On behalf of the American people, I send best wishes to the people of Ghana as they celebrate 56 years of independence on March 6 and congratulate Ghana on completing its sixth presidential and parliamentary elections. I hope that all Ghanaians will enjoy the benefits of peace and prosperity in the coming year.

The United States and Ghana share many binding ties: our respect for human rights and the rule of law, our commitment to democracy and development, and our belief in prosperity, all of which were born out of our respective struggles for liberty.

We look forward to building further on our strong friendship to achieve our common goals.