Obama heads for Ghana
US president Barack Obama to arrive in Ghana later today following G8 summit
Also In The News
|
****THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED****
Read on to win t-shirts, hoodies and even temporary tattoos to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceT. |  |
Friday, 10, Jul 2009 12:05
US president Barack Obama is due to arrive in Ghana later today following his attendance at the G8 summit.
The trip will represent Mr Obama's first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
US officials claim the president will use the visit as an opportunity to stress his desire for better relations between Africa and the rest of the world and the need for stable governance.
Mr Obama will become the third successive US leader to travel to Ghana in under a decade and is said to have chosen the country for his visit due to its relative stability.
In a recent interview with AllAfrica.com, the US president said he did not want Africa to be viewed as an isolated issue but part of the broader challenges facing the international community.
Ghana has seen its economic growth increase steadily since 2000 with annual GDP increasing from 3.7 per cent to 6.3 per cent in 2007.
Figures show poverty in the country has fallen from 52 per cent of the population in 1991/02 to 28 per cent in 2005/06.
While Mr Obama will meet with Ghana's president John Atta Mills and address the country's parliament, his speech is also expected to address the African continent as a whole.