Remarks Of Ambassador Fritz K. Poku ....

...At The Outreach Reception For Ghanaians On Ghana’s Millennium Challenge Compact

Your Excellency the President
Hon. Ministers
Hon. Members of Parliament
My Distinguished Countrymen and Good Friends of Ghana

I wish first of all to invite all of you to join me in welcoming H.E. the President and his entourage to Washington. Let us give them once again a round of applause. In so doing, I wish to express my thanks and gratitude to all of you for responding positively to my invitation in your numbers to this reception. My special appreciation goes to all our countrymen who have travelled from other states in order to be part of this evening’s function. Your presence here is an indication of the high regard and esteem in which you hold H.E. the President. It is also a demonstration of your desire to be associated with the leadership of Ghana and the future development of our country. As you may well know, yesterday, the 1st August was a red-letter day for all Ghanaians, especially those in the United States of America. On that day, Ghana signed a landmark compact with the United States of America through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). This Compact will make available to Ghana over $500 million to enable us to implement our Development Proposals, mutually agreed between Ghana and the MCC. Ghana’s porgramme, on which you will presently hear much more in detail from Dr. Nduom, the Minister of Public Sector Reform, is aimed at driving the economic growth of our country for the benefit of some of the poorest farmers and farming communities in Ghana.

The Programme, which focuses on rural agriculture, transportation and community development initiatives, is expected to benefit more than one million Ghanaians. Never since the birth of our nation has Ghana received bilateral assistance of such a kind and magnitude. We must all be proud of this milestone. Again, Ghana might have been the 9th of the 20 or so eligible countries to sign the Millennium Challenge Compact. But this did not prevent her from scoring a first, by receiving the largest MCC financial portfolio to date. This feat, however, I must say, could not have been achieved without the personal commitment and involvement of H.E. the President in the Compact process. His able leadership, wisdom and vision were all in full play. In this regard it bears recalling that it was through H.E. the President’s commitment to a democratic system of government, anchored on a Constitution and the “Rule of Law,” as well as the promotion of economic freedom and empowerment of our people that, in the first place, enabled Ghana to achieve eligibility for the Millennium Challenge Account. This naturally puts Ghana into the category of countries that rule justly, invest in their people and encourage economic freedom. Your Excellency the President, Ladies & Gentlemen, the journey to reach the Compact has been a long one. The process was rigorous, intensive, and focused on lasting development outcomes. It involved a consultative process that engaged all sectors of the population, irrespective of the political leanings or persuasion of individuals or political parties. In this respect, let me recognize the presence of the Majority Leader,

Honourable Felix Owusu Agyapong and the Minority Whip, Hon. E.T. Mensah, as well as other Members of the Legislature, which is well respresented in H.E. the President’s delegation. In effect the Compact process has given further justification and validity to H.E. the President’s policy of creating a participatory and an all-inclusive political dispensation in Ghana, in which the supreme welfare of each citizen will be guaranteed by the common weal. From our experience, the Millennium Challenge Account has proved to be an entirely new approach of providing Development Aid. It is not surprising therefore that in the process of clinching the Compact, we, as a country, have learnt a number of lessons which will impact positively on the future development of Ghana. Apart from the transformative character of the programme, the process has enabled Ghana to internalize some lessons which include the following : • A country’s leadership and commitment and dedication are essential pre-requisites for success in any compact process. • The design of programmes and projects should be guided by technical feasibility, sustainability and their far reaching impact on the people. • The Compact process has rekindled our desire to engage in widespread reforms in both public and private sectors of our economy. • The tendency to engage in turf fighting in the exercise of our responsibilities is to be eschewed while we devote our energies to develop our multi-tasking capabilities in order to achieve common goals. All these lessons have well been imbibed by the MCA-Ghana Team and will no doubt impact the initiation and direction of similar programmes in the future. At this juncture, Your Excellency the President, my fellow countrymen and friends, permit me to stress that the transformation that the Compact seeks to achieve cannot be attained without the support and participation of all Ghanaians, irrespective of their geographical location. It would among others, entail creative and innovative ideas of leveraging these funds, so released under the Compact, for additional resources in order to maximize the benefits of the Compact. I therefore wish to appeal to you, as Ghanaian professionals, investors, experts in various fields of activity and endeavour to join this monumental effort and enterprise. After you have listened to Dr. Nduom’s presentation, as well as the remarks of H.E. the President, I am confident that you will consider and explore how you can bring your own ideas and interventions to bear on the implementation of the Compact. Ghanaians in the diaspora have already proved their mettle by their high sense of patriotism and public spiritedness, evidenced by the remittances that they send to Ghana and the various investments that they are making back home. The government of President Kufuor has acknowledged your contributions in diverse ways. The last of these acknowledgements and recognition has come in the form of an Act of Parliament which will enable Ghanaians in the diaspora to participate in future Presidential and General elections.

It is therefore appropriate and fitting that while we, as a united people share in the success of signing the Millennium Challenge Compact, we also, in unison, commit ourselves to its successful implementation. By your contributions and efforts, you will not only have helped H.E. the President in instituting a lasting legacy to future generations of Ghanaian leaders and people, but you will also have invested in a historic transformation of our country. This, I believe, is our common charge and our common challenge. I thank you for your attention.