Bush gets a rousing welcome from Ghanaians

The President of the United States of America, Mr George W. Bush, had a feel of Ghanaian hospitality and warmth when he stepped out of the Air Force One last night to begin the fourth leg of his five-nation African tour in Ghana.

Amidst tight security, President Bush and his wife, Laura, were welcomed at the newly built VVIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport by President J.A. Kufuor and his wife, Theresa, to begin the three-day visit to the country. Also at the airport to welcome
		President Bush with his host President Kufuor at the Castle

President Bush and his large entourage were Ministers of State, top government officials, as well as senior Ghanaian security personnel.

When the Air Force One touched down at the airport at 7.05 p.m. and the first American couple stepped out, they were presented with a bouquet by Mabel Addo-Baah, a nine-year-old Class Three pupil of the Christ the King International School in Accra and later treated to a cultural show of music and dance by the African Showtime Cultural Group of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).

The second visit to Africa in President Bush's two-term presidency is meant to acquaint himself of the progress made in African initiatives on AIDS prevention, education, poverty reduction and the fight against malaria. It is also intended to reassure Africa and the rest of the world of the US President's commitment to the economic development of the continent.
President Bush’s visit to Africa is also intended to reinforce the legacy of the American leader as a compassionate conservative and remind Africans and Americans alike that his administration has done more than wage a controversial war in Iraq.

At a press conference at the White House in the US last week Thursday, just before he began his mission to Africa, President Bush said, "We're going to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia. Each of these countries is blessed with natural beauty, a vibrant culture and an unmistakable spirit of energy and optimism. Africa, in the 21st Century, is a continent of potential. Our visit will give me a chance to meet with people who are making the transformation on the continent possible."
After the exchange of greetings between the US Presidential delegation and the Ghanaian welcoming party, President Kufuor and his guest held a short closed-door meeting before being driven to their different destinations.

The usual welcoming fanfare involving a 21-gun salute and the inspection of parade mounted by the Ghana Army, which is associated with presidential visits of this kind is scheduled for today at the Castle, apparently because of technical and security reasons.

President Bush has already visited Benin and Tanzania, two of the countries lauded as being among the most stable in Africa, and Rwanda, which is still emerging from one of the continent’s bloodiest civil wars.

From Ghana, President Bush is expected to pay a short visit to Liberia before returning home.

President Bush's visit to Africa and particularly Ghana also underscores a dramatic shift in US policy towards the continent and opens a new chapter in US-Ghana relations.

As part of his programme, President Bush will meet President Kufuor for bilateral talks at the Castle today and later hold a joint press conference at the Castle, Osu.

By this visit, President Bush enters the record books as the second President of the US to visit Ghana but the first American leader to spend three days on Ghanaian soil. The first sitting American leader to visit Ghana was President Bill Clinton, who came with his wife to pay a 12-hour visit to Ghana on March 23, 1998 as part of a six-nation African tour.

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