The UK Minister of State for Development and Africa, Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell has assured that any money stolen from Ghana that passes through London will be returned to the country.
According to him, Britain has issued a White Paper which deals among others, with how stolen or dirty money must be treated.
He stated that President Akufo-Addo has endorsed the document and spoken so warmly about it.
“One of the aspects which the white paper deals with is dirty money or stolen funds, where Britain under Prime Minister Cameron, who is now Foreign Minister for Britain. One of the key things he did as Prime Minister was to try and tackle global corruption and the flows of illegally taken money.
I want to point out that the close relationship between our two countries extends to all areas, but in particular if money is stolen from Ghana as a result of corruption, Britain will be a faithful supporter of Ghana to try and bring it back. Something like 40% of all the stolen funds, or the dirty money around the world tend to go through London or British Overseas Territories. So, Britain has a dog in the fight on this, so we want to help Ghana if Ghana has difficulties in that respect,” he said in an exclusive interview aired on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on January 31.
Alfred Ocansey sat with Mr Mitchell on the sidelines of the ninth UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC) meeting in Accra, which he co-chaired with Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Among others, Council members discussed the global climate finance architecture and welcomed Ghana’s commitment to unlock climate financing to support a pipeline of impactful climate activities in areas such as; carbon finance blends, EVs, shipping and a hydrogen economy.
At the end of the meeting, two memoranda of understanding were signed. They were between the UK’s Society Motor Manufacturing and Traders’ Industry Forum and the Ministry of Trade’s Auto Development Centre. The two bodies agreed to pursue skills, knowledge and technology transfer partnerships and a Science, Technology and Innovation memorandum of understanding to drive economic prosperity through science and technology.
Touching on other areas of cooperation between Ghana and the UK, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell added that, “There is a very close cooperation with inland revenue- His Majesty’s customs and excise. We have a close programme working together to maximize tax in a decent way. Through the work that is done with the Bank of England, we are to maximise the amount of tax that is raised in a fair way. And of course, that tax money goes to support the education of children, the basic health services upon which our citizens rely whether they are in Ghana or in Britain.”
He noted that, “Transparency and openness are always at the heart of all these things. whether you are dealing with taxation or other sources of finance. Being open and transparent about it is a key ingredient of building a state which serves its citizens.”
