By Nathaniel Nartey
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, has denied claims that the Government cannot afford the cost of evacuating Ghanaian Students stranded in Ukraine without the E-levy. He has therefore asked Ghanaians to disregard such claims. He said the Government has released an amount of $2Million to the Ministry, as the first disbursement of funds for the Evacuation. He was speaking at the Kotoka International Airport where he welcomed the Second batch of Ghanaian Students from Ukraine.
”Somewhere along the line it came out that because the E-Levy government says there is no money and the evacuation is being tied up to the E-Levy, that is never true.I can go ahead and tell you that the government has released $2m. That is the first trench so we are on course”, he noted.
Mr. Ampratwum-Sarpong, commended the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for visiting the Ghanaian students at the Romanian border with Ukraine. Mr. Ablakwa posted on social media that he was in Bucharest, Romania on a mission to meet the Ghanaian students who had crossed the border from Ukraine. He indicated his visit was not only because it is a Constitutional imperative and oversight responsibility imposed on him as an MP, but to closely assess the conditions of the students and better understand how Ghana can be more helpful to them. Mr. Ampratwum-Sarpong applauded the effort of Mr. Ablakwa, saying his action will help put out the right information.
The Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister also addressed the refusal of some Ghanaian students in Ukraine to be evacuated.
“If we try to play politics with this situation that we find ourselves in it will not help anyone. So the Ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament Okudzeto Ablakwa going there (Romania) is for me something that is in the right direction.
The reports that he sent are very positive”, according to Mr. Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, who was speaking at the Kotoka International Airport Friday, March 4, 2022, as he led a Government delegation to welcome the 2nd batch of students from Ukraine.
Read Also: https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/general/236596/2022/