Three years after traveling to Africa where he stressed the importance of good governance and transparent institutions in a speech to the Ghanaian parliament, President Barack Obama congratulated the West African nation’s president for fulfilling those ideals in his homeland.
In a meeting at the White House March 8, presidents Obama and John Atta Mills discussed efforts to promote democracy and growth throughout Africa. President Obama said that while in some quarters there is a tendency to focus on the many challenges facing Africa, it is also important to recognize the good news that is happening there.
He noted that Ghana, with a growing economy, stable government and respect for human rights, is part of that story.
President Obama told President Mills that Ghana’s democratic practices have proven to be a model for Africa. Such democratic practices have contributed to strong foreign investment there, and help boost mutually beneficial trade between the United States and Ghana. President Obama also lauded Ghana’s leadership in working to help stabilize and reduce conflict in the region.
The United States and Ghana have long had strong ties, including over 50 years of partnership with the Peace Corps and US Agency for International Development, and we continue to support its economic development and reform efforts through bilateral and regional assistance programs.
Most recently, Ghana completed a five-year, $547 million compact with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation to improve agricultural production, transportation and rural development.
U.S. development aid initiatives seek to partner with Ghana to hasten the day when such foreign assistance is no longer needed.
