President Kufuor To Discuss His Leadership On Ecowas

The Minister-Counselor-Head of Public Affairs at the Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC Mr. Ivor Agyeman-Duah has said President J.A. Kufuor's leadership of ECOWAS has been a silver lining in a region in turmoil.

Mr. Agyeman-Duah, who last Monday issued a press release to announce that the president will be host of a Voice of America TV programme today told two Accra FM stations-Peace and Adom that, the interview by satelite will be between 18.30-19.30 GMT. It will basically centre on ECOWAS and the political and economic situation in Ghana and that the studio guests in Washington,DC will be

Mr. Isaac Aggrey, Deputy Chief of the Washington, DC Mission and Prof. George Ayittey of American University.A previous attempt for an interview by satelite at the Reuters Office in New York could not come on during the President's visit to the U.N. General Assembly meeting because of a tight schedule.

Mr. Agyeman-Duah told the two FM stations in separate interviews that a proposed date of October 15, 2003 (after the New York meeting) by Voice of America could not work out because the President as leader of ECOWAS had to be present at the change of leadership in Liberia meeting on October 14. We worked out with his office and October 29 is a less busy day for him.

'Presidents run tight schedules and sometimes an anticipated activity can become a causality but it is obvious this particular interview had been politicise.' He explained that the interview is today because it 'is a good time for it.'

Last Friday, the Mission also launched Ghana: Our Heritage, a TV documentary on Ghana produced by Francom Travels and Tours in cooperation with the Ghana Tourist Board an event which attracted diplomats and journalists from the Washington,DC area.

In a pre-event press release, Mr. Agyeman-Duah explained that the Embassy in collaboration with Pax TV (WPXW-TV), a cable network last Saturday started an African programme, African Lifestyles, which will be a weekly discussion on policy issues affecting the continent at the Capitol Hill and also show documentaries to balance 'the almost maxim of negativity that is associated with Africa.'

The maiden edition hosted Ms. Emily Woods and James Butty, Co-Director of the Institute of Policy Analysis in Washington,DC and journalist of West Africa magazine respectively as they discussed the recent change in leadership in Liberia.The next edition will be an interview with the Algerian Ambassador to the United States. The co-host for the programme is the Sierra Leonean broadcaster and well-known journalist Hilton Fyle formerly of the BBC network Africa fame. Previews of the programme will be on ghanawebfrom from next week.

"This has been an uncertain journey of trying to show news and current documentaries on Ghana at the chancery on Saturdays including the Kwaku-One-on One programme of Ghana Television to a promising and larger idea of an African voice," Mr. Agyeman-Duah said.