An Industrialist and philanthropist, Mr Osei-Mensah Micheal, has offered himself to partner Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the presidential candidate of the NPP.
Popularly called �Honourable�, Mr Osei-Mensah said if his candidacy was considered, he would represent the diaspora in the presidential race and could maximise votes for the NPP and Nana Akufo Addo.
Mr Mensah, who is an executive member of the NPP branch in France, said that he also subscribed in the vision of giving Ghanaians in the Diaspora the chance to hold positions in government.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview, Mr Osei-Mensah, who is also the Founding President of the Ghanaian Community in France Representative Council (GHACIF), was of the view that tribal and geographical variation were always considered in the pairing of presidential candidates in the country.
He said that each Ghanaian overseas represented his or her family and beyond back in Ghana and could therefore influence the multiplication of votes.
Mr Osei-Mensah said his association, GHACIF, was the first donor to the National Health Insurance Scheme, and also GHACIF was a major donor to flood victims in the Northern Region in 2007 stressing, �I personally lead the GHACIF delegation to make such donations�
He said GHACIF was also the mouthpiece that suggested the creation of the Ministry for Diaspora Relations to former President Agyekum Kufuor, and noted that that ministry must be reinstated to mobilise a diaspora force for the country.
The GHACIF President said the time had come for government to involve the diaspora so as to tap acquired skills and talents from overseas in addition to the traditional local methods.
He said the country must start using its Diaspora directly and indirectly to catalyse its necessary quick development.
Mr Osei-Mensah noted that Ghanaians across the world rank top in many vital sectors and therefore �we have a lot to offer and Ghana hasn�t got the right to neglect this�
He stressed that Ghanaians in the Diaspora have become an evident power of progress and development for the country; creation of jobs through their homecoming projects, their imports and exports, their donations to sectors and areas of emergency and accommodation of residents in their uncountable houses which also contributes to the beauty and modernisation of the country.
He stressed further that (statistics confirmed) remittances and other contributions made by those in the Diaspora were significant in the account of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adding �we give to Ghana more than many regions of the country�.
Mr Osei-Mensah said the other human wealth was the Ghanaians born and growing abroad and stressed that these children have strong love for their motherland and if encouraged they could help quadruple the expectation from the Diaspora.
He said it was very urgent to extend voting rights to the cherished Diaspora and that he said, would just increase their commitment.
Mr Osei-Mensah used the great country, Israel, to buttress his argument and noted that they relied on its Diaspora and stressed that the population of Israel was less than 8 million but said �wherever a Jew finds him or herself, he or she has one foot in Israel and Israel grabs it for its growth and development� He also said that was an easy clue that Africa and Ghana in particular must emulate.
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