Senior U.S. Commerce Official discusses trade and investment partnership and Women in Business with Ghanaian Business and Government Leaders

Camille Richardson

Accra, GHANA– U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) of Commerce for the Middle East and Africa Camille Richardson conducted a “virtual visit” to Ghana from April 20-21, 2021, part of U.S. Government efforts to expand trade and investment between the United States and Ghana.

DAS Richardson met with U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan, the Honorable Minister of Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen, Ghanaian business leaders, and U.S. company representatives in Ghana, among others.

In her meeting with Minister Kyerematen, DAS Richardson emphasized the U.S. Government’s commitment to increasing bilateral trade and investment with Ghana. She also announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce will add a second Commercial Officer to the U.S. Embassy staff in Accra to expand the opportunities for partnerships between U.S. and Ghanaian companies. DAS Richardson stated, “The United States wishes to deepen our trade and investment partnership with Ghana. This visit is an opportunity to work together for the mutual benefit of our nations as we reaffirm our commitment to creating shared prosperity with the Government and people of Ghana.”

During her two-day virtual visit, DAS Richardson also met with members of the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Ghana. AmCham participants conveyed their business goals and outlook and discussed the key role American businesses have played in the pandemic response in Ghana.

A champion of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, DAS Richardson led a discussion with executives of Women in Mining Ghana, an organization dedicated to women’s advancement in the extractive sector through advocacy, training, mentoring, and networking. The group discussed establishing peer-to-peer mentoring relationships with American women executives in the mining sector, as well as future training possibilities.

DAS Richardson’s visit builds on the U.S.-Ghana Memorandum of Understanding to increase bilateral trade and investment, signed in July 2018 during the visit of then-U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to Ghana. The U.S. Department of Commerce works with host governments to create attractive commercial environments for U.S. companies by fostering adoption of international standards, and commercial regulations and policies that provide for predictability and transparency to help assure fair and level playing fields. To learn more, visit https://gh.usembassy.gov/business/commercial-opportunities-ghana/.

Camille Richardson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Middle East and Africa (MEA), US & Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Camille Richardson is a tenured Senior Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Commercial Service. She began her career in government with the International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1993.

She became an accredited diplomat with the U.S. Commercial Service in 1998 and has served six successive tours of duty, in Miami, FL; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; and Sao Paulo, Brazil, facilitating commercial partnerships between U.S. and local companies.

She was recently appointed as Commerce ITA’s new Deputy Assistant Secretary for MEA region.

A native of Washington, D.C., Camille earned a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University in 1989, and an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins/SAIS in 1993.

She speaks Portuguese and Portunhol along with a bit of Hindi, Swahili, and French.