Ambassador Mahama Addresses Alumni Associations

Memorial Day weekend in the United States is usually packed with many planned events. The United States Chapters of the Alumni of three notable institutions in Ghana hosted their annual conventions in the Washington DC Metro Area from Friday, 26 to Sunday, 28 of May, 2023. They reunited for a weekend of fun as they reminisced, reconnected and enjoyed a host of fun activities.

The United States of America Chapter of St. Augustine’s Past Students Union ( APSU USA), a fraternity of brethren who were once students of the St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, Ghana, a premier catholic secondary educational institution crowned the festivities with a Fundraising Dinner Dance. In attendance were the APSU Global President, Senior Dr. Anthony Ernest Osei of APSU ’80; Papa Kwesi Nduom, a Ghanaian business consultant, politician and President of Group Nduom and Bernard George Kobena Brako, known professionally as Ben Brako, a Ghanaian highlife artiste who rose to prominence in the mid-to late 1980s and their spouses. Also present were their female counterparts, the past students of Holy Child School (HOPSANS).

On the other side of the Beltway Mfantsipim Boys and Wesley Girls High School (WEY GEY HEY) Alumni in the United States – held a joint reunion and a fundraising Dinner Dance at the Martins Crosswinds event center in Maryland.

Hajia Alima Mahama, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America was invited as the Special Guest for both events.  She honored both invitations and attended the AAPSU USA event first before joining “MOBA GEY HEY” as special guest and Alumnus of Wesley Girls High School.

At both events, she expressed her appreciation to the Alumni and commended the various Alumni Associations for the tremendous interest in their alma mater and the efforts to contribute to an Endowment Fund geared towards the development of their Schools. She intimated that during her appointment as Ambassador to the United States, the President of Ghana charged her with a mandate of promoting the needs of Ghanaian residents in the United States, adding that their welfare and interest supersedes every commitment of hers during her tour of duty.

She also assured the gathering that in spite of the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been vast improvements in the services offered by the Embassy of Ghana in Washington DC. Ambassador Alima Mahama spoke about the Embassy’s innovative method to improve on its Consular Service delivery in collaboration with the Ghanaian Associations and Churches in the respective cities. She indicated that with Ghanaians across the 50 States in the United States, the consulate is making every effort to reach out to all compatriots in the various States to capture their biometrics of those applying for passports. She continued that the Consular staff in recent times have traveled to Tampa-Florida, Worcester-Massachusetts, Chicago, Dallas-Texas and Columbus-Ohio to assist Ghanaians who may be in need of consular services.

This she said is an effort to reach out to all Ghanaians in the comfort of their States of residences, thereby saving them the time and costs of having to travel to Washington DC.

The Ambassador also mentioned that National Identification Authority had indicated that the registration exercise for the Ghana Card would be extended to the United States for all persons that hold Ghanaian citizenship. She also called on all Ghanaians to explore various investment potentials in Ghana.

As an old student, the Ambassador encouraged “Wey Gey Hey” Old girls to give back to their school and that the one million dollar target set over three years is doable because “Wey Gey Hey” girls are capable of doing anything they set their minds on.

The Ambassador was accompanied by Mrs. Ninette Danquah Ivo, Head of Economic and Diaspora Affairs at the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC

Photo: Ambassador Alima Mahama (in green) with old students of Wesley Girls High School. Click here for more photos.

Source: Ghana Embassy, DC