Ghana’s High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK) has received the highest award in diplomacy and good customer care at this year’s UK Diplomatic Awards. The 2010 UK Diplomatic Award instituted by a London Television Station, BEN TV, seeks to promote good diplomacy, excellent customer service and holistic development within the African and Caribbean missions in the country. Other African missions in the UK shortlisted for the award were Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Lesotho, The Gambia, Tanzania, and Equatorial Guinea. Ghana received the leading representative for African Diplomacy Award, which was based upon Diaspora growth, development and participation. The Mission was at the same event adjudged the best mission in customer service and also received a prize for promoting Ghana’s image abroad. Ghana was selected as the best by judges whose probing included several visits to the African Missions in London over the year under review. They also observed the mission’s performance through personal and professional perspectives, their approach to customer relations and their representation at international events such as the World Travel Market. The team of judges also observed and studied international reports on the countries and their missions to reach their conclusion. The team also considered diplomacy and democracy, economic development as well as international relations of various countries with neighbours. A citation accompanying the award, Diplomacy and Democracy category recalled in part “the smooth transition of governments between John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor and incumbent president John Evans Atta Mills, which was hailed worldwide.” Presenting the award, a director of BEN Television, Mr. Ayoub Mzee expressed his delight in the role of the Ghanaian Mission in London in the promotion of African issues. He observed that Ghana is currently spearheading the activities of the Commonwealth by chairing a number of committees of the organisation, an effort that has seen much development and progress within the fraternity. Mr. Mzee also recounted Ghana’s role in ensuring peace in the African Region while acknowledging the country’s untiring effort in making the ECOWAS an institution that has worked effectively to achieve its objective successfully. Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo gave the assurance that Ghana will continue to cement its impeccable reputation to global recognition through its national and international engagements. He said he was not surprised at the award especially in the category of customer service because of the mission’s growing activities, noting “We as a mission have done phenomenally well in raising the level of services last year, and we are determined to continue the transformation exercise we have embarked upon.” According to Ghana’s envoy, the mission has retrained all personnel especially those who come in contact with customers very often in effective customer care methods. Professor Danso-Boafo was of the view that the award is not only a true manifestation of the quality of training staff have undergone but also their determination to put their training into action. He expressed the hope that the award will spur the staff on to do more to attract more investors and tourists to Ghana. Story by Nana Sifa Twum, London