Kufuor To Receive Ceremonial Welcome

President J.A. Kufuor of Ghana will receive a formal Ceremonial Welcome on Horse Guards in London tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13, 2007, a day after his arrival in the UK for a state visit.

A statement from the Buckingham Palace in London said “the Queen will formally greet the President and, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, he will then review a Guard of Honour, before joining the Queen for a State Carriage procession along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.”

Mr Kufuor and his wife, Madam Theresa, will then have a private lunch at Buckingham Palace given by the Queen, who will conduct the President and his wife to the Picture Gallery to view an exhibition of Ghanaian items from the Royal Collection.

The statement said the President and Mrs Kufuor would then visit Westminster Abbey, where the President would lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

It said the President and Mrs Kufuor would then visit the British Museum where they would view the “Fabric of a Nation” exhibition.

“The President will later receive calls by the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats and the Commonwealth Secretary-General,” it said.

According to the statement, in the evening, the Queen would host a State Banquet for the President and Mrs Kufuor at Buckingham Palace, adding that the Queen and the President would both deliver speeches before the banquet.

“On Wednesday, the President will chair a working breakfast at Buckingham Palace with African Heads of Mission. Mrs Kufuor will pay a private visit to Windsor Castle for a tour of Queen Mary's Dolls House,” it said.

The statement said the President would then visit the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, where he would address the audience on “50 Years of Ghana's Independence: Prospects and Challenges for Accelerated National Development”, and that would be followed by questions.

It said the President and Mrs Kufuor would be entertained to luncheon at Lancaster House, to be hosted by Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the council.

“In the afternoon, the President will attend a business meeting with the West African Business Association and the Commonwealth Business Council at Buckingham Palace.

Mrs Kufuor will pay a private visit to St Mary's NHS Trust Hospital, where she will be briefed on their HIV research and clinical practice,”

The statement said the President would then visit Mr Tony Blair, while Mrs Blair would entertain Mrs Kufuor.

“The President will later receive a call by the Secretary of State for International Development, the Right Honourable Hilary Benn, MP, In the evening, the President and Mrs Kufuor will attend a Banquet at Guildhall given by The Lord Mayor and Corporation of London.”

It said the President and his wife would bid farewell to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Grand Entrance, Buckingham Palace, before leaving for Liverpool on Thursday, March 15, 2007.

“On their arrival in Liverpool, the President and Mrs Kufuor will visit St George's Hall, where the President will be conferred with an honorary degree from Liverpool John Moores University by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Brown.

The President will then be invited to give the Roscoe Lecture,” the statement said.

The President and Mrs Kufuor will be hosted to luncheon at the Liverpool Town Hall, to be hosted by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.

In the afternoon, the President and Mrs Kufuor will visit the Merseyside Maritime Museum for a tour of the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery.

They will then attend a reception to meet members of the Ghanaian community and other invited guests.