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GHANA-USA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE(GUSACC)

THE PATRIOTIC CHARGE FROM HON. HAWA YAKUBU

Dr. George Ossei Assibey-Mensah

I hope that patriotic Ghanaians in the Diaspora have not forgotten January 7, 2001. That was when Mr. J. A. Kufuor, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was officially sworn in as President of Ghana. In his diligent and enthusiastic efforts to combat; if not eradicate, corruption in Ghana, he boldly declared that he was determined to institutionalized a policy of zero tolerance of corruption. Operating within the true tenets of that policy, as well as the need Ghanaians far and wide, to reconci1e so as to be physically and spiritually involved in the onerous tasks of socio-economic rebuilding and economic growth ahead, he appointed knowledgeable and accomplished Ghanaians to assist with his programs to promote tourism among others. The unanimous choice for the tourism portfolio was none other than Madam Hawa Yakubu, the dynamic M.P. for the Bawku-Central Constituency of the Upper-East Region. The lady has a fine record of achievement, not exc1uding her diplomatic ability to reconcile disputants.

It is within the spirit of reconciliation fellow Ghanaians as well as all those who wish to familiarize themselves with actualities that I have taken the time to spill some ink in addressing the uncalled-for deadlock or impasse between two business-oriented organizations coexisting and co-operating within our midst. They are Ghana-U.S. A Chamber of Commerce (GUSACC) and Ghanaian American Chamber of Commerce (GACC). Indeed, I must state at the outset that, my relationship with the President aside, it bothers me immensely to even come this far to highlight the ridiculous need for these two Ghana-oriented entities to have registered at the office of the Illinois Secretary of State, with the view to pursuing activities that have relatives back home as the primary beneficiaries, when the actual synergy of the two organization is clearly embedded in their unified actions, functions and operations. What is the point of the foregoing?

Specifically, at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 8, 2001, while GUSACC’s Executive Board was pondering programmed activities at its meeting at the office of Oakley Construction Company Inc., Hon. Hawa Yakubu walked in. the went silent as a natural and spiritual consequence of her majestic and diplomatic presence, not to mention the determined look on her face. Exhibiting the most respect for her unsuspected presence, the Executive Board members rose from their chairs, sitting down after she had taken her seat. She looked at each one with a warm smile breaking the silence in the room by saying to me “I charge you to reconcile with the chamber!”

After that charge which symbolized the sole purpose of her brief presence at GUSACC’s meeting, she left the campus of Chicago State University, where a town meeting had been organized for her to articulate her government’s mission, as well as entreat Ghanaians and fellow brothers and sisters living in Chicagoland and the diaspora to be connected to Ghana’s awakening. Illustrative of the respect we have for the Kuffour government, of which she is a vital part, we immediately adjourned our meeting, rushing to the town meeting to enhance the number of people who had taken time to listen to her. As soon as we entered the meeting place and she saw me, she signaled that I take a seat by Dr. Aaron Ohemeng, an Executive member of both the NPP organization in the area as well as GACC’ Vice President for Business Operations. Needless to say, she was merely reinforcing and taking seriously her charge to me a few minutes earlier.

About twenty minutes later, to acknowledge the arrival of the GUSACC Executive Board, I was asked to say a few words. In brief, I seized that opportunity to speak about unity, also implying our Chamber’s long-overdue gestures to GACC for a merger, dating as far back as November 6,1999. This was when a four-person committee from both Chambers (i.e. Anthony Kwateng and I from GUSACC, and Dr. Ohemeng and Martin Bonsu from GACC) were selected at a joint meeting to propose ideas for merging the two Chambers. Sadly enough, Mr. Bonsu withdrew from the joint committee three days, unbeknown to many of his organization members, leaving the three of us to deliberate and propose ideas for that overdue merger. However, when both Chambers’ Executive Boards met at another joint session on November 20,1999, Martin Bonsu disrupted the meeting in fury. His agitation was a consequence of his reluctance to let go of his leadership role in GACC. Ironically, I was willing to forego my leadership role in GUSACC.

In the aftermath of all these occurrences, GUSACC was legitimized last year by the office of the Illinois Secretary of State, with our inaugural on the campus of Chicago State University on Friday, March 30, 2001. The theme for the event was “Doing Business in Ghana”, as Dr. Ayesha Hakeem of the university and coincidentally invited Seth Evans Addo, the Minister Counselor of Trade & Investment at the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, D.C., to speak on that important subject. (GUSACC had hosted the Homecoming-Summit presentation of Harry Owusu 13 days earlier on the same campus on Saturday, March 17, 2001.)

At the end of the town meeting, several attendees converged the residence of he honorary Consul-General for Ghana, Robert E. Bennett, for refreshments. Before she left Chicago en route to Ghana, Hon. Yakubu charged me again to reconcile with GACC. That was after I had asked her to say “hello” to President Kufuor upon her arrival in Ghana. The lady was vehemently serious about that charge, and once again, I told her I would diligently work to fulfill her patriotic charge.

Following the two charges that had been directed at me on that day (i.e., on Saturday 8, 2001), I wrote to Martin Bonsu on September 12th for a meeting on September 22nd. To the extent that he did not pick up that letter from the postal mailbox to enable him to inform his group about the request for the meeting was held as GUSACC has anticipated. Therefore, on October 4th , I sent another letter to him for a meeting on the 6th. Hardly did the GUSACC Executive Board know that, even though it had presumed that GACC was ready for the merger, Martin Bonsu had written a letter to me, signed by both him and his organization’s Vice President for Business Operations, dated October 3, 2001, seeking the membership of GUSACC’s Executive Board and the other individuals, business e.t.c. , affiliated to/with it either as individuals or as a group. The seriousness of GACC’s uncompromising stance was the inclusion of two membership application forms and two envelopes in that letter to me.

Nonetheless, I wrote a third letter to Martin Bonsu on October 13,2001 for a joint meeting on October 20, 2001 to reconcile the two organizations. In the absence of communication from his organization to agree to our requests for a meeting. I thought I could obtain some gestures for a meeting from Dr. Ohemeng. However, on October 15th, he indicated his inability to attend the October 20th meeting, nonetheless stating that he would inform his Executive membership about a mutually agreeable date for a meeting.

No word had yet reached GUSACC from GACC about a meeting date. In light of that fact, I wrote a fourth letter dated October 19, 2001 to Martin Bonsu, also faxing a copy to Steve Dapaah (whom GUSACC perceives as an Executive of GACC) to reinforce our desire for a joint meeting. Besides GUSACC’s incessant quest for a meeting to merge the two entities and consequently, have a unified front in our pursuit of activities to benefit Ghana, the primary reason for that communication was to inform GACC to co-host an evening event, which showcased and/or profiled Ghanaian business representatives in Chicagoland, Martin Bonsu indicated his desire to attend, albeit late. Neither he nor any member of his chamber attended the event.

To sum up the major points of this article, I wish to reiterate that GUSACC seriously believes in a merger with GACC. It’s clearly unflinching and, in particular, patriotic rationale is that a unified body would be the best for us all in terms of submerging all “personal and egotistic agendas” with the genuine view to assisting mother Ghana with all our God-given talents, might, skills, competencies, etc., to enjoy the fruits of our struggle in these United States and ship some home periodically. What does GUSACC do now?? Where does GUSACC go from here?? THIS IS OUR SAGA!!!!

In light of this, I wish to exhort you and your business to become a member of GUSSACC to solidify the dialogue as true Ghanaians!! Let us dialogue as groups, not as individuals!!! As we do so, let us remember that Ghana-U.S.A Chamber of Commerce has been founded solely to assist you with the developing and nurturing of your ideas purporting to promote new Ghana’s economic and social growth. Please remember this: Ghana-U.S.A Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization with no affiliation with/to any political party or organization(s) and is, accordingly, duly empowered by the Illinois Secretary of State to assist you. Please call us at (773) 434-1616 or at (219) 980-7102.

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