AmCham Ghana held a meeting with Nolle Design at the secretariat.
The meeting aimed to provide the Nolle design with a comprehensive understanding of the Chamber’s operations and to brief the Chamber on Nolle Design’s interior and architectural solutions across the United States and in Ghana.
Last Thursday, September 5th, AmCham Ghana hosted a reception honoring CS Ghana Commercial Counselor Rachel Kreissl, Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher, and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. Django Brothers, United Airlines, Voltic, Coca-Cola, and Tampico proudly supported the event. This engagement is designed to foster a valuable opportunity for members to network with industry professionals and create new business relationships.
[unitegallery CommercialCounselor1]
On February 12, 2019, the President and Board Members of the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana met with the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan.
The meeting was to officially introduce the AmCham Ghana Board to the Ambassador and also interact for the first time since she presented her credentials to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on January 23, 2019.
They had further discussions on how the Chamber and the Embassy can collaborate to strengthen U.S Ghana relations in the areas of commerce and tourism. According to the Ambassador, much as she is interested in seeing more U.S business coming into Ghana, she also wants to see more Americans visiting Ghana for leisure.
The Ambassador also stated she plans to work with AmCham in selling Ghana’s potentials to drive commerce and tourism for mutual benefits.
Ambassador Sullivan served as Chief of Operations for the Africa Region of Peace Corps from 1994 to 96, as well as a role as Political Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. Most recently, she was the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, after having been Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central African Affairs and Security Affairs since January 2017.
Ms. Sullivan served as the Political Chief in Accra, Ghana (1997-2001) and as management, consular, and political officer in Douala and Yaoundé, Cameroon (1986-1988). Other Washington assignments include desk officer for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in the Bureau of African Affairs (1991-93) as well as post management and human resources positions supporting colleagues in Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere.
[unitegallery 19meet1]
Following the recent U.S-Ghana Business Forum in Accra, the U.S.-Africa Business Center and AmCham-Ghana are organizing, incollaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), an Executive Business Roundtable on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September this year. The U.S.-Ghana Executive Business Roundtable will be chaired by H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and will serve as a platform to improve the commercial ties between the U.S. and Ghana.
The U.S. and Ghana enjoy a long history of cooperation. With over $1.2 billion in trade volume, the U.S is one of Ghana’s largest trading partners. The U.S.-Ghana Executive Business Roundtable will provide another opportunity for both countries to collaborate on a wide range of sectors, including energy, transport, agriculture, digital economy, industry and finance. The Executive Business Roundtable will gather captains of U.S. industries, with interest in Ghana, to foster partnerships geared towards expanding business activities, trade and investment between both countries. As H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo work towards his Ghana Beyond Aid agenda through initiatives like One Distict, One Factory, opportunities abound for U.S and Ghanaian companies to work together towards achieving the President’s vision for Ghana. Through this roundtable, business leaders from both countries will explore a number of avenues to best contribute to Ghana’s path towards development and prosperity for its people.
The Roundtable will culminate into the signing of an MOU between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, which will be witnessed by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with government officials to discuss issues of common interest and explore new business opportunities. To sustain this effort and improve the commercial relationship between the two countries, the U.S.-Africa Business Center and its partners in Ghana will develop a program of activities, including a Business Forum to be organized every year, alternating venues between Ghana and the United States.
U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson through his tenure has contributed immensely to the development of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana. It is for this reason the Chamber organized a farewell luncheon to acknowledge his contributions.
The event which was hosted at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra was attended by Members of the Chamber.
In his remarks, Ambassador Jackson said, “I always welcome the opportunity to engage with the American business community, but it is sad that it’s already time to start thinking about saying goodbye to Ghana. While travel, scheduling conflicts, and the imminent departure of many of my team led us to convene this “farewell” event in March, just know that “I am not leaving yet!”
Ambassador Jackson has been in Ghana since 2015 and throughout this period, he has supported AmCham in various capacities through engagement, advocacy and hosting Annual General Meetings at his residence.
The Ambassador took turn in his remarks to state some achievements of his tenure. “Someone asked me the other day what I considered to be my major achievements since becoming ambassador. In looking over my tenure to date, I am especially proud of three major accomplishments: Improving literacy and healthcare; supporting democracy; and increasing trade.”
On trade, he said “I am proud of what we have done to increase our bilateral trade from $1.2 billion in 2015 to $1.6 billion in 2017. As a strong advocate for American businesses, I really enjoy seeing you succeed. I like to see us sell more American products, goods, and services here in Ghana. I like knowing that we are working to create and sustain jobs for our American citizens back home. U.S. exports to Ghana increased last year to $885.7 million, reversing a two-year decline and maintaining our positive trade balance.”
Click to read Ambassador’s full remarks.
As a gesture of appreciation, the Chamber presented the Ambassador and his wife with Certificate of Appreciation and some other gift items. President of the Chamber, Mr. Joe Mensah who presented the items reiterated the immense support the Chamber and its Members have received from the Ambassador through the years.
The team from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana – Tyrena Holley, Jimmy Mauldin and Joseph Snapp were also acknowledged for their immense support and contribution.
AmCham Members who have paid their dues were also presented with their Membership Certificate at the event.
[unitegallery ambfarewell1]