 | | | Obama stands for the National Anthem before speaking at Ghana's Parliament |
ACCRA (Agencies) United States President Barack Obama told Africans on Saturday that Western aid must be matched by good governance and urged them to take greater responsibility for stamping out war, corruption and disease plaguing the continent, which he said had a lot of potential.
Obama delivered the message on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office in January as the first black U.S. president. He chose stable, democratic Ghana because he believes it can serve as a model for the rest of Africa.
" No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the topand you've seen significant economic growth " President Obama Fresh from a G8 summit where leaders agreed to spend $20 billion to improve food security in poor countries, Obama stressed that Africans must also take a leading role in sorting out their many problems.
"Development depends upon good governance," Obama said in a speech to Ghana's parliament. "That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans." |  | Africa policy Obama and his family were in Ghana for one day In an address that offered the most detailed view of Obama's Africa policy, he took aim at corruption and rights abuses on the continent, warning that growth and development would be retarded until such problems were tackled.
"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top," Obama said.
He said America would not impose any system of government, but would increase help for those behaving responsibly.
The visit has enormous resonance for Africa because of Obama's roots as the son of Kenyan immigrant. He laced his speech with mentions of his background and the struggles of his forebears in the face of poverty and colonial rule.
"We like the positive signals that this visit is sending and will continue to send," said Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, elected in a transparent election that contrasted with stereotypes of chaos, coups and corruption in Africa.
"This encourages us also to sustain the gains that we have made in our democratic process." | | "Yes we can" Obama in Ghana shakes hands with people MP's chanted "yes we can" before Obama started and the president ended his address with that phrase -- his old campaign slogan. Obama praised Ghana's economic record too.
Reforms in the cocoa and gold producing country, set to begin pumping oil next year, helped bring unprecedented investment and growth before the impact of the global financial crisis.
"We don't allow one president to rule for 30 years. This should be evidence to other countries that it can be done," said tax official Nii Dodoo, 41, among the crowds in Accra.
Walls and utility poles were plastered with posters of side-by-side portraits of Obama and Mills and the word "change" -- the mantra of Obama's presidential election campaign.
Ghanaians in bright yellow T-shirts showing Obama next to Mills hoped for a glimpse of Obama, a hero on the continent because of his roots as the son of a Kenyan immigrant. But tight security meant only a few got the chance to cheer him. | | "The Audacity of Hope" Obama smiles as steps of the Air Force One in Ghana Obama was later due to visit Cape Coast Castle, a fort used in the transatlantic slave trade. He and his family will spend less than 24 hours in Ghana before returning to the United States.
Authorities in Cape Coast, 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Accra, banned all funerals this weekend for the visit.
Ghana's central regional minister Ama Benyiwaa Doe told AFP: "The dead can be buried later, but Obama is here for once and we must pay all attention to him."
Bookshops in Accra, meanwhile, were stocked with piles of Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" book. And larger-than-life posters of Obama and Ghanaian President John Atta-Mills with the slogan "partnership for change" and "akwaaba" (welcome in the local language) were omnipresent.
Obama is the third consecutive U.S. leader in under a decade to travel to Ghana, which was the first black African country to break free from its colonial shackles in 1957.
Economic reforms in the cocoa and gold producing country, set to begin pumping oil next year, also helped bring unprecedented investment and growth before the impact of the global financial crisis. | | "Good intentions" " If you talk to people on the ground in Africa, certainly in Kenya, they will say that part of the issue here is the institutions aren't working for ordinary people. And so governance is a vital concern that has to be addressed " Obama Ghanaians packed the dark streets around the airport, hoping for a glimpse of the president.
"It's a great moment for Ghana and Africa. We have to celebrate our own," said driver Emmanuel Tsawe, who covered his 43-seater bus with Obama posters.
"I believe he has good intentions for the continent and we must cooperate with him," he said.
But Africa has not been a top priority for an administration grappling with the global financial crisis.
Obama drew on his own background to stress the importance of transparency and strong institutions in bringing change.
"My father travelled to the United States a mere 50 years ago and yet now I have family members who live in villages -- they themselves are not going hungry, but live in villages where hunger is real," he said.
"If you talk to people on the ground in Africa, certainly in Kenya, they will say that part of the issue here is the institutions aren't working for ordinary people. And so governance is a vital concern that has to be addressed." |
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