Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
July 10, 2009

Ghana Awaits Obama
------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=2543754:A6F02AD83191E160F1C1D3A3526AF3E430EB2FA2E66CBB22&
 
US president to meet with Ghana's President John Atta Mills Friday after
official welcome at the airport 

Watch or Listen to VOA' special coverage of President Obama's speech
from Ghana live beginning at 1200 UTC, Saturday, 11 July. 

U.S. President Barack Obama announce climate change agreements at the G8
Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, 09 Jul 2009U.S. President Barack Obama
arrives in Ghana Friday on his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa as
president. More than 10,000 plain-clothed and uniformed police are on
duty across the Ghanian capital, Accra, to maintain security during the
president's visit. Mr. Obama meets with President John Atta Mills Friday
after an official welcome at the airport. They are joined for breakfast
Saturday by former Ghanian leaders John Kufuor and Jerry Rawlings. Ghana
has had five successive democratic elections since 1992. President Obama
says he is making Ghana his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa because he
wants to highlight the achievements of stable countries that are
governed well, where leadership is accountable to the people and
institutions are stronger than any one person."Ghana is a bastion of
good governance, and he realizes that there are certain shocks to our
system, you know. And that we have some way to go before we can imbed it
completely within it in our culture," said Betty Mould-Iddrissu, Ghana's
justice minister. Street vendor sells US flags to public transport
driver caught in traffic, in central Accra, 09 Jul 2009She says Ghana
hopes President Obama's visit will help strengthen justice and good
governance."We are not looking for hand-outs. We are looking for
assistance to help our people. And when our country is able to go
forward appropriately, I think that it will be a benefit to America as
well to have a strong ally and a prosperous country in Africa," she
said. There had been high expectations for President Obama addressing
thousands of Ghanians at the nation's Independence Square. But the start
of the rainy season has moved that speech indoors to a conference
center. Mr. Obama and his family will then visit Cape Coast Castle, from
where slaves were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas for nearly
300 years. 


.