THE GOVERNMENT of Ghana plans to charter
a plane to fly home its nationals stranded here.

At least 50 of the West Africans came here last month as part of a group of 146 people who travelled
to the Eastern Caribbean last month on the inaugural direct flight between Barbados and Ghana.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional
Co-operation and the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Dr Charles Brempong-Yeboah,
said those stranded in Barbados and other Caribbean nations had a goal of finding greener pastures. However, he described the trip as being unneccessary and an embarrassment.

Brempong-Yeboah said it was ironic seeing
that the Ghanaians had paid between 4 000 of their currency (BDS$8 120) and GHc 10 000 (BDS$20 300) each to travel agents to get to Barbados.
Their objective was to be able to enter "greener pastures" in United States, Canada and other developed countries but have rather only ended
being "captured on Barbados television networks begging for alms".

Taken from report

These comments were taken from a Ghana news agency report in Accra, that country's capital.

A number of Barbadians has reached out
to the Ghanaians providing them with food and shelter. Some of the West Africans who worked briefly
on construction projects have been appealing
to Government to grant them temporary work permits.

Describing the situation as very embarrassing
to Ghana, Brempong-Yeboah said the stranded Ghanaians could have stayed at home with the huge amounts of money they paid to the travel agents
and start profitable businesses there.

"Any small businesses they had started in Ghana would have grown by now," he said.

Brempong-Yeboah said America, Europe, Asia
and other major economies in the world have been
hit by economic recession hence the need for such "economic adventurists" to know that it was fruitless
for them to embark on these types ventures.

He said the aftermath of the terrorist attack
on the United States and the collapse of Russia had
changed the political and economic dynamics
of the world and so there were no longer greener pastures anywhere. (GNA/CA)