Mr. Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communications at the Presidency, has said the invitation of President Mills to attend the G8 Summit is an indication of the endorsement of the positive political posture exuded by the Mills Administration

He said it was no surprise that President Mills has been invited after the Better Ghana Agenda with its good governance structures and practices were considered.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the arrival of President Mills from attending an emergency ECOWAS meeting in Dakar, Senegal, Mr. Anyidoho said the invitation was a signal that the world was watching the good performance of the President under whose care the features of democracy had been strengthened or expanded.

These features included rule of law, stable economy, openness and transparency, freedom of the press and a vibrant civil society.

President Obama invited President Mills, Yahya Boni of Benin, Ato Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete to the summit which comes off on May 18 and 19, 2012 at Camp David, the country retreat in Washington DC.

Conspicuously missing from the invitation list are Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma.

Mr. Anyidoho said the summit will amongst others serve as a platform to discuss issues of food security facing the African continent, adding that the selection of President Mills from more than 50 other African leaders was a plus for Ghana.

“This is not an end in itself, but a means to an end,” Mr. Anyidoho said, and assured Ghanaians that the President would continue to work assiduously to satisfy their aspirations and keep the Better Ghana programme, which is on course in focus.

The core participants of the summit are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and the USA as well as the European Union.

The G8 countries are France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Canada, Japan, the US and Russia.**