On August 30, 2017, Ambassador Robert P. Jackson congratulated 120 young West African leaders at the closing ceremony of Cohort 7 of the YALI Regional Leadership Center (RLC) hosted by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra. The participants were selected from Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Togo. The ceremony marked the completion of a five-week RLC leadership training program sponsored by the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The closing ceremony served as an occasion to thank all the partners who support the YALI program and to celebrate the young African leader participants, some of whom were recognized with individual leadership awards presented by the Ambassador; USAID Mission Director for West Africa Alex Deprez; GIMPA Rector Professor P. Ebow Bondzi-Simpson; and YALI West Africa RLC Director Dr. Shola Safo-Duodu.
In his remarks, the Ambassador highlighted the priority placed by the United States on supporting and encouraging the efforts of the YALI West Africa Regional Leadership Center. He also lauded the graduates for their commitment to promoting development in their nations and on the African continent. “See yourselves as key contributors to your country, Africa, and the world. We all share one planet and one home. If Ghana and Africa prosper, then the United States and the world also prosper. Peace and prosperity are shared goals. You are the builders of a new Africa, a continent where innovation and youth leadership in all sectors are needed to promote vibrant democracies and private sectors reflecting that Africa is indeed open for business.”
Read the Ambassador’s remarks here.
