New US Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson presents credentials

The new U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson, has presented his credentials to President John Mahama and officially taken up duties as ambassador. 

Speaking from the ceremony at Flagstaff House on Wednesday, Ambassador Jackson thanked President Mahama for the warm welcome to Ghana and highlighted the U.S./Ghanaian partnership in four key areas—democracy, prosperity, security and health. 

Ambassador Jackson expressed the U.S. commitment to deepening that partnership further.

 “In looking at prosperity and economic growth, it’s clear that addressing the energy issues through Power Africa and the Millennium Challenge Compact will take us a long way. In addition, I believe that our investments in agriculture and our partnership in education will also ensure that we can build opportunities for Ghanaian youth.” 

Speaking further, Ambassador Jackson underscored the U.S. collaboration with Ghana on armed forces training and on programs to address HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, food security, terrorism, and trafficking. 

Ambassador Jackson also noted the November elections in both Ghana and the United States. 

“This is a unique year for our democracies. In November, your country will vote. Twenty-four hours later, my country will go to the polls. And in both cases, I’m confident that we will continue the tradition of peaceful, credible elections,” he said. 

“I feel that it’s worth restating that the United States’ interest is only in the credibility of the election. It’s up to the people of Ghana to decide their future. We look forward to working with the Electoral Commission and civil society to assist in supporting those elections.” 

In closing, the ambassador recalled President Obama’s themes from his 2008 visit. 

“We believe, as the president of the United States said, that our successes are mutually tied and our partnership is indispensable.” 

Ambassador Jackson served as the U.S. Department of State’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs from 2013 to 2015. From 2010 to 2013 he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon. 

Ambassador Jackson’s previous overseas assignments include: 

Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Rabat, Morocco
Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Dakar, Senegal
Political/Economic Counselor, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Political-Military Officer, Lisbon, Portugal
Chief of the Political Section, Harare, Zimbabwe
Political/Economic Officer in Bujumbura, Burundi
Consular/Economic Officer in Montreal, Canada
 
He has also served in Washington, D.C., as the Director of the Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy; as the Country Officer for Zimbabwe, Botswana and Nigeria; and as the Coordinator of the Entry-Level Officer Training Program and Deputy Director of the Orientation Division at the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute.
 
Ambassador Jackson is joined in Ghana by his wife, Babs. Prior to joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1982, Ambassador Jackson taught French and English as a foreign language at the Institute Montana in Zugerberg, Switzerland. 

He had previously taught English and American Civilization at the University of Clermont in Clermont-Ferrand, France. 

Ambassador Jackson earned his M.S. in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University, his M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and his B.A. in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. 

Ambassador Jackson speaks French and Portuguese.

GBC