Obama to visit Ghana in July

2009-05-16 21:28

Washington - Barack Obama, the first African-American US president, will visit Ghana in July, on his first official trip dedicated to the continent, the White House said on Saturday.

Obama, whose late father was from Kenya, will visit Ghana between July 10 and 11, after previously announced visits to Moscow on July 6 and 8 and the Group of Eight summit in Italy from July 8 to 10, the White House said in a statement.

"While in Ghana, the President will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President [John Atta] Mills," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

"The President and Mrs Obama look forward to strengthening the US relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa," the statement said.

Obama also looked forward to highlighting the critical role that sound "governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development", Gibbs said.

While Obama will formally set foot as president in Africa during his visit to Egypt on June 4 to give a speech to the Muslim world, his Ghana trip will be his first foreign voyage specifically targeting the African continent.

Obama has yet to flesh out his Africa policy, having been consumed with major foreign policy challenges in Europe and Asia and the world economic crisis so far in his nearly four months in power.

- AFP