• President Akufo-Addo with US Vice President Harris

The visit to Ghana by US Vice President, Her Excellency Ka­mala Harris, did not come about merely out of the blue but as a result of systematic and deliberate calcu­lation on the part of the US govern­ment, seeing that Ghana is a great country in Africa and plays an import­ant leadership role on the continent.

The leadership role played by Ghana can be seen in terms of peace, democracy, rule of law, economic development, and matters relating to security. These are issues that are of great importance to both Ghana and the United States.

VISIT

Against this background, the visit by Kamala Harris is significant in a number of respects. To begin with, the visit is meant to promote cordial relations between the two countries. The US is far away from Ghana and separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

In spite of this, the two countries are so close to each other because the world has become a global vil­lage, and what happens in one part of it affects the other. For instance, developments in Ghana can affect residents of the US, just as happen­ings in the US can also affect Ghana.

COLLABORATION

In the world of today, there is competition in the area of trade and other activities, but in spite of this, there is a need for great collaboration with each other. This collaboration can come in the form of economic cooperation, economic growth, and trade with each other. It is only when countries embark on this venture or go in this direction that there can be meaningful growth and development between countries.

Collaboration between Ghana and the US has become very necessary because no country is an island. For a country to be able to promote its economy, that country will have to collaborate economically with anoth­er. In light of this, the US has found it necessary to seek economic cooper­ation with Ghana in the interest of both parties.

Economic partnership in this manner has become very necessary. The two countries already have good relations, but in the world of to­day, there is a need to deepen this relationship so as to maximise the interests of both countries. Indeed, the visit to Ghana can be placed within the larger context of US-Africa relations.

SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP ROLE

Ghana is highly respected in the US because of the significant lead­ership role it plays in Africa. The US cannot visit all countries in Africa at the same time, but it chose to visit Ghana to symbolise its desire to pro­mote US-African relations.

The just-ended visit focused on economic growth with Ghana, which is seen as an important player on the African continent. As was pointed out by Kamala Harris, it is the intention of the US to stimulate economic growth in Ghana and promote invest­ment in the country. The promotion of investment is very important because that is what will lead to economic growth.

ENSURING SAFE SECURITY

In addition, the US is more inter­ested in ensuring safe security on the African continent. Security is very important because, without such security, investment and economic growth cannot be effectively promot­ed in Ghana and the rest of the conti­nent. In West Africa, the US is aware of the threat that is likely to occur in any country along the West Coast, and that is why it is concerned about helping countries in West Africa protect themselves against needless external aggression. Ghana has taken steps to ward off such possible ex­ternal aggression but collaboration in this area is crucial not only to Ghana but to its foreign allies like the US.

It is against this background that Kamala Harris announced USD 100 million in assistance to countries in the West African subregion to fight any form of aggression and instability that may be promoted by terrorist activities and terrorism in general. The amount from the US is meant to assist countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Togo, and Benin in their preparations against exter­nal activities usually stimulated by terrorism.

INFLUENCE GHANA’S EXTERNAL CREDITORS

What is also important about Kamala Harris visit to Ghana is the commitment of the United States to influence Ghana’s external creditors to help with the restructuring of its external debt and make it easier for Ghana to transform its economy. This appeal is most welcome, so Ghana needs to utilise it to achieve the maximum benefit. The US has there­fore appealed to Ghana’s external creditors to do all within their power to assist the country in overcoming its economic challenges in order to have a successful encounter in the IMF negotiation.

One striking observation made by Kamala Harris is that Ghana’s eco­nomic difficulties have come about as a result of global economic challeng­es, namely the Russia-Ukraine war and also the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Great minds in the United States have therefore realised that the unfavourable economic condi­tions in Ghana have come about as a result of factors that are external to the country and over which Ghana has no control.

GREAT CONFIDENCE IN GHANA’S LEADERSHIP

The visit goes to show the great confidence that the United States has in the leadership of Ghana and the desire of the Ghana government to turn things around and make the economy better for all Ghanaians. This explains why a country like the United States is pledging great support for Ghana’s economic pro­grammes to help it overcome its economic challenges.

The visit is very timely, especially at this point in time when external factors have made life unbearable for Ghanaians. It is a positive indication that Ghana is on the right path, and with a little support from its foreign allies, it will be able to overcome the challenges facing it. Compared to other countries in Africa and other parts of the world, Ghana, in spite of its economic difficulties, is very well positioned to strive and come out of its economic challenges. The argu­ment by the opposition in Ghana that there has been reckless spending on the part of the government is neither here nor there, especially coming from people whose only political motive is to destroy the hardwork­ing government in order to get the opportunity to come to power.

POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS

The positive developments going on in all sectors of the economy show that the country is on the right path, and very soon, the effect of efforts made today will be felt. Kamala Har­ris has left Ghana and continued to visit Tanzania and Zambia, which are also considered allies of the United States. It is expected that both Zam­bia and Tanzania will also maximise the potential benefits that they are likely to derive from the visit of the US Vice President.

In conclusion, it is gratifying to note that of the countries in Africa, the US chose to visit three countries, the first being Ghana, in order to deepen its relations on the African continent. Apart from matters relat­ing to economic growth and devel­opment and security issues in Africa, the visit at this time was also meant to check the influence of Russia and China on the continent. The world needs peace everywhere, so it is expected that the African continent will pursue the path of peace, not aggression, with all its allies and col­laborators to achieve peace, security, economic growth, and a better life for everybody.

Email address/whatsApp number of author:

Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911)

By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako