A newly built medical facility in a small village near Accra, Ghana, is helping to advance healthcare in the area and strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Ghana. U.S. Navy Seabees and local residents celebrated the opening of this clinic on June 3, 2008, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 3,400 square-foot clinic was built by service members from the U.S. Navy and the Ghana Army over a seven-month period. The clinic contains two medical wards, two treatment rooms, four offices, a dispensary, a medical storage room, and four bathrooms equipped with showers and lavatories.

"It's a good feeling to be able to work on a project that's going to benefit the local population in Tema, Ghana," said Lieutenant Joe Clements. "The Seabee motto, with compassion for others, 'we build, we fight,' fits well with what we've done here."

The Ghana clinic has been the African Partnership Station's (APS) premier project in Ghana this year, as part of their mission to work cooperatively with West African nations in promoting maritime safety and security and initiating humanitarian assistance programs.

In addition to constructing the clinic, APS also partnered with Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), a private volunteer organization that focuses on advancing health through humanitarian assistance and education worldwide, to provide the new clinic with nearly $100,000 worth of medical supplies and equipment.

"The project means a lot to us and we, the people of Ghana, appreciate what we all have done," said Corporal Richard Akuffo, 49th Engineering Battalion, Ghana. "The clinic will help a lot; it will help our children and our children's children. So, we say thank you to the Seabees for building unity between our countries so our friendship can last forever."