- Ambassador Victor Smith urges Ghanaians to stop frustrating foreign investors
- Warns that kickbacks and corruption hurt Ghana’s investment appeal
- Emphasizes that not all officials are corrupt, but a few can damage the country’s image
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has called on Ghanaians to avoid actions that discourage foreign investors, particularly corrupt practices like demanding kickbacks before businesses are established.
Speaking during an interview on Face to Face on Channel One TV on Tuesday, September 23, Ambassador Smith emphasized the importance of creating a conducive and transparent environment to attract and retain foreign direct investment (FDI).
“I appeal to Ghanaians: don’t frustrate investors when we bring them. Don’t ask them for kickbacks when the business hasn’t even started,” he cautioned.
Sharing a past experience from his tenure as a Regional Minister, Smith recounted being pressured by a Chief Director to sign a document he hadn’t reviewed.
“He told me he had looked at it and thought it was okay, but I said, ‘You can’t coerce me to sign something I haven’t seen.’”
Ambassador Smith acknowledged that while not all civil servants or politicians engage in such practices, the unethical behavior of a few can significantly damage Ghana’s reputation and drive investors away.
“These are some of the things civil servants do. Not all of them—and not all politicians—but a few bad actors can cost the country valuable business opportunities,” he warned.
He concluded by appealing to Ghanaians across all sectors to act in the national interest by supporting efforts to bring in investment and promote economic growth.
