Helping Ghanaians In The Diaspora Execute Projects Successfully

Author's note: This piece was written on 19/6/2013. It is being posted today, because I was unable to do so, on the day. Please read on:


Over the years I have come across horrific stories of betrayal,  in which close family members and friends,  of Ghanaians in the Diaspora, have duped those hard-working Ghanaians residing overseas - who have sent various sums of money to Ghana for projects, which never materialised.


Instead of having to go through the hassle and loss of hard-to-replace-cash involved in finding reliable and honest individuals they can count on, on a trial-and-error basis, surely,  there ought to be businesses in Ghana, which could specialise in overseeing sundry projects financed by Ghanaians in the Diaspora, who have no trusted individuals they can rely on in Ghana?


Currently, for example, my partner and I are  committed to helping a childhood friend,  who works and resides in the United States of America, to successfully execute projects that have previously  stalled -   for lack of reliable  oversight in  the execution of the multi-faceted projects.


Although doing so on a purely voluntary basis, and only working to help a team he has put together himself, we  shall ensure that no one takes him for a ride - as our  own integrity will be at stake. Being old-fashioned, our  word is our  bond - so  we intend to help him successfully realise all his plans.


It is Ghanaians like him who will help create jobs in Ghana and help make our nation prosperous - so the authorities must find a way to assist them, by creating finacial instruments they can invest in to help Ghana grow and prosper from.


Why does the government not encourage pension funds in  Ghana to set up mutual funds,  to which it could offer some of its dollar-based sovereign bonds to, and which  Ghanaians in the Diaspora could invest in, for example?


Wealth management teams of financial services sector companies, which  cater to the high net worth individuals niche, ought to also  think of assisting individuals in the Diaspora such as  my childhood friend - by offering them a blue-chip  service that enables them   successfully complete their  projects from their overseas  bases: safe in the knowledge that the best architects, surveyors, quantity surveyors, building engineers, lawyers, etc., and the highest quality building  materials,  will be used in the execution of their projects.


Food for thought for innovative and dynamic companies like the UT Group and Guardian Assurance perhaps? A bespoke service, with regular status reports, helping high net worth  Ghanaians in the Diaspora, to execute their projects in Ghana successfully, could turn out to be a very lucrative niche  for Ghana's financial services sector indeed.


Tel: 027 745 3109.