Andrew Karas is new USAID Ghana Mission Director

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has sworn in Andrew Karas as the Mission Director for Ghana.

A statement issued by the United States Embassy in Accra and copied to ghanabusinessnews.com says Mr Karas who brings 30 years of development experience to the position, was sworn in on Friday October 23, 2015 and will now oversee USAID’s country-specific programmes in agriculture, governance, economic growth, education, and health.

The statement said as Mission Director, Mr. Karas “will be responsible for managing USAID’s programmes and working with the Government of Ghana and other partners to accelerate Ghana’s transition towards established middle-income status.”

Mr. Karas has been serving as the Acting Mission Director since March 2015 and prior to that, served as the Deputy Mission Director of USAID/Ghana from December 2012.

He joined the US Foreign Service in 2000, with overseas assignments in Rwanda, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Djibouti, and worked with international and local development organizations in Rwanda and Kenya, prior to joining USAID.

He also managed community-based assistance programming for low-income and homeless populations in New York City, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya from 1985 to 1988, supporting rural women’s groups on income-generating activities in the agricultural sector.

By Emmanuel Odonkor