The Speaker of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi, has underscored the need for Ghana and the United States government to achieve justice for their citizens.

The first female speaker of the US Congress who was speaking in Ghana’s parliament as part of her visit, defined justice as the foundation of hope, adding “We must ensure that every person, particularly, our young people, have hope and a future.”

In her view, the two countries “must achieve economic justice with boldness of vision. We must be strongly committed to economic progress.”

“Together, our governments must continue to support smart developmental strategies that spur sustainable economic growth and lift up all families in Ghana and throughout Africa,” Ms Pelosi said.

She called for Ghana and the US governments to cooperate to create educational and economic opportunities that allow every student and worker to climb the ladders of opportunity.

“We must focus on women and girls. In America, we say ‘when women succeed, America succeeds’, and I’m sure also in Ghana, when women succeed, Ghana succeed,” she further stated.

On healthcare, she said, “We must strive in the eradication of diseases. We cannot accept a world in which where one is born determines whether we have access to quality affordable care service; people need to live their healthy fulfilling lives. Healthcare for us is a right for everyone, not the privileged few.”



She also called on the countries to achieve environmental justice so that “all children, no matter where they grow up, can breathe clean air and drink clean water because environmental issues are health issues.”

Ms Pelosi is in the country on a four-day official state visit. She was accompanied by the Black caucus in the American Congress. Their visit dovetails into the government’s “Year of Return” campaign to mark 400 years of slavery.

Ms. Pelosi and her team are expected to leave for the US later today.