2016 was truly a landmark year for Ghana. We spent much of the year working with our partners to ensure the December general election was free, fair, and peaceful. We partnered with the Electoral Commission of Ghana to improve its communication with voters and overall effectiveness. We collaborated with civil society to ensure the elections were inclusive—and to support a robust election observation program. And we worked with religious leaders, traditional leaders, and communities to promote peaceful conflict resolution. I was privileged to witness the election and ensuing peaceful transition of power between political parties last December. This cemented Ghana’s status as a rolemodel of peaceful democracy.

In 2016, I was proud to see our partnerships make a real impact on communities. We helped more than 69,000 farmers raise their incomes by more than 50 percent. We facilitated more than $115 million in private sector investment in Ghana’s agriculture sector, and helped bring 192 megawatts of electricity generation projects to financial close. Over 10,000 people have gained access to improved sanitation—more than a five-fold increase from fiscal year 2015. And together with the Ministry of Education, we ramped up our efforts to get all Ghanaian children reading—so every child has a fair chance to thrive.