Establish “S.K.B. Asante Centre for International Negotiations” at GIMPA – panel advocates

A panel of experts has recommended the establishment of an “International Negotiations Centre” at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to serve as a centre of excellence in the training of a new breed of professional Ghanaian negotiators.

The panel also endorsed the naming of the centre after Nana Dr S.K.B. Asante, the renowned Ghanaian Statesman and former diplomat.

The panel of experts comprised Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Tawiah Akyea, renowned lawyer and International transactions lawyer and Patrick Reginald Dennis Hayford, a retired Ghanaian diplomat, international affairs director and administrator.

The panel made the suggestion on Wednesday 19 October 2022, at the GIMPA Faculty of Law’s Public Lecture in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Former International Civil Servants (GAFICS) on the theme “Taking International Negotiations Seriously”.

This lecture was aimed at refocusing attention on the compelling need for state actors to be equipped with effective negotiation skills, especially during this period where the Government of Ghana is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial bailout.

Nana Dr. S.K.B. Asante, was the main speaker at the public lecture. In his presentation, he bemoaned the lack of attention that is given to international business transactions in Ghana which has led to huge financial losses to the state in times past.

He indicated that going forward, Ghanaian officials who enter into agreements for and on behalf of Ghana need to do broad consultations in order to avoid future avoidable judgement debts against Ghana.

Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, in her submission noted that her experience in practicing law has taught her that persons and officials who enter into international transactions and agreements often think that they require the services of lawyers after they have already agreed on terms with their counterparts on the other side.

On the contrary, she indicated that the trend must rather be the reverse, noting that before any agreements are reached or signed, parties must first seek the advice of transactional lawyers to get sound advice on the implications of the agreements they intend to sign.

The Council Chair of GIMPA, Mr. Kofi Darko Asante and the Rector of GIMPA, Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, who were both present at the lecturer affirmed their commitment to take steps to establish an interdisciplinary (law, business and governance) centre on international negotiations, within the shortest possible time in honour of Nana Dr. SKB Asante, and in line with the mandate of GIMPA.

Click on the link below to watch the discussion

Wilberforce Asare

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