CONTRARY TO their claims in the lead-up to the 2008 elections that foreign travels are a waste of government revenue, so when elected into power their government will frown on overseas travels, President Mills and his Vice, John Dramani Mahama, have both travelled 13 times since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took office six months ago.
Whilst President Mills, since assuming office as the first gentleman of the land has travelled out of the shores of the country five times, his Vice, John Dramani Mahama, has stepped out of the nation 12 times.
The first overseas travel embarked on by President Mills was when he dashed to Nigeria to attend an ECOWAS summit after which he visited his spiritual father, T.B Joshua, at the church of Synagogue, just a day after he was sworn in.
After been hugely criticised for been holed up at the Osu Castle, the seat of government, President Mills embarked on another foreign travel, this time to neighbouring Ivory Coast, Togo and Burkina Fasso for bilateral talks.
The third President of the fourth republic made his first trip outside the African continent, when he went on a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom (UK) where he met British premier, Gordon Brown, at the number 10 Downing Street for another bilateral talk.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama on his part had a feel of an executive travel for the first time when he travelled to the ancient country of Ethiopia to attend the African Union (AU) extraordinary summit.
Thereafter, the one-time NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole-Bamboi in the Northern Region, travelled to Burkina Faso by road as part of efforts of strengthening ties between the two West African countries.
The former pan-African parliament member, after the brief visit to Burkina Faso travelled, again by air to Libya to dialogue with the Arab country’s government officials for the release of some Ghanaians who were being kept in custody in that country.
The Vice President continued his travelling spree with a visit to South Africa, where he addressed the Pan-African parliament and was also honoured by the leadership of the house.
From the South African trip, His Excellency, John Mahama dashed to Senegal to attend a special summit of the African Development Bank (ADB) where he delivered an impressive address.
Still on the travelling extravaganza, the Vice President again travelled to Libya to represent the government of Ghana during the SEN-SAD summit.
Affable John Mahama returned to the West African sub region with a quick visit to next-door Nigeria where he graced the occasion of the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of democratic rule in the oil-rich country.
His Excellency, John Mahama, once again travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a part of important dignitaries who attended the final funeral rites of the wife of the late President Omar Bongo.
In an attempt to justify his number of travels within this short time in office, the former legislator told Paul Adom-Otchere of Good Evening Ghana fame, a popular socio-political talk show on Metro TV, that he represented his boss on most of the travels.
Indications are that the fine-looking Vice President may increase his number of travels as it appears his boss does not have the capacity to step outside the shores of the country to project the country into the limelight as his predecessor, ex-President Kufour, did with perfection.
| Source: Daily Guide |
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