Renowned lawyer and scholar, Tsatsu Tsikata believes the exodus of Ghanaians to seek greener pastures (brain drain) is not all gloom but has great economic positives that need to be harnessed for national development.

According to Mr Tsatsu, the contributions of Ghana’s diaspora community, particularly regarding foreign exchange inflows and the overall economic potential are of enormous economic benefits.

Speaking at the 14th Leadership Dialogue organised by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Mr Tsikata said rather than brooding over the challenges such mass movements have caused, including the loss of talents, Ghana should be looking to the positives.

Many professional bodies have been lamenting the loss of experienced staff to brain drain and have called for remedial measures, however Mr. Tsikata says the nation cannot be counting only its loss.

"In my mind, yes there is a brain drain, and some people are desperate to leave the country, and this is not the first time people have left the country in droves. It has happened before.

"So I don’t spend too much time worrying about the fact that there is that brain drain and pressure on some young people who think they need to move on. This is because I sense an opportunity in this," he said.

He said “The Ghanaians in the diaspora have a certain relationship with Ghana that can be cultivated because it is economically valuable.”

Mr Tsikata pointed to the importance of remittances from Ghanaians abroad, noting that these financial inflows often surpass revenues from the country’s natural resource exports.

“When you look at the amount of remittances that are sent by Ghanaians abroad, in terms of foreign exchange, it usually exceeds any of these natural resources that we export,” he stated.

He suggested that the funds sent home by Ghanaians abroad could be harnessed more effectively to support the country's economic development and so the departure of Ghanaians abroad should be seen not as a loss but as an opportunity to capitalise on the economic contributions they can make from afar.

“Let’s look at the fact that we can harness the resource value that comes from their being there,” he said, and urged a shift in mindset to view the diaspora as a strategic asset to Ghana’s economic growth.