Introduction
Welcome to the first AGM of the National Council of Ghanaian Unions (NCGU). I cannot believe it has been 8 years already. Let me begin by thanking the Chairman Dr Quaye Botchway for holding the fort all these years, and the Trustees for their dedication, camaraderie and commitment to ensuring accountability in all our dealings. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as your secretary during this
period.
Progress
Since its inception in
2013, the NCGU has
faced challenges,
notably the departure
of London and more
recently the COVID -19
pandemic, which has
to a large extent
prevented the
organisation from fully
fulfilling its mandate as
the voice of the
people. We have
experienced
frustrations with lack
of progress with some
of our set goals but
also small triumphs
such as participating in
the successful
campaign for passport
costs reduction,
advocacy for mobile
passport processing
rollout to the regions
and visa processing
issues.
NCGU has played a pivotal role in coordinating community engagement, and
where necessary engaging the Government of Ghana on issues affecting
Ghanaians living in the UK. Some of our regional union memberships have been
at the forefront of the battle to contain the COVID pandemic through virtual
information sharing fora.
Registration
Unfortunately attempts to register the organisation with Charity’s Commission
have so far not been successful. At our last meeting on 30th May, it was decided
to make one final attempt with the registration after the AGM and discuss the
possibility of refocusing NCGU’s aims if not successful.
Membership
All founding officers (Barimas and Ahemaas) with the exception of the London
Union members, have remained as Trustees since the formation of NCGU, with
this first AGM being also the first opportunity to vote in a new leadership. The
NCGU constitution accords a special status to founding members to remain a part
of NCGU in some capacity until circumstances, personal or otherwise, warrant
their departure.
Our membership drive yielded results with the recruitment of
- Mr Africanus Annan- representing Ghana Union Southampton
- Rev. Dr Kofi Amissah, representing Ghana Union Wales
- Mr Samuel Annan representing Ghana Community Bristol
It grieves me to note that two of our trustees, Mr Ivor Agbemenyale, the current
treasurer, and Pastor Adje Wilson, have decided to no longer continue as
trustees. May I take this opportunity to thank them for staying to steer NCGU
through what can be described as a turbulent 8 years. On that note, I wish to
thank each one of you once again, especially the wider regional membership
whose representatives form part of the NCGU Board and who through them, have
alerted the Board to issues facing the community.
Website and social media
Our website has had to be taken down for re-construction in order to conform
with the requirements of Charity’s Commission. Our Facebook and other social
media pages require a dedicated person to keep them fresh and up to date.
Meetings
Previous meetings were generally held in person, hosted by a
designated region until the COVID pandemic struck, when regular
meetings were held
virtually. The general sense is that considering the
locations of Trustees, distance and costs involved in
organising face-to-face meetings, virtual meetings
has served to better engage everyone’s input and
shall be adopted going forward with one meeting in
person at AGM when circumstances permit.
Conclusion
For NCGU to survive and sustain itself, it is necessary to recruit more regions into its fold. This AGM presents an opportunity for a new direction of leadership. To earn the trust and respect of the people, the NCGU must become a formidable national voice, capable of engaging the Ghanaian and UK authorities in policy decisions, advocating for change where necessary, lending support to Government, land in collaboration with other agencies, leading the call for more favourable conditions for Ghanaians/Africans living in the UK. Finally, may I wish all of us a successful AGM and when voted in, hearty congratulations and best wishes to the new officers. Best of luck too to all outgoing officers, we are grateful for your sacrifice of time, money, knowledge, skills and energy to bring NCGU thus far.
Naa Tsotsoo Soyoo 1
Secretary, NCGU
