The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Virginia Palmer, on Thursday sworn-in 20 new Peace Corps Volunteers to support agriculture and quality health delivery in Ghana.
She was joined by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Charles Acheampong, and traditional leaders to swear-in the volunteers, after the new cohorts were taken through eleven weeks of language training.
Welcoming them, the U.S Ambassdor urged the volunteers to share their knowledge to drive innovations that take “the American- Ghanaian partnership further.”
“As you give your all in two years of service, you too will enjoy all that Ghana has to offer: its warm people, its brilliance, and its unwavering spirit.”
Mrs Palmer told the volunteers that they represent the answer the Ghanaian communities’ request.
“Among you are experienced agriculturists and health professionals who embody diversity of thought and practice that the world needs. We expect you to contribute to your community’s needs through the farmland and each clinic,” Virginia added.
Mrs Palmer further said the United States and Ghana have cultivated and maintained a strong partnership, and that the Peace Corp Volunteers was “a significant marker of our deep and resilient partnership, as Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dr Kwame Nkrumah welcomed the world’s very first volunteers in Ghana.”
She also said the impact of the Peace Corps Volunteers cannot be underestimated and recalled former President, John Dramani Mahama’s, testimony on a volunteer who taught science in his school and inspired his peers to pursue careers as doctors and engineers.
The Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Charles Acheampong, in a speech for Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, said the relationship between the two countries was built on mutual respect and shared goals.
He said the volunteer project fosters development and understanding of the cultures of Ghana and the U.S.
Mr Acheampong said he was optimistic that the volunteers would support the cause of enhancing quality delivery of health services and improve agriculture in the communities.
The Country Director of Volunteers Peace Corps, Tamura Daniel, expressed her profound gratitude to the volunteers for leaving their comfort zones to serve in Ghana.
She urged them to be good ambassadors of the U.S through the services they provide in their communities’.
The swearing-in of the 20 new volunteers brings the total number of Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana to 55, as 35 volunteers are currently serving in six regions across the country (Bono East, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Oti, and the Volta Region).
Peace Corps stands as a distinguished U.S Federal Agency dedicated to fostering international peace, friendship, and sustainable development.
Since August 1961, more than 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers had served in Ghana with the ultimate goal to make meaningful impact on a global scale.
BY MALIK SULLEMMANA
