US Ambassador: Ghana cannot be like Cote d’ivoire

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum, has ruled out the possibility of Ghana becoming like Cote d’Ivoire and falling into conflict after the 2012 elections.

Concerns have been raised as to whether Ghana will be able to survive the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections looking at the growing tensions on the political terrain in the country with some level of tension in the political terrain in the country fuelled by inflammatory talks by politicians.

But the US Ambassador in an exclusive chat with Adom FM’s Kofi Adomah said Ghana has a democracy that has been tried and tested and so cannot fall into the crisis that Cote d’Ivoire finds itself.

“If you ask whether Ghana can get into the trouble Cote d’Ivoire finds itself, I will say no absolutely.  I don’t think Ghana will get there because you see Ghana is completely different, the people of Ghana have made it clear that they won’t tolerate that kind of activity and they want the loser to accept the result and the winner to be gracious in victory and all Ghanaian leaders and politicians know that and they have to respect that. I am terribly worried for the people of Cote d’Ivoire and Libya but that cannot happen in Ghana,” he said.

The ambassador who was in Ghana to observe the 2008 elections said Ghanaians have proved that they respect the rule of law and that politicians cannot take them for granted.

According to the Ambassador, the stability on the political front of Ghana has enhanced investor confidence so much that many American investors are coming into the country to do business.

“The visit by President Barck Obama in 2009 has raised Ghana’s profile with American investors but I think there are a lot more that Ghanaians are also doing to raise the investor confidence and Ghana is an attractive investor destination,” Mr.  Teitelbaum noted.

He has however advised Ghanaians to hold in high esteem the political stability that exists in the country and protect it.

Story: Kofi Adomah/Adom FM/Ghana