Out-going President Jerry Rawlings, on behalf of the people and government of Ghana, Thursday sent a message of congratulations to Governor George W. Bush on his election as the 43rd President of the United States.
A statement signed by Jimmy Amissah, Secretary to the President, said the message, in reference to the protracted electoral process, expressed "the great admiration of Ghanaians for the resilience of the deep-rooted American democratic culture, which has once again triumphed."
Rawlings noted that in recent years, close friendship and mutual advantage have marked relations between both countries.
"In the broader context of the African continent, it is our desire that the understanding that has developed between Africa and the United States in the sphere of trade and culminated in the Growth and Opportunities Act, will be nurtured and deepened," he said.
Rawlings expressed the hope that these bonds of friendship and co-operation would be further strengthened during the new US president's tenure of office.
Ghana is among the African countries that out-going President Bill Clinton visited in 1999 and held far-reaching talks on bilateral co-operation with Rawlings who ends a final presidential mandate early January.
