President Bush leaves for Liberia

Accra, Feb. 21, GNA - US President George Bush left Accra on Thursday for Liberia after a three-day visit to Ghana as part of an African tour that has also taken him to Benin, Tanzania and Rwanda. He was seen off by a government delegation led by President John Agyekum Kufuor.

President Bush, who was accompanied by his wife Laura and a large delegation, held talks with President Kufuor, had lunch with Peace Corps and interacted with beneficiaries of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

He also addressed a press conference with President Kufuor during which he announced a 17 million-dollar package to fight malaria in Ghana and 350 million dollars over five years for the fight against neglected tropical diseases.

President Bush allayed the concern of many Ghanaian when he unequivocally stated that the US did not intend to establish a military base in Ghana.

At a banquet held in his honour on Wednesday night, President Kufuor announced that the 14-Kilometre Mallam-Tetteh Quarshie Road, to be reconstructed into a first class six-lane dual carriageway at a cost of 101 million dollars, would be called George Bush Motorway. He is the second sitting US President after Bill Clinton to visit Ghana.