel of Harlem in a brief speech hoped PAM would be the entity that brings Ghanaians together to mitigate the country’s problems, and also engage in a conscious dialogue between Ghanaians and the African American community. Mr. Herb Boyd, an author, activist and journalist with the Amsterdam News traced earlier relationship between Ghana and the African American community. The event was moderated by Alhaji Mohamed Mardah. Master drummer and international percussionist Okyerema Asante performed.
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For more information call 646 319 6383 or visit www.pamgh.com

Posted by admin on Jul 18 2014. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry