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Mr Robert Porter Jackson was sworn-in on Monday, November 30, 2015, as the new United States (U.S.) Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana at a ceremony in Washington, DC.

A press release from the Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the oath of office was administered by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Ambassador Jackson's nomination on October 22, 2015. He plans to arrive in Ghana and take up his duties in Accra in January 2016.

According to the release, Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith, Ambassador of Ghana to the United States, attended the ceremony, as did Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Donald Teitelbaum.

“As Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana, I intend to build on what I have learned over the last 33 years about building partnerships. My priorities will be to promote strong institutions, good governance, peace, trade, education, and health, unlocking Ghana’s potential for sustained, inclusive, broad-based economic growth and helping it graduate from traditional development assistance.

“Three years from now I trust we will say that the relationship is stronger than ever and that together the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana have each benefited from our friendship, commerce, engagement and exchanges”, remarked Ambassador Jackson at the swearing-in ceremony.

He indicated that he was excited about moving to Ghana, one of the leading democracies on the African continent, with active political parties and civil society organizations, a lively media, a history of peaceful political transitions, an apolitical military, and a good human rights record.

The release further stated that Ambassador Jackson had served as the U.S. Department of State’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs since October 2013. From 2010 to 2013 he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon.

He 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.