Welcome to the first AGM of the National Council of Ghanaian Unions (NCGU). This is my first and sadly, the last opportunity to address you as Chairman of NCGU. I have had the benefit and privilege of steering the affairs of NCGU from its inception in 2013; first as the Interim Chair from 2013 to 2015, and secondly as Chairman from 2015 when it was formally inaugurated, till date (2021). A privilege indeed to have served as the first leader for 8 years now. This year however marks a new dawn for the Union as I have decided to step aside and allow fresh thinking and new energy to drive the Union forward under a new leadership.
I have fond memories of our formative years. It all started under the leadership of HE Prof Kwaku Boafo Danso, the then High Commissioner to UK and Ireland. I recall the initial meetings in London followed by subsequent ones
across the country in Birmingham, Wolverhampton,
Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Bradford. It has been a long journey indeed and along the way, we have lost some members and gained others. On a personal
level, I have met and made new friends. I cherish every part of the journey and would like to record a depth of gratitude to the Trustee friends for their support, love and commitments during my tenure of office.
The eight [8] years of service have not been easy or smooth sailing. The journey has been punctuated by challenges, frustrations, and lack of progress in hitting certain targets. Despite the setbacks, NCGU is still standing as a formidable stakeholder in the Ghanaian community in the UK. The NCGU was set up as a national umbrella organisation to provide an amplified voice for the Ghanaian community here in UK and Ireland. We have been successful in influencing influencing matters of diaspora concerns such as the processing of passport fees and the introduction of mobile passport processing scheme. We also worked with the Government of Ghana to deliver the ‘Year of Return’ programme. We have encouraged the formation of regional umbrella unions and are very hopeful of future successes in this direction. We have made notable gains in the South West, South East and more recently, Wales. We are currently working on Scotland, Northeast and East regions. A notable success of one of our regional unions has been the mobilisation of community efforts to fighting off the Covid 19 pandemic.
NCGU has a long way to go. At this point, a solid foundation has been set and I am very hopeful for the future. Two ongoing key projects which are
fundamental to our future are the registration of NCGU as a Charity and intensifying the promotion of our existence on the internet and social media. The future of NCGU lies in partnerships and collaboration with like minded organisations to actively work for change under a new leadership.
To every member seeking a new role at this AGM, I wish you the very best. To the newly elected officers, I wish you all a very Productive and Prosperous times ahead. I am moving on as the first Chair of NCGU but will be always available to support the new leadership. Long live NCGU. Forward ever…..
Dr. Quaye Botchway
Chair NCGU
