Governor General of Canada to Ghana

Acting Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Donald Bobiash has announced that Governor General Michaëlle Jean will represent Canada during a State visit to Ghana.

At the request of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Governor General, Canada’s Head of State, will lead a delegation of distinguished Canadians from civil society to Ghana. The Governor General will be in Ghana from November 27 to December 1, 2006 and will meet President John Agyekum Kufuor.

The visit will highlight Canada’s bilateral relationship with Ghana and the many local partnerships created through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and other Canadian entities.

Organizations to be visited include the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Supreme Court and a number of other Canadian-funded, innovative projects that are improving the quality of life of Ghanaians. The Governor General will also visit historic Elmina Castle and the northern city of Tamale, where she will have the opportunity to visit a village benefiting from CIDA program and participate in a durbar. The Governor General will also meet with Canadians working in Ghana to learn about their contributions to Ghanaian development.

Ghana is a country of concentration for Canadian development assistance, which has increased by over 400% during the last four years. Bilateral trade between Canada and Ghana is $123.4 million; in 2005 Canadian exports to Ghana increased by 40% over the previous year. Ghana is Canada’s third largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The two countries have also worked closely in multilateral fora to promote regional peace and stability.