Why Obama is visiting Ghana

United States President Barack Obama‘s scheduled official visit to Ghana in July is a direct acknowledgment of the democratic progress and what the White House described as the existence of ”sound governance and civil society” in that country, Empowered Newswire reports.

A White House statement on Saturday said one of the purposes of the forthcoming Obama visit to Ghana’s is for ”strengthening the US relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa,” and also for ” highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development.”

Investigations within the Obama administration also revealed that Nigeria was skipped from the first Obama’s trip to Africa because of the current chaotic nature of the Nigerian politiy and Niger Delta crisis in particular.

The source mentioned the Ekiti elections as a factor, and the last sequence of controversial general elections both in 2003 and 2007.

Also sources in the Obama administration explained that while Nigeria remained a strategic partner of the US on African issues, Ghana had earned greater merit with the US on its domestic successes, including its successful transfer of power from one party to another.
While Obama did not call Nigeria‘s President Umar Yar’Adua on his assumption of office as US President, he actually called President John Atta Mills of Ghana on April 10.
Obama called few world leaders previously within couple of weeks as president, including the then South Africa‘s president, Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe.