Ghana’s peacekeeping role commendable — Nancy Pelosi

The Speaker of the United States (US) House of Representatives, Ms Nancy Patricia Pelosi, has lauded Ghana’s pivotal role in securing peace and security in other parts of the world, especially Africa.

“We compliment you on the strength of your role as an exporter of peace and security on this continent and also having peacekeepers on the African continent and other parts of the world,” she said.

Ms Pelosi, together with members of the United States Congressional Black Caucus who are on a three-day visit to Ghana, said this when they paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.

She said the US had been observing Ghana’s advancement militarily, politically and culturally with admiration.

Ms Pelosi, who is in her 17th year as a Congresswoman representing California's 12th Congressional District, traced the history of the slave trade and said the future of the US and Ghana was now being guided by freedom, justice and democracy.

The Majority Chief Whip of the US Congress, Mr Jim Clyburn, said collaborations with Ghana must dwell on trade instead of aid, stressing that the future of the two nations must be based on mutual respect.

President

President Akufo-Addo described the visit by the Congressional members as a symbol of the vibrant relationship between the US and Ghana.
He posited that it was also a sign of reassurance and an act of solidarity.

The President said Ghana was looking for a more progressive partnership with the US by which Ghanaian and American businesses would team up to advance commerce between the two countries.

He hoped that such a collaboration would also lead to increased investments by American companies in Ghana to lessen the country’s dependence on the generosity of American taxpayers.

“We think it will be a healthier and more productive relationship,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo commended the US government for its support in the areas of education, defence, health and the electoral system of Ghana over the years.

Democracy

He said Ghana prided itself as a functioning democracy which was attained after long years of struggles through military regimes.

He, however, said since the establishment of the Fourth Republic, Ghanaians had dedicated themselves fully to a democracy that hinged on the principles of accountability, respect for human rights, the rule of law, among other values.

President Akufo-Addo described Ghana’s relationship with the US as multi-faceted, which commenced with the tragedy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, culminating in a shared agenda of democratic governance.

He said both nations were desirous of building a world where respect for human rights was the order of international engagements.