President returns home

Accra, Nov. 3 - President John Agyekum Kufuor returned home on Thursday after a 12-day long trade and investment tour of the United States and the United Kingdom. The first lady Mrs Theresa Kufuor and Mr Kwabena Agyepong, Presidential Press Secretary, accompanied the President. Mr Agyepong told journalists on arrival that, the visit was successful as it showcased Ghana as an investment and tourist centre on the continent, adding that, it enhanced Ghana's image in the western world. He said a documentary on tourism potential in Ghana produced by Discovery Communication and premiered in the United States drew the world attention to the tourists' attraction in the country. According to Mr Agyepong, President Kufuor held meetings with various leaders and companies, including President George Bush, where they discussed wide range of issues, including the Millennium Challenge Accounts, as well as issues concerning the sub-region. He said the two leaders reviewed the collective agreement by the African Union and ECOWAS to enhance good governance, peace and security in Africa and across the globe. President Kufuor also attended a luncheon with the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as held meetings with the officials of Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the US, who pledged to build 2,000 houses in Ghana to increase the country's housing stock. Mr Agyepong said President Kufuor held separate meetings with the president of the World Bank, Mr Paul Wolfwitz and the IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato on the need for the two bodies to reconcile the date for writing off Ghana's debt. In UK, President Kufuor held a roundtable investment conference on Ghana, organised by the Financial Times, where he invited them to come and invest in the country. At the airport to meet President Kufuor, were the Vice-President Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State and the Inspector-General of Police, Patrick Acheampong.