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Accra – On a three day visit to Ghana last week, Helen Clark met with President John Evans Atta Mills, ministers, senior officials, and women leaders.  Helen Clark highlighted Ghana’s progress towards the MDGs, and discussed the prospects for Ghana’s continued growth and development and the nation’s expected graduation to middle-income country status.

“Ghana has a good story to tell about how investing in agriculture drove down poverty levels, and about its successful democratic transition, the establishment of institutions, and many legal reforms,” Helen Clark said.

By 2006, Ghana had become the first African country to have almost halved the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. MDG achievement was also supported by a school meals programme covering more than half a million pupils, and a national youth employment programme.

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa’s Annual Cluster Meeting

During Helen Clark’s time in Accra, she also attended UNDP’s annual meeting for UN Resident Co-ordinators and Resident Representatives based in 45 African countries. 

Speaking at the official opening of the meeting which was opened by Ghana’s Vice President John Mahama, Helen Clark said that Africa’s economic prospects are encouraging, citing the IMF’s recent economic outlook which projects that Sub-Saharan Africa will be the second-fastest growing region in the world this year and next.  

She said that Africa is “an important contributor to the global economy. Africa is not part of the problem.  Africa is part of the solution.”

She noted that economic growth can accelerate MDG progress, if, as in Ghana’s case, it is broadly based and inclusive.