President Rawlings returns home from Tokyo

Accra, (Greater Accra) 25 Oct, '98 President Jerry John Rawlings has returned home from Tokyo, Japan, after attending the second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II).

The President was accompanied by his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Mr Victor Gbeho, Foreign Minister and other officials.

They were met on arrival by the Vice-President, Professor John E. Atta Mills, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, Chairman of the Council of State, ministers of state, the Japanese ambassador in Ghana, Mr Shosuka Ito, and a large number of NDC supporters. Briefing newsmen, Mr Gbeho described the meeting as very successful as it afforded developing countries the opportunity to sit at a roundtable with donor partners to draw up priorities in tackling poverty on the continent.

He said, with the profound changes on the continent including good governance and economic reforms after TICAD I in 1993, this year's conference was very significant.

Mr Gbeho said the conference also looked at women and children and urged that by the year 2015, African governments should ensure that two-thirds of women are brought out of poverty.