President Kufuor calls for holistic approach to Africa's development
Six African leaders pledge to rid the world of terrorism
Exeter College honours President Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor returned home on Monday night after a 10-day tour of the United Kingdom at the invitation of Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister.
President Kufuor, together with five other African leaders were invited by Mr Blair to participate in a special meeting on development on the African Continent.
The other leaders are Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Joachin Chissano of Mozambique, Festus Mogue of Botswana, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Mpaka of Tazania.
Among the issues discussed were African strategies for growth, economic policies, poverty reduction strategies and possible budgetary support to open market economies.
Besides, legal and regulatory systems, Information Technology, intra-African trade links and globalisation were also deliberated upon.
The meeting reflected on good governance, human rights, accountability, and participation of the disadvantaged groups in society. The rest were conflict prevention and resolution, human resource development, education, health, social security and provision of basic amenities.
Three other personalities invited to the meeting but were unable to attend, were UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan; President Alpha Konare of Mali and President Thambo Mbeki of South Africa. President Kufuor would be away for a week.
Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama met the President on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor leaves Accra tonight for the United Kingdom at the invitation of Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
It will be his first official visit since assuming the helm of affairs in January this year.
Whiles in Britain, the President and five other Heads of States from the African continent would hold discussions with Blair on broad areas of possible UK co-operation with these countries.
The meeting, President Kufuor said, will be held in a very informal atmosphere, and will take place in Blair’s Country home, Chequers.
The discussion will cover economic development, relief from over burden debts, peace and stability on the continent and capital flow among others, according to President Kufuor.
He will also seize the opportunity to meet Ghanaians in the UK. A kind of "Town Hall" meeting has been arranged to afford the President the chance to interact with his kin and kith.
However, the President’s planned trip to the United States of America has been cancelled due to the tragedy, which struck that country on Tuesday.
President Kufuor was originally scheduled to leave Accra on Friday to visit Washington and Boston with a stopover in the UK. He returns to Accra next Friday, September 21.
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London (UK) 15 Sept 2001 - Ghana's President John Kufuor arrived in London, England on Saturday at the invitation of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
President Kufuor, together with five other African leaders have been invited by Mr Blair to participate in a special meeting on development on the African Continent.
The other leaders are Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Joachin Chissano of Mozambique, Festus Mogue of Botswana, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Mpaka of Tazania.
Briefing the press, Daniel K Osei, private secretary to President Kufuor, said the meeting would be held on Tuesday 18th Sept at the Chequers in the Chilterns, the private residence of the British Premier, which is about 60 kilometers northwest of London.
The Chequers meeting would be informal but focused, touching on major issues aimed at generating proposals and priorities to meet the challenges facing the African Continent. Among the issues to be discussed are African strategies for growth, economic policies, poverty reduction strategies and possible budgetary support to open market economies.
Besides, legal and regulatory systems, Information Technology, intra-African trade links and globalisation would also be deliberated.
On governance, the meeting would reflect on good governance, human rights, accountability, and participation of the disadvantaged groups in society on decision making. The rest are conflict prevention and resolution to development, human resource development, education, health, social security and provision of basic amenities.
Mr Osei, who is also an Ambassador at Large, said President Kufour would in addition hold bilateral meetings with his colleagues, the African leaders, to share views on the African Union, good governance and sub-regional organisations.
Three other personalities invited to the meeting but were unable to attend are UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan; President Alpha Konare of Mali and President Thambo Mbeki of South Africa. President Kufuor would be away for a week.
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Alyesbury (United Kingdom) 19 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday said any attempt at resolving the economic problems of Africa should be holistic in nature.
The key factor should be a commitment to build democratic institutions that would fashion out a workable constitution for the continent, President Kufuor said during deliberations at a meeting with five other African leaders at Chequers, Alyesbury, the private resident of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, 60 kilometres outside London.
Present at the meeting held in a serene atmosphere, were President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Joachim Chissano of Mozambique, President Festus Mohai of Botswana, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and President Mpaka of Tanzania.
President Kufuor said the private sector, civil society, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the mass media have important roles to play in the provision of the basic infrastructure for development in Africa.
He said these include education, health, provision of potable water, telecommunication and electricity. Prime Minister Blair pledged to play an advocacy role in the search for a new approach to developmental issues on the African continent.
Africa has made considerable progress in the discussion of their problems and how to solve them. Prime Minister Blair said "if African countries could consider structuring a frame work to finance their key priorities, Britain and its allies would fund the mechanisms and structures to reduce conflicts on the continent".
He commended Ghana in her efforts to advance democracy and pledged his government's desire to offer assistance to entrench democracy in Ghana.
President Obasanjo stressed the need for Africa to strengthen democracy and good governance on the continent.
Efforts, he said, should be made to find solutions to poverty related problems as a pre-requisite for good governance, which would form the basis to establish peace.
President Wade said the symptoms of current events are a reflection of the divergent views existing between developed and developing countries and this dichotomy has created a situation for violence.
President Wade said major causes of conflicts in Africa are unfair elections and called for adequate resourced regional military force capable of responding to conflict situations.
He said personnel of the regional force, should be well trained, well resourced and participation should embrace most African countries and donor agencies.
President Wade said mechanisms for early warning before conflicts emerge, should be established in order to create a fairly transparent political environment in Africa.
President Chissano said leadership is a key factor on how a country should be governed adding, "good governance would be a panacea for conflict resolution".
He appealed to African leaders to talk to opposition groups in their countries move democracy forward in order to eliminate the tendency of opponents always obstructing efforts of ruling governments to move their countries forward.
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Britain (UK) 19 September 2001 - The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has met six African presidents for talks at his country residence.
The leaders of Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Botswana, Senegal, and Mozambique were invited by Mr Blair to share their views on the development of Africa.
Mr Blair has named African development as a personal priority in his second term of office and correspondents say the African leaders are keen to create an image of stability in their countries to attract much-needed foreign assistance.
The six African leaders and Mr Blair also condemned the attacks on the United States and pledged to work to "rid the world of the evils of terrorism".
In a joint statement, they condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms." Saying, "We consider these to have been attacks on the whole of the international community and on people of all faiths and cultures."
"We stand together today in solidarity with the United States in our determination that those responsible should be brought to justice."
The meeting, which took place at Mr Blair's official country residence Chequers, had been planned long before last Tuesday's attacks.
Despite Mr Blair being busy with helping Washington to rally support for an international coalition against terrorism, his spokesman said he had been keen to honour his pledge to raise Africa's profile.
The six leaders invited are reforming, forward-looking presidents, most of them with clear ideas on how they want their countries to develop and a good track record in making government work.
A spokesman for Mr Blair said the talks were focussed on conflict prevention, good governance and trade. "Africa is the only continent which has yet to benefit from globalisation," he said.
The meeting also studied the New Africa Initiative - an economic development plan aimed at combating debt, poverty and Aids.
The talks follow a range of political and economic initiatives for Africa, including the promise of $1.2bn for a global Aids fund made by the G8 nations at their Genoa summit in July.
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Oxford (UK) 20 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor was on Wednesday honoured by the Exeter College of Oxford University with a college crest and a flying tie on his election as the President of Ghana.
Professor Marlilyn Butler, Rector of the College presented the honour to President Kufuor, an Alumnus of the college.
President Kufuor visited the College as part of his one-week visit to Britain.
Professor Butler said it is an honour for the College that a past graduate, should be elected to such a high position in a country that has been a torch- bearer in Africa.
President Kufuor studied Philosophy, Political Science and Economics at the College between 1962-64.
Mr Christopher Kirwan, a former lecturer in Philosophy and President Kufuor's tutor, overwhelmed by his presence said "it is a great privilege to teach a head of state."
He said President Kufuor, the only Ghanaian among the 16 students at that time, was a good and brilliant student who had great affection for mankind. "President Kufuor had the ability to achieve great heights, a good student, an intellectual who had an important future", he added.
President Kufuor who went into the college as a law student in the first year changed his course because, like he put it, “I felt I would need everything in terms of studies to achieve my objective in life."
He said he had to change the course to understand the nature of man to enable him serve his country better. "The course was packaged in a manner that made the student think in a holistic way".
President Kufuor said all problems have many facets and the lecturers helped the students to have the minds to tackle problems in a special manner.
Dr. Jonathan G.C Snicker, head of the Development Office took the President round the college.
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