[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E335-E336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      VISIT OF PRESIDENT OF GHANA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 19, 2018

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to salute His Excellency Nana 
Akufo-Addo and the people of Ghana on the occasion of President Akufo-
Addo's visit to the United States.
  Ghana tops many lists of Africa's most peaceful and stable 
democracies, boasting an uninterrupted series of free and fair 
elections since 1992 that have seen power change hands between the two 
major parties three times. Freedom House ranks Ghana first on the 
continent for political and civil liberties. It was the first country 
in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve the United Nations Millennium 
Development Goal of halving the number of its people in extreme 
poverty, achieving this milestone well ahead of the 2015 target. The 
World Bank places Ghana first in its West African sub-region for ease 
of doing business.
  Since his election, economic growth has surged from 3.6 percent to 
7.9 percent. The World Bank projects an additional increase of 8.3 
percent in 2018, making Ghana one of the world's fastest-growing 
economies. At the same time, Ghana's budget deficit as a proportion of 
GDP has been slashed from 9.3 percent to 5.6 percent even as the 
government has cut taxes. That would become an international cultural 
landmark. The school appeared in many movies and television shows until 
1971, when portions sustained damage in the Sylmar earthquake, and then 
were ravaged by fire while awaiting assessment and repair.
  Underpinned by a rich endowment of oil, gold and cocoa, Ghana's $43 
billion economy

[[Page E336]]

is becoming increasingly diversified. Expansion outside the commodity 
sector and renewed confidence in the government's ability to manage its 
finances are seen by analysts as key drivers of the country's current 
performance and growing attractiveness as a destination for the U.S. 
and other investors.
  During President Akufo-Addo's American visit, he will receive an 
Exemplary Leadership award from: The Africa Society of the National 
Summit on Africa; AllAfrica Foundation; The Constituency for Africa; 
The Corporate Council on Africa; Invest Africa USA; The U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce/U.S.-Africa Business Center; Africare; and The Whitaker Group. 
I stand with them to honor his work as Ghana continues to be a beacon 
of hope, a model for democracy and a leader on the African continent.

                          ____________________