Integrated Country Strategy Ghana FOR PUBLIC RELEASE FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Table of Contents 1. Chief of Mission Priorities ................................................................................................................ 2 2. Mission Strategic Framework .......................................................................................................... 5 3. Mission Goals and Objectives .......................................................................................................... 7 4. Management Objectives ................................................................................................................ 17 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE 1. Chief of Mission Priorities Since our last Integrated Country Strategy (ICS), economic growth has rebounded and government has dramatically reduced the fiscal deficit. Ghana remains focused on regional security threats and has redoubled its efforts to keep the country prosperous and secure. The United States and Ghana continue to have excellent relations based on shared commitments to democracy, free market economics, and a willingness to collaborate on a range of regional and global issues. Our four mission goals, outlined below, advance American interests while reflecting Ghana’s stability and our productive partnership. These goals support the Ghanaian government’s vision of eliminating dependency on foreign assistance, including through increasing domestic resource mobilization, trade, and economic growth. In addition, our public diplomacy efforts will continue to promote greater public awareness on the benefits of U.S. partnership and development programs in Ghana, outlining how these directly benefit Ghanaians via people-to-people outreach and traditional and digital media platforms. These goals are closely aligned with the National Security Strategy, Department of State-U.S. Agency for International Development Joint Strategic Plan FY 2018-2022 (hereinafter “Joint Strategic Plan”), the Department of State Africa Bureau’s Joint Regional Strategy, USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy, and recent guidance from Washington on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and anti-corruption.  Improve Strengthen Democracy, Human Rights, and Good Governance  Promote Inclusive Country-led Development  Advance Mutual Peace and Security Interests  Increase Mutually Beneficial Economic Growth, Trade, and Investment These goals prioritize our broad and far-reaching agenda while reflecting the aspirations of the Ghanaian government and people. Before describing each of these goals individually, let me highlight our mission’s management objectives, which are crucial to advancing our goals. The management enabling platform for Mission Accra is at a critical point in its ability to maintain adequate support for the goals put forth in this document. Since 2008, mission staffing has grown by 32 percent. While we continue to pursue efficiencies at all levels, advancing mission goals will require even more growth. The current flat-budget environment and finite resources are challenges to the mission’s continued pursuit of our extensive bilateral engagement and achievement of our long-term development goals. We will increase our use of data and metrics to inform management decisions to maximize the use of existing resources and achieve cost-savings across the management platform. The mission will support the Department’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative by integrating sustainable practices into mission operations wherever possible. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Ghana maintained its reputation as one of the continent’s strongest democracies by conducting its seventh consecutive free and fair election in 2016, resulting in its third peaceful change of government between competing political parties under the constitution adopted in 1992. Despite Ghana’s status as a relative model of democratic governance on the continent, governance systems at both the national and local level are weak and often insufficiently accountable to citizens. That is why we must continue to work alongside our Ghanaian partners to improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions in the country. U.S. government assistance is geared towards strengthening the capacity of decentralized institutions to improve their performance and ensuring citizens are better informed to demand more accountability at all levels of government. Corruption has led Ghana to experience a steady decrease in public trust of government institutions. Although government has many of the legal tools in place to combat corruption, it appears to lack the political will to enforce these laws. As perceptions, reports, and allegations of corruption increase, we will amplify our public and private messages on this topic. We will also encourage the Government of Ghana to increase budgetary support for its National Anti- Corruption Action Plan and prosecute high-level corruption cases whenever they surface. Through these efforts, we aim to encourage the Ghanaian government to improve governance, rule of law, and sustainable development. Ghana has made significant but uneven progress in improving its citizens’ health and education over the past decade. U.S. government assistance will continue to help improve the health and literacy of Ghanaians by promoting opportunity and development by investing in people, and encouraging Ghana to pursue its stated goal of self-reliance and independence from foreign aid. We will advance this goal by expanding access to quality health services; reducing the impact and spread of malaria, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases; and increasing the use of preventative measures delivered through high quality and equitably distributed community-based health care. This includes family planning; maternal and child health care; water, sanitation and hygiene; and improved nutritional practices. Through our health and education programs we will strengthen donor partnerships and the overall health and education systems. We will also build host country capacity through ambitious government-to-government projects. Our efforts will address policy reform leading to increased capacity building, and strengthened health systems and good governance mechanisms at decentralized levels, as these are key to assuring access and quality of care, as well as quality of education. Where appropriate, we will seek to incorporate innovative technologies into our diplomatic and development programs to ensure assistance reaches its intended beneficiaries. It is in the United States’ interest to continue to develop Ghana’s military and civilian security services’ capabilities, as well as to strengthen Ghana’s peacekeeping and rule of law institutions. Ghana not only maintains peace and stability within its borders, but also advances peace in the region’s maritime domain, on the continent, and beyond. The Ghanaian public, donor countries, and investors must also have confidence that the FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Government of Ghana can detect, deter, investigate, and prosecute criminals and terrorists. Our security assistance programs seek to address Ghana’s internal and regional security challenges, training needs, and equipment shortages, while supporting the nation’s efforts to maintain professional and apolitical security services. Ghana needs U.S. assistance that is focused on capacity-building and self-sufficiency. U.S. assistance is needed to maintain and bolster peace and security in Ghana. Our initiatives also provide the Ghanaian criminal justice system with the tools needed to achieve and sustain local capacity to maintain the rule of law, secure the country’s borders, and hold individuals accountable for crimes that affect U.S. and Ghanaian interests. Ghana’s economy is beginning to rebound after slogging through several years of weak performance. Since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government came to power in January 2017, Ghana’s macroeconomic indicators have improved. The government has brought the fiscal deficit under control; inflation is at a four-year low (but still high at 10.6 percent); the nation’s power supply has now stabilized; and foreign exchange reserves are at a record high. Increasing government revenues through broadening the tax base and strengthening tax compliance measures is a top priority for the government in 2018. Ghana has a population of 29 million with only six million potential taxpayers, of which only 1.5 million are actually registered to pay taxes. Ghana seeks to move beyond dependence upon foreign donor partner support, but it must develop a solid domestic revenue base to accomplish this goal. The days of unreliable and inadequate power supplies that plagued the nation from 2014-2016 are now gone. While Ghana has enough installed power generating capacity to meet immediate demand, it needs to look for opportunities to make the cost of electricity more affordable. It can do this through managing its power distribution system more efficiently, making wise decisions on future power generation investments, and exploring the possibilities of renewable energy. Ghana also seeks to become a regional financial services hub; attract increased investment into its growing private sector; expand trade exports beyond the basic commodities of oil, cocoa, and gold; and develop its weak manufacturing sector. There remains a great need to broaden, develop, and sustain economic growth and turn Ghana into a thriving middle income nation that is able to provide for the welfare of its citizens and no longer depend upon outside assistance. American companies are increasingly exporting high quality products and services to Ghana and assisting Ghana with building its infrastructure, while adhering to strong environmental and social standards. Bilateral trade between Ghana and the United States stood at $1.6 billion in 2017, slightly in favor of the United States. It is incumbent upon the U.S. government to continue to play a pivotal role in the expansion of economic growth in Ghana and trade between our two nations, creating jobs for citizens of both both our countries. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE 2. Mission Strategic Framework Mission Goal 1: Improve Governance, Strengthen Democratic Institutions, and Promote Accountability Mission Objective 1.1: Strengthened Responsive, Democratic Governance (CDCS DO 1) Mission Objective 1.2: Strengthened Anti-Corruption and Accountability Efforts through Government and Civil Society Organization (CSO) Engagement Mission Goal 2: Promote Opportunity and Development by Investing in People Mission Objective 2.1: Equitable Improvements in Health Status (CDCS DO 3) Mission Objective 2.2: Improved Learning Outcomes Mission Objective 2.3: Improved Reading Performance in Primary School (CDCS DO 4) Mission Goal 3: Maintain and Bolster Peace and Security Mission Objective 3.1: Increased Capability of Security Forces and Defense Institutions through Training and Assistance Programs Mission Objective 3.2: Increased Capacity to Detect and Prosecute Crime and Terrorism through Training and Assistance Programs Mission Goal 4: Spur Sustained Economic Growth, Trade, and Investment Mission Objective 4.1: Sustainable and Broadly Shared Economic Growth (CDCS DO 2) Mission Objective 4.2: Increase Trade and Investment into and from Ghana while Upholding Tenets of Transparency and Anti- Corruption Management Objective 1: Appropriate and Efficient Management of Infrastructure for Enhanced Operational Effectiveness Management Objective 2: Enhanced Operational Efficiency through Improved Joint Use of Information Technology FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Management Objective 3: Reduced Costs and Improved Mission Operations through Greening and Sustainability Initiatives FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE 3. Mission Goals and Objectives Mission Goal 1 Improve Governance, Strengthen Democratic Institutions, and Promote Accountability Description and Linkages: By strengthening Ghana’s democratic processes, ensuring the rights of members of traditionally marginalized populations are protected, and promoting accountability, mission goal 1 advances: National Security Strategy (NSS) pillar IV’s focus on supporting the dignity of individuals, empowering women and youth, and protecting religious freedom and religious minorities; State-USAID Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) performance goal 1.3.2 to strengthen democratic governance through targeted assistance to improve citizen engagement, strengthen civil society, increase transparency, and protect human rights; JSP performance goal 2.2.2 to achieve parity in participation between women and men in programs designed to increase access to economic resources; JSP performance goal 2.2.3 to increase the number of people reached by U.S. government-funded interventions providing gender-based violence services; and AF/AFR Joint Regional Strategy (JRS) goal 3 on strengthening democracy, human rights, and good governance. By seeking to combat corruption in Ghana and promote government transparency and accountability, mission goal 1 also helps ensure American companies can compete fairly in a transparent business environment, advancing the NSS pillar II’s focus on promoting free, fair, and reciprocal economic relationships. Such anti-corruption efforts also advance JSP performance goal 2.3.2 by providing anti-corruption training and related measures. Mission Objective 1.1 Strengthened Responsive, Democratic Governance Justification: Ghana is a vibrant democracy with active political parties; active civil society organizations, including media; a history of peaceful political transitions; and freedom of speech and association. However, governance systems at both the national and local level are weak and often insufficiently accountable to citizens. Ghana’s constitution favors the executive branch of government and bestows the ruling political party with overwhelming political power, inhibiting broad-based, participatory democracy. Power remains over-centralized and there is an uneven pace of decentralization, a lag in development in the three northern regions compared to the rest of the country, and a “winner takes all” approach to elections. USG assistance is geared towards strengthening the capacity and performance of decentralized institutions and ensuring citizens are better informed and demand more accountability at all levels of government. The United States is well-placed to use its strong relationship with Ghana, our shared goals and values, and the demonstrated desire of the government and FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE people of Ghana for meaningful change to promote good governance. Ghana’s human rights record is generally good, which contributes to the country’s widely held image as a model of democracy on the African continent. However, government institutions and civil society groups could do more to protect the rights of marginalized groups. From 2015- 2017 Ghana was placed on Tier 2 Watch List in the TIP Report for failing to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and not demonstrating increasing yearly efforts to combat trafficking. The government made noteworthy improvements in its anti- trafficking efforts in 2017, including an increase in the number of traffickers prosecuted and the resources allocated to combat trafficking, resulting in an upgrade to Tier 2 in the 2018 report. Ongoing attention to this issue, however, will likely be required to sustain and expand these improvements. USG assistance is geared towards strengthening the capacity of civil society groups and government institutions to combat TIP and child labor, improve prison conditions and legal aid services, address challenges faced by persons living with HIV/AIDS, and combatting discrimination and violence based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include a decrease in public trust in government institutions and reduced protections for human rights. Mission Objective 1.2 Strengthened Anti-Corruption and Accountability Efforts through Government and Civil Society Organization (CSO) Engagement Justification: Ghana has experienced a steady decrease in public trust in government institutions. Although the government has many of the legal tools in place to combat corruption, it appears to lack the political will to enforce these laws. In 2005, 64 percent of Afrobarometer survey respondents noted that they trusted government “a lot” or “somewhat,” but in 2013 that number had fallen to 42 percent, representing one of the largest decreases in Africa. Based on international indicators, Ghana ranks 81 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index, scoring 40 out of 100, a decrease of seven index points since 2015. In the Control of Corruption index, Ghana scored in the 60th percentile. Fifty-three percent of Ghanaians surveyed believe “all” or “most” government officials are involved in corruption, a number that has increased significantly in the past 15 years according to Afrobarometer. In 2014, Ghana’s parliament approved a 10-year anti-corruption action plan, but implementation of the plan is virtually non-existent because of lack of funding. The Public Procurement Act, the Financial Administration Act, and the Internal Audit Agency Act are designed to promote public sector accountability and to combat corruption, but most observers FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE cannot cite a single successful prosecution under these laws. The 2018 appointment of a Special Prosecutor charged with prosecuting major corruption cases has the potential to increase accountability for the country’s most egregious cases of corruption, but the government must fully fund and staff the Special Prosecutor’s office for it to be effective. USG assistance is geared toward addressing corruption in Ghana by supporting civil society organizations to advocate for anti-corruption efforts, and by strengthening government transparency and accountability. To address these issues, the U.S. Embassy is focused on addressing corruption through prevention, awareness, and prosecution. This directly supports JSP performance goal 2.3.2. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include reduced public trust in government institutions due to the persistence of corruption at all levels of government, and reduced domestic resource mobilization. Mission Goal 2 Promote Opportunity and Development by Investing in People Description and Linkages: Mission goal 2 seeks to promote opportunity and development by improving health and education outcomes in Ghana, thereby advancing NSS objectives focused on combating biothreats and pandemics (pillar I), cultivating the next generation of leaders of a free and prosperous world (pillar III), and encouraging sustainable development through incentivizing reforms (pillar IV). Mission goal 2 also directly advances JSP Strategic Objective 2.2 aimed at encouraging Ghana to drive inclusive and sustainable development, open new markets, and support U.S. prosperity and security objectives by investing in a healthy, educated, and productive populace. Lastly, mission goal 2 also directly advances JRS goal 4 by promoting inclusive country-led development. Mission Objective 2.1 Equitable Improvements in Health Status Justification: This objective aligns with the JRS goal 4: promote inclusive country-led development 4.1: transform African health systems to accelerate reductions in mortality. This objective also aligns with the USAID/Ghana’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy Development Objective (DO) #3 “Equitable Improvements in Health Status” as well as the USG’s Global Health Initiative, including the President’s Malaria Initiative, and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; the Global Health Security Agenda; and the Feed the Future Strategy for Ghana. This objective also aligns with SDG 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere, SDG 2 – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture, and SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 9 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Ghana has made significant but uneven progress in improving health over the past decade. Challenges include continued inequities between wealth quintiles in accessing health services and regional disparities between the south and the more impoverished and vulnerable north. Ghanaians remain vulnerable to diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis, influenza, HIV/AIDS, and potentially Ebola, as well as chronic malnutrition. As a Phase II participant in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), Ghana has already demonstrated considerable advances in formalizing its own ability to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. Interagency efforts through the GHSA will offer additional opportunities to build capacity and help strengthen Ghana’s ability to respond in a health crisis. USG assistance will continue to help improve the health of Ghanaians by expanding access to quality health services; reducing the impact and spread of malaria, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases; strengthening health financing; and increasing the use of preventative measures delivered through high quality and equitably distributed, community- based health care. This includes family planning; maternal and child health care; water, sanitation and hygiene; immunizations; and improved nutritional practices. USG efforts will help make positive changes through empowering individuals and communities to adopt positive health practices and strengthen the capacity of community and district-level health officers to plan and manage health programs. USG health programs will work to strengthen donor partnerships and the overall health system and to build host country capacity through ambitious government-to-government projects. We will encourage the Ghanaian government to invest in its basic health care system and continue to strengthen health security across the intersection of human and animal health to prevent infectious disease outbreaks. Our efforts will address policy reform leading to increased capacity building, strengthened health systems, and good governance mechanisms at decentralized levels. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include poor health outcomes resulting in increased mortality and dampened economic growth. Mission Objective 2.2 Improved Learning Outcomes Justification: This objective aligns with the JRS goal 4.2: support equitable access to education for all learners and training for Africa’s next generation. This objective aligns with USAID/Ghana’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy DO #4 “Improved Reading Performance in Primary School.” This objective also aligns with SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Improved learning outcomes are necessary for human capital development and will lay the foundation for continued economic growth, increased democratic participation, and greater FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 10 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE stability in Ghana. Ghana’s education system has achieved high levels of enrollment, but the quality of that education remains lacking at all levels. Moreover, infrastructure is poor, and qualified teachers are difficult to recruit, especially in rural areas. USG programs strengthen Ghana’s educational institutions, leading to improved learning outcomes through exchange programs targeting administrators, teachers, lecturers, scholars, and students. These programs strengthen teaching capacity and enhance classroom learning. More specifically, USG assistance will implement programs for high school teachers including the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program; leadership programs for administrators through the IVLP and the Fulbright Program; leadership programs for young leaders aged 18-35 through YALI; and cross-cultural exchange programs for high school and vocational school students. Other interventions include the Peace Corps efforts to improve capacity in math, science, and art through demonstrating increased content mastery and/or critical thinking. The Peace Corps places approximately 25 volunteers annually in junior and senior high schools and schools for the deaf where they teach math, science, art, and vocational skills. The education sector is one-third of the Ghana Peace Corps program. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include diminished educational outcomes leading to lower productivity and economic growth. Mission Objective 2.3 Improved Reading Performance in Primary School Justification: This objective aligns with the JRS goal 4.2: support equitable access to education for all learners and training for Africa’s next generation. This objective also supports the USAID country level goal of improved reading skills for 2.8 million children in primary grades by 2019 and aligns with SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Access to education is a human right and crucial for improving economic growth, reducing poverty, and increasing citizen participation. Broad based sustainable national development requires a sufficiently educated citizenry; learning how to read is the first step in this development trajectory and serves as the backbone of national basic education curriculum. Furthermore, reading needs to be effectively and efficiently delivered to the general population to create the opportunity for further and more sophisticated individual and national development. Quite simply, children who do not learn to read in the early grades struggle throughout schooling and have difficulty learning in later life. Research clearly demonstrates that early grade reading achievement has a direct correlation to economic growth; a ten percent increase in the number of children achieving basic literacy translates into a 0.3 percentage point increase in the annual growth rate for that country (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2009). FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 11 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE The Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service continue to address key priorities to improve the delivery of basic education services. USG support is targeted to help Ghana meet its Education Strategic Plan (2010-2020) objectives. USAID provides evidence-based solutions to improve reading and math achievement, enhance the sector’s policy formulation and management systems, and improve school governance, accountability, and oversight. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include diminished educational outcomes leading to lower productivity and economic growth. Mission Goal 3 Maintain and Bolster Peace and Security Description and Linkages: Mission goal 3 aims to counter threats to peace and security, both within Ghana and throughout the region by supporting Ghanaian government efforts to combat terrorism, transnational criminal organizations, and cybercrime while improving public security and the rule of law. Mission goal 3 advances the aims of NSS pillar I focused on protecting the American people, the homeland, and the American way of life, JSP goal 1 of protecting America’s security at home and abroad, and JRS goal 1 of advancing mutual peace and security interests. Mission Objective 3.1 Increased Capability of Security Forces and Defense Institutions through Training and Assistance Programs Justification: It is in the United States’ interest to continue to develop Ghana’s military and civilian security service capabilities as well as to strengthen Ghana’s institutions responsible for maintaining peace and upholding the rule of law. This support bolsters Ghanaian security agencies’ capacity to respond to threats from terrorist groups, cybercriminals, and transnational criminal organizations present in the region. Ghana’s enhanced ability to bolster public security contributes to economic and political stability in a key regional U.S. partner. Ghana’s relatively small military forces are apolitical and contribute to the country’s internal stability and democratic credentials. Ghana not only maintains peace and stability within its borders, but it also advances peace on the continent and beyond. Ghana currently ranks ninth globally among contributors to UN peacekeeping operations (PKO). Its peacekeeping forces are well-respected worldwide. Strengthening Ghana’s ability to rapidly self-deploy and sustain capabilities that help stabilize countries across the continent—and worldwide—is a primary objective of our security assistance activities. As piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has increased, maritime domain awareness and security is a top security concern, particularly now that Ghana has oil resources—along with its lucrative marine FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 12 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE and fisheries resources—to safeguard. USG assistance supports Ghana to become a regional leader in maritime security. Our security assistance programs also seek to address Ghana’s internal and regional security challenges, training needs, and equipment shortages, while supporting the nation’s efforts to maintain professional and apolitical security services. Our programs enhance Ghana’s ability to prevent and respond to destabilizing influences, such as terrorism and violent extremist organizations (VEOs), that may exploit cultural and ethnic ties and weaken government controls to obtain a foothold in Ghanaian society. Established criminal smuggling routes render Ghana’s ports vulnerable to illicit international organized criminals and other illicit activities and invite a culture of corruption from which terrorists and VEOs benefit. USG security assistance both mitigates Ghana’s security challenges and safeguards the United States from potential attacks against its citizens and interests both at home and abroad. The U.S. government is strengthening its programs to reduce corruption in civilian security services by enhancing Ghana’s internal investigation capability. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include Ghana’s being unable to effectively prevent and prosecute crimes affecting the safety of U.S. citizens and U.S. national security interests. Mission Objective 3.2 Increased Capacity to Detect and Prosecute Crime and Terrorism through Training and Assistance Programs Justification: This objective aligns with the NSS and JSP Goals 1 and 2. Ghana’s high crime rate, inability to effectively investigate and prosecute crime, and low public confidence in its rule of law institutions and police services have negative effects on the country’s security and prosperity. Corruption remains a serious issue, with a culture of impunity permeating all government institutions. Perception of economic crimes—including organized crime in cases involving wildlife trafficking, environmental crimes, timber trafficking, and fisheries crimes—is that these are secondary issues, despite the demonstrated potential for enormous damage and astronomical financial losses. The Ghanaian public, donor countries, and investors must have confidence that the Government of Ghana can detect, deter, investigate, and prosecute criminals, illicit international traffickers, and terrorists. Ghana needs assistance that is focused on capacity-building and self-sufficiency. U.S. initiatives are designed to assist the Ghanaian criminal justice system with the tools needed to achieve and sustain local capacity to maintain the rule of law, secure the country’s borders, and hold individuals accountable for crimes that affect U.S. and Ghanaian interests. In addition, U.S. government assistance contributes to the successful prosecutions of transnational crime directly affecting the United States. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 13 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include Ghana’s being unable to effectively prevent and prosecute crimes affecting the safety of U.S. citizens and U.S. national security interests. Mission Goal 4 Spur Sustained Economic Growth, Trade, and Investment Description and Linkages: Mission goal 4 seeks to improve Ghana’s economic growth, trade, and investment for the mutual benefit of the Ghanaian and American citizens. This goal aligns with NSS pillar II on promoting American prosperity by identifying opportunities for U.S. investment, promoting fair and balanced bilateral trade, and enabling American investors by combatting corruption in the market. Mission goal 4 also advances JSP strategic objectives 2.1 and 2.3 which focus on promoting American prosperity, U.S. job creation, and U.S. economic security, and JRS goal 2 on increasing mutually beneficial economic growth, trade, and investment. Mission Objective 4.1 Sustainable and Broadly Shared Economic Growth Justification: This objective aligns with the economic focus of JSP goal 2, JRS goal 2, and the NSS. The objective also operationalizes a number of U.S. Presidential Initiatives, including Feed the Future, Power Africa, Trade Africa, the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, and the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. In addition, this objective supports the Government of Ghana’s priorities as established in the Shared Growth and Development Agenda, Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, and the Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan. Ghana’s economy is turning around after several years of decline, but remains in need of broad and sustained growth across the economy. Areas for growth include the country’s offshore oil and gas sector and the stalling agricultural industry (the largest employer in the economy). Key challenges include:  Weaknesses in key agricultural value-chains that limit competitiveness;  Declining biodiversity and productivity of marine and coastal ecosystems;  Widespread deforestation;  Weaknesses in the business climate that undermine private sector growth and development;  High costs associated with electric power supplies and inefficient management of the power distribution system;  Lack of a solid revenue base to support economic development;  Weak manufacturing sector; FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 14 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE  Heavy reliance upon commodity exports;  Inefficient management of the banking sector;  High borrowing costs hindering private sector competitiveness;  Significant disparities in income and economic vulnerabilities along regional lines within Ghana; and,  Constraints in regional trade within West Africa and more broadly internationally. In addition, sustainable management of vital natural resources—such as fisheries, which have an outsized impact on the food security-nutrition nexus—require both capacity and political will to ensure good governance in this sector. Problems of economic governance and accountability continue to inhibit the effective provision of public services to support vulnerable populations and private sector competitiveness. As host to a Regional Environmental Officer, Embassy Accra has a prominent role in advancing regional environmental-science-technology-health objectives. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include reduced Ghanaian economic growth, resulting in fewer opportunities for U.S. investment and trade. Mission Objective 4.2 Increase Trade and Investment into and from Ghana while Upholding Tenets of Transparency and Anti- Corruption Justification: Bilateral trade between Ghana and the United States stood at $1.6 billion in 2017, slightly in favor of the United States. American companies are increasingly exporting high quality products and services to Ghana and assisting Ghana with building its infrastructure, while adhering to strong environmental and social standards. Ghana’s economy is highly dependent on the export of primary commodities, such as gold, cocoa, and oil, and the nation’s manufacturing sector is practically non-existent. Challenges with expensive power supply, attracting needed outside investment, and maintaining a strong fight against corruption and vested interest groups are barriers. It is incumbent upon the U.S. government to continue to play a pivotal role in the expansion of trade between our two nations. This will create quality jobs for citizens of both countries and ensure inclusive economic growth through positive labor practices. Ghana continues to take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), but continued assistance to increase domestic capacity and market competitiveness is needed to help Ghanaian businesses take full advantage of the legislation. USAID’s West Africa Trade Hub will continue to play a key role in supporting Ghana’s efforts to expand the total value of exports and increase regional trade in livestock, poultry, and major staple foods to improve food security. This objective is also supported by the Feed the Future Presidential initiative and FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 15 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition that promotes policies for responsible investment in Ghana’s agricultural sector. Risks to not achieving this mission objective include reduced Ghanaian economic growth, resulting in fewer opportunities for U.S. investment and trade. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 16 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE 4. Management Objectives Management Objective 1 Appropriate and Efficient Management of Infrastructure for Enhanced Operational Effectiveness Justification: The longstanding excellent relations between the U.S. and Ghana, as well as Ghana’s good infrastructure relative to the rest of the region, has made Mission Accra a preferred platform for robust bilateral and regional USG programs. Since 2008, mission staffing has grown by 32 percent. While we continue to pursue efficiencies at all levels, we anticipate advancing mission goals will require even more growth. In the 2020 Mission Resource Request, post requested an additional four US direct hire (USDH) and one locally engaged (LE) staff DOS positions. This growth will place even more pressure on existing mission infrastructure. By 2022, post’s NEC will be fifteen years old. Environmental factors in Ghana severely affect Mission infrastructure and shorten the useful life of major systems. Through increased staff training and improved systems monitoring we will maintain maximum productivity of existing systems, while coordinating with OBO to ensure timely replacement of obsolete systems. Post management continues to review available space on the mission compound to achieve maximum use. For long-term planning, we will seek Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) approval and funding for new office space on the compound. For those mission components that require non-collocated space for operational reasons, we will continue to pursue the appropriate waivers to Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act requirements. Post will monitor future staffing expansion, working collaboratively across agencies to review requests for new USDH, personal service contract, and LE staff positions to ensure that appropriate space and support resources are in place taking into account individual agency mandates and authorities. Risks associated with not achieving this mission objective include the mission’s inability to accommodate increasing U.S. government activities and personnel in Ghana. Management Objective 2 Reduced Costs and Improved Mission Operations through Greening and Sustainability Initiatives Justification: The current flat-budget environment and finite resources are challenges to the mission’s continued pursuit of its extensive bilateral engagement and achievement of our long- term development goals. We will undertake a series of measures to maximize the use of existing resources and achieve cost-savings across the management platform. We are FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 17 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE increasing our use of fleet analytics to schedule vehicle usage most efficiently and reduce our fleet size. We will reduce the use of electrical and generator power in our residences by installing solar water heaters and other energy efficient alternatives where possible. We will use the OBO MeterNet system to improve our monitoring of utility usage and target areas where we can achieve savings. We will, where possible, consolidate contracts for goods and services used by all agencies at post to negotiate favorable rates and achieve economies of scale. The mission will support the Department’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative by integrating sustainable practices into mission operations wherever possible. Management will partner with other mission offices and the local business community to identify local businesses that can receive and make use of mission recyclables. We will leverage the analytics capability of the Integrated Logistics Management System (ILMS) to reduce waste and strengthen management controls in procurement and property management. We will increase usage of environment-friendly materials. Investing in our human resources remains a top priority for the mission. LE staff salary increases in the last three fiscal years have slowed the flight of experienced employees and strengthened our ability to recruit new employees, but in order to maintain competitiveness in the local labor market we anticipate that annual LE staff salary increases will be necessary for the foreseeable future to keep pace with the rising cost of labor driven by inflation and the erosion of the value of the local currency. Post makes maximum use of cost neutral or budgeted initiatives that have a positive impact on LE staff morale, like responding to their highest priorities for improving working conditions, (non-cash) awards, and local and regional training. Failing to achieve this goal risks increased waste, fraud, and mismanagement. FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Approved: August 2, 2018 18