The minimum you must know

The Republic of Ghana is a small but very densely populated coastal West African country with approaching 40 million people.

The United States of America was created by West Africans brought to New England in the 1700s from this area of Africa. People from Ghana and surrounding countries are ancestors to between fifteen to twenty percent of the U.S. population. The United States freed them in the 1860s in a hard won conflict for their equal rights. Three quarters of a million white Americans - who chose their side - perished freeing African Americans. Equal rights have been central to American ethics and values ever since.

Freed west Africans gained the right to vote in the United States during the 1960s, and then received a helpful attitude from the government and society ever since, such as with "affirmative action" legislation, which granted African-Americans preferential employment and educational opportunities. Affirmative action legislation was recently ended. But only after President Barack Obama's second term in office, when African-Americans became the most influential minority group in the United States.

Ghana was also colonized by the United Kingdom. So the people there speak English fluently with British accent and are predominantly Christian. But Ghana is also a multi-ethnic country with some practicing Muslims.

Ghana recently developed a global reputation for being one of the most stable democracies in the continent and perhaps even the world. The country considers itself diplomatically non-aligned except for its membership in the African Union.

The government of Ghana seeks to correct a misperception in the United States and Europe that Africa is a disadvantaged continent, when in fact the people in Ghana are peace-loving, creative, talented and energetic. Ghana is a sophisticated country. The President of Ghana patterned "peace" and spoke very eloquently in favor of peace at the United Nations.

Ghana is calling for reform of the United Nations Security council to include new countries in additional continents including Africa.

Ghana is at peace with all other countries.