When Ghana gained its independence from Great Britain on March 6, 1957, Vice President Richard Nixon led the U.S. delegation and Martin Luther King, Jr. was among the luminaries present. Fifty years later, despite political setbacks throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ghana’s ties to the United States are strong, and it has assumed a leadership role in Africa as a flourishing democracy. Ghana is now on the United Nations Security Council, and its President, John A. Kufuor, is chairman of the African Union.

Ghana has also made great strides economically, and poverty has fallen to 28 percent in 2006 from 40 percent in 1998–1999. Ghana exported $3.9 billion of goods in 2006, including significant quantities of cocoa and gold.

The U.S.-Ghana relationship mirrors Ghana’s growth and dynamism. The newly inaugurated U.S. embassy compound in Accra houses the USAID and USAID-West Africa missions, and the embassy has a resident adviser to help disburse Ghana’s $547 million Millennium Challenge Compact, one of the program’s largest. Ghana hosted the world’s first deployment of Peace Corps volunteers in 1961 and today has 144 volunteers.

Celebrating 50 Years

Ghana’s 2007 Jubilee celebration was filled with many special moments. The embassy sponsored celebrations under the theme "Ghana-U.S.@50: Looking Back, Moving Forward." The celebrations started with a visit from former President Jimmy Carter, who toured the country and was the guest of honor at a reception held by Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater.

Celebrations continued on a particularly American note with the arrival of a Major League Baseball delegation to promote the game among Ghanaian youth. Led by New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, the delegation included Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, Dusty Baker and Reggie Smith.

The group conducted baseball clinics and media outreach, and presented thousands of dollars in equipment to Ghanaian children. The centerpiece for Ghana’s festivities came on March 6 when Ghana celebrated Republic Day and 50 years of freedom.

Fifty-two heads of state attended the colorful festivities and Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson led a presidential delegation that included Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer. The United States Congressional Black Caucus’ chair, Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick, also led a delegation to the events, which included a military parade through historic Independence Square and other celebrations. Members of the Caucus also received an embassy briefing.

New Compound

In May, the embassy opened a $112 million new embassy compound that will serve as a central location for a mission staff that had been scattered in locations throughout the city. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’ Director, General Charles E. Williams, joined Ambassador Bridgewater and Ghana’s Vice President Ghana Alhaji Aliu Mahama to inaugurate the building.

For its July 4 celebration, the embassy commemorated this very special year in Ghana’s history with a Capitol Fourth picnic and concert. Former Foreign Minister Nana Akuffo Addo represented Ghana’s government, and the evening event at the ambassador’s residence included replicas of such landmarks as the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol Building that were designed and painted by local embassy staff.

There were also individual souvenir picnic baskets brimming with American treats and a color commemorative booklet for each guest. A highlight was the performance of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which came to Ghana for a 10-day tour of the country that showcased their unique brand of Negro spirituals and contemporary classics.

In August, the Morgan State University Choir visited during Ghana’s Diaspora Month, when William and Mary College hosted an Omuhundro Institute-Ghana Historical Society conference on the history of the slave trade. The singing group performed for an overflow audience at the National Theater, where General William "Kip" Ward, a Morgan alumnus and commander of the U.S. military’s African Command, was guest of honor. The MSU choir’s voices and workshops were a hit throughout the country, uniting people through the universal language of music.