U.S. Embassy Ghana

As the 45th observance of Earth Day approaches, I wanted to reflect on the significance of this year’s theme, “It’s Our Turn to Lead”.  Our world is under unprecedented threat.  Climate change is rapidly altering the environment on an extraordinary scale with oceans rising, and ecosystems changing forever.  Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is emptying our oceans of sustenance on which literally billions of people depend.  Habitat loss, poaching and wildlife trafficking threaten not only iconic species such as elephants and rhinoceros, but lesser known ones like pangolins and monk seals.  

Here in Ghana and throughout West Africa the situation is perhaps even more critical.  Growing seasons and rains are becoming increasingly unreliable, threatening farmers and their livelihoods; rivers that provide drinking water to millions are spoiled by rampant illegal mining using dangerous chemicals; beaches and fishermen’s nets are clogged with plastic bags; forests are disappearing at an alarming rate.  Bush meat poached from nature reserves is sold openly, threatening biodiversity and public health with diseases such as Ebola.

It’s easy to become disheartened with the troubling news that greets us daily.  But we mustn’t succumb to this temptation.  Instead, I urge all to take this year’s slogan “It’s Our Turn to Lead” to heart.  It is both our turn and our obligation to future generations.  At this critical juncture for the world’s climate and biodiversity, if we don’t start taking action now it will quickly become be too late.

So, whether young or old, poor or rich, each of us can help lead a movement to reverse this tide of environmental degradation.  Each of us can begin on Earth Day to transform the current grim reality through our actions. Environmental leadership can start small - discuss conservation with your family or turn off the water when you brush your teeth; or gather a group to clean a beach or encourage your elected representative to act on an environmental issue.  Write to your local newspaper, plant a tree or hold a meeting in your local community.  Each action shows your leadership and encourages others to do the same.

Like Ghana and Ghanaians, America is also committed to environmental leadership through our actions.  In Ghana our programs in the north and west support sustainable natural resource management both on land and in the ocean.  Further afield, the United States recently announced an ambitious target to cut our carbon emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.  We provide significant funds to support forests in developing countries, with the goal of reducing emissions from deforestation and promoting sustainable agriculture.  In November 2014, President Obama announced our intention to contribute $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to reduce carbon pollution and strengthen resilience in developing countries.

With 2014 drawing to a close, we thought it'd be a good time to take a look back at the past year on @USEmbassyGhana. This year, @USEmbassyGhana added more than 16,700 new followers and surpassed 25,500 overall, while continuing to serve as an important tool for the US Embassy Ghana to engage with the Ghanaian people. Check out a timeline of some of the top tweets from the year, and be sure to follow @USEmbassyGhana on Twitter for news and updates from the Embassy of the United States of America in Ghana. Top 2014 Tweets

Posted by Gene A. Cretz, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.

On November 16th the world community will observe the 19th International Day for Tolerance.  While we are reminded of the security and human rights implications of intolerance (which often takes the form of stigma and discrimination), this day also provides an opportunity to highlight the vital contribution of tolerance and acceptance to achieving important public health objectives and impacts, especially those focusing on groups living on the margins of many societies. 

The U.S. government is proud to partner with the people and Government of Ghana to implement the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and help achieve an AIDS-free generation. In recent months, we have worked tirelessly to align our resources and programs with both the Ghana government's priorities and PEPFAR's commitment to delivering the right things, in the right places, at the right time.  This also involves careful planning to ensure that we are reaching the right people with urgently needed programs, resources, and funding. 

Here in Ghana, tolerance is key to providing access to care for people who are at high risk of either acquiring or transmitting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  Among other groups, this includes men and women sex workers; men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons; and people who inject drugs. We must recognize that eliminating stigma and discrimination is critical to ensuring that all people feel safe accessing HIV/AIDS care and treatment services.  Programs that treat people with dignity and respect will have the greatest impact. 

On this International Day for Tolerance, let us affirm that all persons and any group that suffers the negative health effects of stigma and discrimination should also be free to access and receive essential health services from providers who treat them with dignity and respect. 

I call on all partners in our shared goal of controlling HIV in Ghana to steer clear of stigma and discrimination as it infringes on the fundamental human rights of all persons, and to instead practice tolerance in all aspects of service delivery.  The goal of an AIDS-free generation will remain unfulfilled until every Ghanaian feels that he or she will be treated with tolerance and respect when seeking services to preserve health if already infected, to prevent infection of others, or to escape the grasp of addicting drugs.

By Jeanne L. Clark, Information Officer

For the past four years I have had the privilege of working on the Robotics Inspired Science Education project in partnership with the Ghana Robotics Academic Foundation.  Inspired by co- founders Yaw Okraku-Yirenkyi and Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, NASA comes to life before Ghanaian students’ very eyes.

Students have been shown that YES, they can program and quickly learn that the more they try, the more they will improve.  Hands-on training gives them the opportunity to experience real-world environments, where workplaces have been transformed into team units to enhance productivity and efficiency.

The global economy depends on a skilled work-force; neither the economy of the U.S. nor Ghana is exempt.  The U.S. recognizes the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education because there is no other professional track growing as quickly in our job market.  STEM jobs are expected to double to 18% of our workforce this decade.  There’s no doubt that these skills are also needed here in Ghana, be it to improve the agriculture sector or to explore or maximize power sources.

I am convinced that the best way to motivate people of all ages to want to keep learning is by infusing a bit of fun.  RISE offers that bit of fun that keeps students striving to understand more.  Hosting regional competitions where gender balance and social inclusion are all taken into account creates a healthy, fun-filled environment for kids to showcase their creations and for others to cheer on their alma maters.

Perhaps the most telling sign of the program's success is the tight knit corps of volunteers who keep coming back year after year.  We've attracted the likes of some of Ghana's best bloggers, private sector volunteers, and

key to any growing tradition -- alumni.  RISE 2011 and 2012 alumni showed up in numbers at this year’s competitions in Accra and Cape Coast.  Now university students, these dedicated RiSE alums inspire the next class to keep learning and keep aiming for faster speeds or sounder designs. 

There's a growing corps of teachers, private clubs and volunteers dedicated to improving access to quality hands-on STEM opportunities in Ghana, and I’m proud that the U.S. has played a catalytic role in this nationwide program.  Colleagues here at the Embassy look forward to participating and helping in any way they can.  It’s been an honor to be a member of the Team, and I hope all readers will consider volunteering to maintain the program long into the future. 

May Ghana forever RISE!

By:  Ambassador Gene A. Cretz

People often stop and ask me and my colleagues about visa processes, and I believe many Ghanaians will be interested in learning that the 2016 Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV) is now open.  The entry process is simple and free of charge.     

For the first time, the DV Lottery process is entirely online.  It is simple enough that anyone can do it, and I encourage prospective entrants to complete the entry forms themselves.  Using a third party to assist is not necessary and frequently leads to misinformation that could lead to an automatic disqualification after you’ve won.

The entry form, qualifications for the program, and complete instructions for submitting an entry are available on the Department of State’s web page at http://www.DVLottery.state.gov.  This is the central location for all the information you need to understand the minimum qualifications for the DV, how to enter the Lottery, and later to see whether your entry has been selected for further review.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals, companies, and websites around the world that advertise services for assistance with submission of DV Program entries.  We are also aware that here in Ghana, there are businesses operating as visa facilitators, visa agents, or visa coordinators that offer to provide assistance with the DV process. 

Even though these services and businesses may be available, the online entry application is simple and free of charge.  I strongly encourage entrants to complete the DV program entry without such unnecessary cost or assistance. 

There is simply no reason to use an agent or facilitator.

 I would encourage potential applicants to enter for themselves and very carefully review the information they have entered on the online form before submitting.  Each entrant is only allowed one entry per year, and there is no room for errors in submitting personal data such as your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, marital status or number of children. 

 Anyone who enters the Lottery more than one time in a year will be disqualified—so don’t do it.

The computer system will generate a confirmation number for your entry when it is completed.  Youmust retain that confirmation number carefully and should not share it with anyone.  The only way to find out whether your application has been selected for advancing in the process is by returning to that website, http://www.DVLottery.state.gov, beginning 5 May 2015, to see if your confirmation number is among those selected for the lottery. 

 If you receive a phone call or an email informing you that you have been selected—it’s a trick.  The Department of State will not phone, text or email applicants informing them that they have won.  While DV applicants may receive an email from the U.S. government reminding them to check their status online through DV Entrant Status Check, they will not receive a notification letter or email informing them that they are a successful DV entrant.  Applicants can only find out if they were selected to continue with DV processing by checking their status online through the DV Entrant Status Check at http://www.DVLottery.state.gov.

Finally, remember that if your entry is selected, you should only pay fees for the DV application process directly to the U.S. Embassy or consulate cashier at the time of your scheduled appointment.  The U.S. government will never ask you to send payment in advance by check, money order, or wire transfer. 

The DV Program helps America grow stronger through diversity.  The DV Lottery makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year, drawn through a random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.  The 2016 entry deadline is 16:00 local time on Monday, 3 November, 2014.

Remember: there is no fee to enter the DV Lottery, and you can and should complete your entry by yourself.  It’s simple and it’s free.  Good luck.

Blog Post by Bernard Nkrumah, Laboratory Advisor, CDC Ghana

Afia Ansaah, a 19-year old girl from Ghana, spent most of her free time helping her mother in their textile shop. Upon noticing some changes in Afia’s appearance, her mother suggested that she get a pregnancy test. Together they visited a local clinic, where they learned that Afia was pregnant. During her first prenatal visit, a health care worker asked Afia’s permission to test her for HIV and, while surprised, she agreed. She sat through the pre-test counseling session feeling somewhat disconnected from what the clinician was saying because she did not believe she could be HIV positive. Unfortunately, the results were positive. The good news is that Afia immediately received counseling and started on medications to prevent her from transferring HIV to her baby. Afia took her medications consistently throughout her pregnancy and, upon giving birth to her son, received the joyful news that he was healthy and HIV-negative.

Today, Afia is an HIV Ambassador at her local clinic, where she counsels young women in similar situations, encouraging them to begin and maintain a treatment regimen so that they, too, may deliver an HIV-negative child. The happy outcome of Afia’s story – and those of many other pregnant women -- would not have been possible without early access to accurate, reliable laboratory services.

The rate of HIV rapid testing has skyrocketed in recent years – up from 1.9 million tests in 2004 to nearly 58 million in 2013 – increasing the urgency for accurate and reliable laboratory services. There are currently over 250 public sector laboratories in Ghana, none of which are yet accredited to an international standard.  To respond to this critical need, CDC, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO) and 12 African governments, launched and implemented the first African laboratory accreditation program to provide training and expand testing capacity in resource-limited settings.  The Strengthening Laboratory Management toward Accreditation (SLMTA) program uses an innovative, stepwise approach that enables immediate and measurable improvement toward accreditation.  

Posted by Dr. Sureyya E. Hornston, DrMedSci, MPH USAID President's Malaria Initiative(PMI) Adviser, USAID Ghana.

I work in Ghana as USAID Malaria Adviser for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), providing technical assistance to National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and helping to manage PMI’s malaria control efforts in Ghana.  While malaria is an all too often known life occurrence here in Ghana, World Malaria Day gives us a chance to underscore the facts underlying the disease and efforts undertaken to address it.

Malaria is a disease that is transmitted only by female Anopheles mosquitos.  Ghana’s entire population is at risk, but malaria rates are lower in urban areas, plus there are seasonal and geographic variations in transmission.  Although malaria morbidity continues to be high in Ghana, I am happy to report that it is no longer the leading cause of death in the country.  There is reduction in malaria case fatality in children under-five years, reduction in deaths attributable to malaria in health facilities, and reduction in deaths among pregnant women.

                                                Children under an ITN distributed by  PMI

The Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and NMCP have forged a strong program using resources from the national health budget and multi-donor budget support. The national malaria control strategy in Ghana follows WHO recommendations, focused on four proven interventions:     

Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) or long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs), distributed free or highly subsidized;

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides, applied in targeted districts;

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), provided during antenatal care;

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs), for prompt and effective treatment of malaria.

To support Ghana’s national strategy, the U.S. Government is providing technical assistance and life-saving commodities through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), an initiative led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  The goal of PMI is to reduce malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 19 countries in Africa that have a high burden of malaria by expanding coverage of the four highly effective malaria prevention and treatment measures discussed above. 

In 2013, PMI donated 2.6 million long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) in Ghana, supported community mobilization and mass media campaigns to sustain and increase the use of these nets, and helped NMCP make important strides in strengthening routine distribution systems for LLINs. Continuous distribution in primary schools,Antenatal Clinics (ANC), and as part oftheExpanded Programs on Immunization (EPI) in Child Welfare Clinics (CWC) will help sustain the gains made through universal coverage campaigns held from 2010 to 2012. Last year, PMI donated 3 million Rapid Diagnostic Tests and close to 2 million doses of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) to strengthen proper diagnosis and treatment of malaria.

PMI has been supporting indoor residual spraying (IRS) since 2008 and sprayed over 1.8 million rooms. In 2013, PMI sprayed almost 200,000 rooms with insecticides, protecting over 500,000 people, among them almost 12,000 pregnant women and over 100,000 children.  PMI also supports the development of national databases that track types of mosquitos and insecticide resistance.  All of these efforts bring results. According to a recent study in Northern Ghana, malaria parasites in blood and fever episodes among children under five fell by 50 percent, thanks to PMI’s efforts. This is very gratifying to me and my colleague Dr. Philip Ricks, the Centers for Disease Control Resident Malaria Adviser here in Ghana. 

To strengthen health systems, PMI supported Ghana’s Food and Drug Authority (FDA) in monitoring the quality of antimalarial drugs, and provided technical assistance on WHO prequalification standards for screening these drugs. PMI will continue to work together with the Ministry of Health in the coming years in all of the areas mentioned, including providing commodities, improving the tracking and distribution of commodities, training providers to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment of malaria,  and supporting the development of strong national health information system and other databases. 

Together, we must join efforts to dispel the common myths about how malaria spreads (e.g. working under sun, eating hot foods, dirty environment.) We call on all Ghanaians to continue sleeping under ITNs every night and all through the night to protect themselves from mosquito bites and have a restful night.  In addition, we all have a role to play in requesting that clinicians and other health care providers properly diagnose malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) or microscopy rather than using their clinical judgment alone and treat with  Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) only when the RDT test yields a positive result for malaria. 

Posted by Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng, Social Media Assets Manager

  Often, we hear in the news of foreign ships docking at the Tema or Sekondi ports. What we don't get is what really happens when they are here, the impact and why they were here in the first place. This past week, I was privileged to be on one such ship: USNS Spearhead. 

U.S. & Ghana Team Pose For A Group Photo Behind USNS Spearhead –April 4, 2014

As a Ghanaian working as the Social Media Assets Manager for the U.S. Embassy in Accra, I have covered a couple of workshops between U.S. military and West African countries, and I have always wondered what happens outside the classroom. My time on USNS Spearhead gave me a great insight worth sharing.

The ship was in Ghana as part of  African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP),  partnering with Ghana to find potential violations in its waters. If you haven’t paid attention to the growing piracy, trafficking and illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, then you should. There are growing violations, which countries should collaborate on to fight against, as some ships have committed similar violations in other countries’ waters.

Ordinarily you would expect such joint exercises to be between the US Navy, US Coast Guards and Ghana Navy but this was a little different. This one also included 6 men from the newly formed Ghana Marine Police, Fisheries Commission and the Narcotics Control Board as well as Naval officers from Nigeria and Togo, who were also on board to learn and share their experiences. 

On our second day patrolling Ghana’s territorial and exclusive waters at about 35 nautical miles off the coast of Winneba, we encountered a vessel fishing illegally without a license and using nets that were below internationally approved or Ghana approved sizes for commercial fishing. The story was the same the next day; another fishing vessel without a license and fishing with small nets. The team of Ghana Navy, Marine Police and Fisheries Commission with support from the US Coast Guard boarded the vessel, conducted some inspections and arrested the vessel.

It was heartwarming to see how simple technologies like the mobile phone were being used. After the debriefings, I would often spot the Ghanaian Navy officers refer to the Fisheries Act 2002 on their mobile phones. I digress but as a Social Media Manager, it got me thinking how Ghana could employ mobile technologies in fighting crime on the sea.

  U.S. Coast Guard & Ghana Navy Officer Overlook Juvenile Fish On Arrested –April 2, 2014

I saw really small fishing canoes deep in the Gulf of Guinea and the song "Letter to the Government (International Fisherman)" kept ringing in my ears. Maybe it hasn't struck countries on the Gulf of Guinea yet but illegal fishing is happening on a large scale and it's about time nations collaborate more to save our dwindling fish stock.  

I will ask the hard question here. Just as with illegal gold mining (galamsey), are Ghanaians fronting for foreigners as owners of these illegal vessels? 

Being on the embarkment, I have come to appreciate even more the work of seamen and fishermen. Waking up to no land in sight made me homesick. Being on the sea is not as easy as it seems. Learning how to walk and not get seasick from the rolling of the Spearhead was quite a challenge. I can only be thankful for all the advice I got before the embarkment. Let me share some advice with you. Make sure you carry some saltine crackers and some Advomine.

If there is a lesson I learnt, it would be cooperation; cooperation between countries and cooperation between agencies. I kept nodding at how the Ghanaians shared information and tactics.

By Ambassador Gene A. Cretz

I recently visited Takoradi and wanted to share how impressed I was to see so many young people taking matters into their own hands and really working hard to acquire marketable skills that will serve them in lifelong careers.  I’m proud that through a variety of American partners, Ghanaians reap the benefits of our long-standing friendship.

I was pleased to see education playing a practical, important role in shaping careers of Ghana’s youth.  We started out paying a call on the Sekondi Nurses and Midwifery college.  Perhaps there is no greater responsibility in this world than bringing forth new life through the birthing process.  Noticing the strong confidence that the students at the college exhibited, I was curious to know these hard-working women had gained so much confidence.  The answer was practice, practice, practice and more practice.  American foreign assistance dollars are well-spent on training programs like these that meet international training standards.  Before ever assisting with actual births, these students had the opportunity to practice their coursework over and over through simulation.  Clearly, with courses like these students are being prepared to mold a brighter future for Ghana.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Takoradi Polytechnic and saw first-hand how machinery, engineering and safety operations are being taught, again with ample hands-on opportunities an important component of instruction.  It was easy to see American know-how being productively embraced and implemented as I talked to an alumnus of the Community College Initiative and recent Polytechnic graduate and met the Vice Principal of the Takoradi Technical Institute which hosts the 10-year-old MIT FabLab.  The application of American know-how was also evident as I toured the impressive Jubilee Partner’s Technical Training Centre.  Given the expected expansion of the oil and gas industry in the region, it is reassuring to know that so many students are investing in their futures and obtaining the skills necessary to be able to fill the jobs that will accompany that expansion.

We also travelled to the Sekondi Naval base to learn about the ongoing comprehensive cooperation and training between Ghana and the United States.  Maritime security has been a core objective of our military collaboration, and this base was a prime location to see how various law enforcement units connect with each other.  From the Marine Police to Fisheries Commission professionals, communication and cooperation are critical.  Stakeholders in maritime security collaborate on communication and analysis training in order to better understand their respective roles and alternative reporting techniques as well as to improve execution.

Nothing demonstrated the fact that opportunities exist for Ghanaians willing to study the market and take risks as clearly as our visit to Zeal Enterprises.  This company employs over 170 Ghanaians, serving future generations of Ghanaians by protecting the environment and responsibly processing oil industry waste products. 

The next stop of my visit was a meeting with Deputy Regional Minister Gyan who kindly welcomed us and shared some of the region’s priorities.  While welcoming our visit and American private investment, it became clear that this region views infrastructure development as critical to facilitating both Ghanaian and global business growth.  My meeting with the Deputy Minister provided excellent context for my subsequent meeting with civil society and fisheries representatives to hear their hopes and concerns for their community.  We had a frank discussion about everything from sex trafficking to depleting fishery stocks, to education to the cost of living.

As I learned of progress at the Jubilee Partner’s offshore storage and drilling installations I also learned of ways that American companies are addressing some of the concerns raised by the Deputy Minister and the civil society and fisheries representatives with whom I had just met.  And I came away more convinced than ever that American companies by-and-large stand out as models of corporate social responsibility.

I was heartened to hear how Kosmos and about half a dozen American companies are working with Safe Water Network to sustainably improve access to water to over 100,000 people in Ghana.  In Atuabo the machinery and water towers are bringing clean water to 10 communities at low cost.  Kosmos gives particular importance to what they term local, local content.  I was pleased to learn that they not only share their business acumen with civil society partners, but with organizations like the Ankobra Fish Smokers Association.  Not only does this organization of women entrepreneurs now have safer stoves to smoke the incoming fish, but they now have a meeting room and are learning techniques to maximize profits in high and low seasons respectively.

By Mark Nichols, Facilities Maintenance Officer, US Embassy Ghana

  On this World Water Day we’ve been thinking a lot about how perhaps no two issues are more important to human health, economic development, and peace and security than water and sanitation. Without reliable supplies of water, we cannot grow food, we cannot produce energy, and we cannot sustain the environment upon which we all depend.

As Facilities Maintenance Officer, I spend a lot of my time strategizing about how we at the Embassy can conserve more, treat the water we access better, and become better stewards of the land we occupy here in Ghana.  I thought you might be interested to hear about some of the efforts we are making.

We understand the challenge of water access, and we monitor usage and continually evaluate the demands of our sanitation systems.  Two wells constructed on our Embassy compound provide for over 65% of the needs of the mission and our diplomatic residences.  We try to minimize our need to tap into the city water supply.

As we try to increase the use of technologies that purify water, reduce waste and pollution, improve productivity, and promote efficiency and reuse, we encourage Ghana and all residents to do the same.  We thought we’d share a few ways we reach our goals. 

Traditional sanitation facilities waste a lot of water.  We’ve employed technology to reduce this waste.  Our water closet system uses a high pressure unit that uses only 0.6 gallons of water per flush.  Compare that to the conventional water closet which uses 1.5 - 2.0 gallons per flush.  The men’s urinals inside the Embassy are all waterless; therefore we eliminate any need for water. We use a urinal cartridge that can last up to three months with even heavy usage of up to 50 uses per day.  A conventional urinal would need at least half a gallon of water per use.

  We’re also proud to have our own water treatment station on the Embassy compound.  All wastewater generated at the embassy is treated at a waste treatment station.  Any water discharged in the city sewer system is chlorinated and odorless.

We use timed sprinkling systems to irrigate our gardens while avoiding doing so in the heat of mid-day.   We are currently trying to figure out how we can re-use all the treated waste water for irrigation, which would conserve even more water.

Posted by: Alicka Ampry-Samuel

Vendor Sorts Beans at a Market in Ghana

In Ghana, as in many parts of the developing world, women often face significant barriers to financial stability. Particularly in rural areas of northern Ghana, women are much less likely than men to earn income, have access to credit or own assets, leaving them particularly vulnerable to shocks such as drought or family illness.

That's why Feed the Future is promoting gender equality in Ghana by training women to practice improved agricultural techniques, good nutrition and sound business management. Through a Feed the Future program managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), thousands of women are building skills, increasing their incomes and strengthening their status in their families and communities.

Many women in northern Ghana lack basic numeracy skills, which puts them at a disadvantage in agricultural markets where smallholder farmers exchange currency and negotiate prices for crops. To address this challenge, Feed the Future has trained more than 4,000 women farmers on numeracy in the small farming community of Gindabour, which has led to other opportunities for participants such as opening savings accounts with local banks and assisting their children with math homework.

Feed the Future also trained 5,000 women how to operate their family farms as for-profit agricultural businesses by measuring inputs and outputs, reducing production costs, using improved seeds and applying modern technologies to increase yields. Since participating in the trainings, the women have formed groups to increase knowledge sharing among smallholder farmers and provide a platform to continue learning from one another.

In addition, Feed the Future collaborated with four Ghanaian private sector companies to train 100 smallholder farmers on fertilizer and weedicide application, row planting and post-harvest handling. Today, more than 40 Gindabour women farmers from that group of 100 now have the right to cultivate land closer to their homes, a rare practice in the region that community leaders are coming to recognize as important to Gindabour’s food security.  Those farmers who adopted the practices they learned in training have also doubled their yields in rice, maize and soybean crops.

“I adopted what I learned by using hybrid seeds, practiced row planting and the right way of fertilizer application,” says Esteher Mulnye, one of the smallholder farmers who participated in the training. “At the end of the season I had 25 bags of maize; now some of the women in my community come to me to learn these practices.”

As women in Gindabour have steadily increased their economic participation, they have become better able to ensure their children can go to school and eat nutritious food. They have also been galvanized to contribute to improved food security and help secure a better future for their community. 

About the Author: Alicka Ampry-Samuel serves as a Development Outreach and Communications Specialist at the USAID Mission in Ghana.

By:  Ambassador Gene A. Cretz

 As we look forward to ringing in the New Year, I find myself marveling at all that has been accomplished from the partnership between Ghana and the U.S.  By traveling through many of the regions of Ghana, I’ve been able to see first-hand how our investment and development dollars have been well spent changing and saving lives.  With your indulgence, I’d like to walk you through some highlights.

Most importantly, Ghana demonstrated its ability to resolve differences through the legal system and gracefully accept the Court’s judgment in a case of first instance resolving the 2012 Election results.  On a continent where conflict rips at the very seams of nation-states such as in the South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mali, Ghanaians time and time again uphold the value of peace and demonstrate regional leadership both within their borders and through the stellar reputation of Ghana’s contributions to peacekeeping missions.  

Together we have strengthened military capacity through the construction and commissioning of Ghana’s first National Marine Police Training Academy.  In fact we continue to work with many branches of the law enforcement sector and have completed twenty-three training courses in the West Africa Regional Training Center that was established this year.  There’s no doubt that partnership breeds success, and we’ve seen a number of successes partnering to counter drug trafficking and secure Ghana’s maritime interests.  We congratulate the Ghana Navy for its recent designation as Best Performing Navy in West Africa for 2013 by the Security Watch Africa Magazine.

We understand that job creation and economic growth are priorities for most Ghanaians, and I want to assure you that expanding trade between Ghana and the U.S. remains among our highest priorities.  To that end, we’ve dedicated significant time and effort to encourage further private sector partnerships in Ghana.  We’ve welcomed new U.S. companies to Ghana, and we have celebrated the long-term commitments and success of other companies already dedicated to building Ghana’s economic future.  We’ve continued to view the role of entrepreneurship as critical to expansion of the economy and we were pleased to announce the upcoming creation of an entrepreneurship council.

In 2013 we again reaffirmed our mutual commitment to focus on key constraints to Ghana’s economic development -- access to credit and power -- by identifying tangible work plans to address challenges to both.  Through Power Africa, we seek to double the number of people with access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa.  We recognize that a strong and vibrant civil society is vital for an inclusive, democratic governance structure.  We’ve made progress through our partnerships with the media and USAID support of local governance structures and civic organizations.  We’ve learned that two-way engagement occurs with an even greater number of Ghanaians through social media platforms and partnership with events such as BlogCamp 2013.  We know that the majority of Ghanaians are under 30, and that’s why we seek to strengthen and empower the youth voice through President Obama’s signature program, the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

Perhaps most memorable for me in 2013 are the times I’ve been able to see American efforts making a difference in the field.  From the creativity and commitment of Peace Corps and Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers throughout Ghana to the important work our PEPFAR team does to improve lab quality and reach key populations, we are touching lives.  I’ve been proud to attend school commissionings from Grumesa in the Ashanti Region to the Accra Municipal Authority.  I’ve seen efforts to address the value chain in agriculture help a farmer in Wa improve yield and productivity, reach hundreds of small holder farmers working together, and increase the overall income of the farmers.  These tangible benefits empower buying strength for families to secure adequate education and healthcare for their families.

As 2013 draws to a close, we've compiled a timeline of some of the top @USEmbassyGhana tweets from the past year.

This year, @USEmbassyGhana added nearly 7,000 new followers and surpassed 8,700 overall, while continuing to be an important tool for the United States Embassy to engage with Ghana and provide updates on the mission's activities.

Take a look at some of the top tweets below, and be sure to follow @USEmbassyGhana on Twitter for news and updates in the New Year. 

// <![CDATA[ !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); // ]]>

2013 Tweets of the Year

Posted by Cheryl Anderson, recently departed USAID Ghana Mission Director

As my days in country as Mission Director of USAID Ghana come to an end, I find myself reflecting on the privilege of serving in this position and the progress made over the last four years.  This was not my first experience living in Ghana as I had come some thirty years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer, where I taught mathematics at Arch Bishop Porter in Takoradi.  The joy of re-establishing relationships with students, teachers and friends combined with the new friendships made during my tour this time around ensure that Ghana will always have a special place in my heart.  I’m told I give motherly advice, and I’m going to share some here as I spread some news about where USAID Ghana has been and where we’re going.

Cheryl Anderson, former USAID Ghana Mission Director

It’s nice to see the changes in Ghana. Sometimes we can get discouraged that we’re not moving fast enough here.  Back then we had serious challenges with hunger throughout Ghana.  Now, Ghana is one of the first countries to meet Millennium Development Goal #1 which is cutting poverty and hunger in half.  There’s still a long way to go, but back then you couldn’t take democracy and human rights for granted.  Ghana handled the Supreme Court case in a way that is not violent and according to the rule of law which serves to strengthen democracy.  Don’t take democracy for granted – keep perfecting it.  Use everything you can to fight the cancer of corruption.

I arrived shortly after President Obama’s visit and there was euphoria in the atmosphere in Ghana where he held up some high expectations. With this positive energy, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work with Ghanaians on major initiatives such as the President’s Malaria Initiative, PEPFAR, and Obama’s first development initiative Feed the Future, where Ghana’s been a priority country.  We ‘ve begun feasibility studies through Partnership for Growth, to address major constraints to economic growth and development: reliable energy and access to credit. Announced during the President’s recent Africa tour in June, Ghana will benefit from Power Africa.  Through vehicles such as these initiatives, we at USAID Ghana have focused on four primary sectors: economic growth, democratic governance, health and education.

In terms of food security we’ve really been able to focus our efforts on the value chain from the seeds to the table, not just increasing yields but improving access to technology, but also credit, warehousing, processing, and making sure linkages between farmers and markets are.  We’ve shifted our efforts to focus on the most vulnerable households starting with the North to improve resiliency.

When I came here the latest data we had indicated that only 19% of households had bednets, and we dreamed about what we call universal coverage which is one bednet per every two people.  Our latest surveys indicate that 51% of households in Ghana have one or more bednets, and we know how effective that is in preventing malaria.

In terms of addressing HIV and AIDS we’re proud be the most active donor aside from the Global Fund. Ghana’s prevalence rate for HIV continues to reduce and currently hovers at 1.37%, leaving little doubt with courage and determination together we can get to zero.  We’ve been very active in family planning, as well.  In the last few years we’ve seen an increase of 35% in use of modern contraception.

When I came here I would see children in the streets during the day and wondered why aren’t they in school.   People would tell me maybe they were in the first shift and their school is over.  I’m very proud to have been a part of the effort to found or refurbish new schools so children no longer attend school under trees and less often have to attend during shifts.  We’ve built or refurbished 200 primary and junior high schools and District buildings throughout Ghana.  Combined with the efforts of MCC in the first Millennium Challenge Compact, that’s nearly 450 schools that the United States has built or refurbished with close cooperation of the Ministry of Education and AMA to improve access to education.  We’re now shifting our focus toward improving primary literacy.

We’ve been very sincere about the international agenda for aid effectiveness.  Ghana’s own objective is to have established middle income status and being aid independent in the future.  This is a fundamental part of planning, which is why we focus so much on capacity building so that all of our efforts are sustainable.  Data based planning has become the norm at USAID, and I encourage you to review our recently completed five year strategic plan.

Posted by C. Patricia Alsup, Charge d’Affaires, a.i.

Posted by Gene A. Cretz, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.

  Ambassador Gene Cretz & Northern Regional Minister Bede Ziedeng in Tamale, Ghana, May 15, 2013. [State Dept. photo by Jeanne Clark/Public Domain]

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Tamale and the environs of the Northern Region, and was happy to meet and understand the shape and contours of our many partnerships.  Throughout Ghana we have broad and rich relationships, but the relevance of our development efforts really crystallized for me in Tamale.

We all know that malaria kills more children under the age of five in Ghana than any other single disease.  I’m proud that the U.S. Government has a program aimed at keeping mothers and children alive.  It is called the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).  Through this initiative we directly provided more than 3 million Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets from 2010 – 2012, and provided the technical assistance to the National Malaria Control Program to develop a long-term distribution strategy.  In the village of Mogla, I witnessed how neighbors opened their homes to Indoor Residual Spraying as a key part of ending preventable childhood deaths.  And this partnership, this opening of homes and hearts, between Ghana and America has truly touched me.  The program involves protection for over 900,000 people.  I met pregnant mothers who will be safe from the disease as well as several beautiful children under five years of age who will now live many more years when compared to the time before spraying began.  The process of spraying from getting community buy-in to training the sprayers was truly impressive.

Just as progress against malaria couldn’t be made without close cooperation, goodwill, and spirit of the community members and traditional leaders, the same holds true when seeking to enhance agricultural production to reduce poverty.  In Tolon-Kumbugu, we are supporting the largest irrigation scheme in the Northern Region.  Through the introduction of improved infrastructure and technologies, farmers are realizing increasing yield and incomes.

Irrigation Project, Botanga, Ghana, May 15, 2013. [State Dept. photo by Jeanne Clark/Public Domain]

For me, seeing is believing, so we traveled to the Botanga Irrigation Site to learn how The Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) Program, a USAID-funded project, helps the farmers to get their produce to our dinner tables.   This project adopts a value chain approach where smallholder farmers are linked to markets, finance, equipment services and information through relatively larger commercial farmers and traders who have the capacity to invest in these chains staples (maize, rice and soybean) to achieve a greater degree of food security among the rural population in the North.  While women still too often have to go through the back-breaking labor of planting rice seedlings hand by hand, over time, modernized farming techniques coupled with fertilizer and advanced seeds are gradually increasing the income of smallholder farmers.

Finally, we are changing lives by enhancing the quality and facilities of the Northern Region’s basic education services.  Of the 38 Peace Corps volunteers currently in the North, nearly a quarter of these dedicated public servants are teaching at junior and senior secondary schools and schools for the deaf in the subject areas of math, science, art and ICT. USAID in collaboration with the Ministry of Education has engaged in a total of 68 projects in the North, including: 22 kindergarten blocks, 22 Junior High School blocks, 22 toilet blocks and 2 new District Education Offices. 

Ambassador Cretz & USAID Ghana Country Director Cheryl Anderson in Tamale, Ghana, May 15, 2013. [State Dept. photo by Jeanne Clark/ public Domain]

The impact and motivation that new facilities provide struck me while visiting the Nyohini Presbyterian Primary School. The stark contrast of seeing classes conducted inside unstable wooden structures next to a newly constructed classroom offering electricity, flooring and ceilings leaves one speechless.  Seeing a newly constructed latrine facility next to a dilapidated building with no sink available to wash one’s hands left me with hope and belief that through these measures clear progress would be made with sanitation and hygiene.

As the children warmly sang to us throughout our visit, and the Parent Teacher’s Association vowed to support and maintain the new facility, I left the Northern Region proud that the United States collaborates with partners on priorities determined by Ghana.  From meetings with Regional Minister Ziedeng, to traditional rulers to private sector machinery suppliers, I departed Tamale knowing that the Northern Region experienced America at its best.  We are not only saving lives but we are changing lives.  

Posted by Gene A. Cretz, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana.

Matuto performs at the Rev. John Teye Memorial Institute in Accra, Ghana, March  18, 2013. [State Dept. photo by Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng/ public Domain]

As we celebrate the world’s first recognition of International Jazz Day, I take time to marvel at the amazing bonds of humanity that are made through music and that reverberate in other places as well.  Being a diplomat and being away from home most of the time, it’s not often that I get to listen to and share American music. Just last month, we had the pleasure of hosting Matuto, who played an organic brand of folk, jazz and indigenous music that uplifted anyone in earshot, and brought all to their feet by the time they finished their sets.

The most inspirational moments of their performances came when after just a few hours and at times --minutes -- that they’d had to practice with  Ghanaian musicians – Bigshot, students from the John Teye Memorial School, MUSIGA artists or Nana Boroo.  The lessons that come as a result of raw, honest exchange of talent are the moments that we all treasure.  In the weeks that followed their departure from Accra, I find myself looking for areas we have –and could apply the same principles to the diplomacy, educational exchanges, and business we conduct with Ghana on a daily basis.

When Americans and Ghanaians bring their well-developed talents to the table, much  can be accomplished, no matter the area of interaction.  We see this when tech developers sit down with farmers to get raw data about conditions out in the open for governments, academicians and civil society to analyze, such as what happened in this week’s Agriculture Open Data Initiative in Washington, DC, where Ghana lead the charge  in shedding light on its nation’s data.  We see it when American businesses like Belstar Development Corp. and Odulair, LLC specially equip mobile health clinics to try to improve access to basic care to thousands of Ghanaians, based on identified needs.