President-elect John Mahama has expressed his commitment to strengthening the longstanding partnership between Ghana and the United States, emphasising collaboration in energy, security, and agribusiness.

Speaking during a visit by U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, at his office on Tuesday, December 17, he highlighted key areas where he envisions closer cooperation with the U.S. government.

Ambassador Palmer, who conveyed congratulations from U.S. President Joe Biden, stated, “My mission is to congratulate you, sir, and I bring greetings from President Biden, and you’ll be hearing from him directly.

"But I did want, on behalf of the United States government, to really, sincerely and warmly congratulate you and tell you how much we look forward to working with you and to deepening the U.S.-Ghana partnership.”

Energy Sector Collaboration

In response, Mr Mahama acknowledged the historical ties between Ghana and the U.S. and the personal rapport he had developed with Ambassador Palmer during her tenure.

He emphasised the critical role of the energy sector in Ghana’s economic recovery and development.

“Knowing the comparative advantage and technology and knowledge that the U.S. has, we want to work closely to see how we can resolve some of the issues in that sector,” he stated.

Mahama pointed to the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) as a significant milestone in bolstering Ghana’s electricity generation capabilities.

“We went on the MCC together, and it’s made Ghana’s electricity generation sector more resilient than it was before the MCC. As I said, it was just the final part that we couldn’t complete together,” he noted.

He expressed optimism about revisiting unfinished MCC projects, adding, “We had the opportunity to discuss with the MCC when we went there to see how we could wrap up that part of our cooperation. That is something we’ll look to start talking about as soon as we come into office after January 7.”

Security in the Subregion

Mahama also underscored the importance of Ghana’s collaboration with the U.S. in addressing security challenges in West Africa.

With instability in the subregion posing significant threats, he praised the U.S.’s long-standing support in enhancing Ghana’s security resilience.

“We know what the issues in our subregion are, and the U.S. has been a long-standing partner in improving our resilience when it comes to security matters. We look to continue that cooperation in that space,” Mahama said.

Advancing Agribusiness

Turning to agriculture, a sector he described as a personal passion, Mahama outlined his vision for leveraging U.S. expertise and technology to boost agribusiness in Ghana.

“One of my passions now is agriculture and agribusiness, and we look to see how we can share technology, share knowledge, and see how we can boost agricultural growth and food self-sufficiency in Ghana,” he stated.

The President-elect emphasized the importance of food security and agricultural modernization, noting that these efforts would be pivotal in reducing Ghana’s reliance on food imports while creating jobs and fostering economic growth.

Strengthening a Historic Partnership

The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to deepening U.S.-Ghana relations. Mahama expressed gratitude for the consistent support from the U.S. and reiterated his readiness to collaborate further.

“I want to thank you for the meeting we had with the SD. It gave us a lot of insights and made us understand the level of cooperation between our two countries,” he said.

Ambassador Palmer echoed similar sentiments, assuring Mahama of the U.S. government’s continued support.