Today, the President and First Lady arrive in Ghana at Kotoka International Airport and begin their historic trip through Africa. The major events of the President’s day include:

Arrival Ceremony at Kotoka International Airport

Bilateral Meeting with President Rawlings at Osu Castle

Address to the People of Ghana at Independence Square

Peace Corps Project Visit at TechnoServe

 

Arrival Ceremony at Kotoka International Airport

At Kotoka International Airport, Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings greets President and Mrs. Clinton with a traditional libation ceremony. Conducted by the Senior Chief of the Chieftancy Council, this ceremony evokes ancestral spirits to witness and bless the occasion. It is an essential rite for Ghanaians during state visits. Afterwards, President Clinton joins President Rawlings in a review of the Ghanaian honor guard.

Bilateral Meeting with President Rawlings at Osu Castle

President Clinton’s bilateral meeting with President Rawlings takes place in Christiansborg Castle, also known as Osu Castle after the section of Accra in which it is located. Osu Castle overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Its walled-in grounds host rare species of trees and free-roaming peacocks. Today’s visitors are struck by the history and majesty of its ancient walls, its spacious gardens and its sparkling white interior buildings. Adjacent to the "Old Castle" are modern offices, known as the "New Castle", containing the Office of the Vice President. President Rawlings lives and works in the Old Castle, while his wife and family reside elsewhere.

Address to the People of Ghana at Independence Square

President Clinton articulates the central themes of his trip in an address to the people of Ghana held in Independence Square. The square is located in downtown Accra just a few minutes drive from Osu Castle and only a few hundred meters from the Gulf of Guinea. The ocean offers a stunning backdrop. Independence Square was constructed in 1961 in preparation for the visit that year by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Since then it has served as the locale for Ghana’s most important parades and other public ceremonies.

PeaceCorps Project Visit at TechnoServe

President Clinton visits a site that exhibits the work the Peace Corps and TechnoServe have done in rural communities to encourage grassroots business development as part of USAID’s trade and investment program in Ghana. He will also meet with Peace Corps volunteers and their respective Ghanaian counterparts who will discuss and explain their project activities in Ghana.

TechnoServe is a private, non-sectarian, non-profit organization based in the United States with offices worldwide. TechnoServe’s program in Ghana is the largest of its five African programs. Over 100 TechnoServe staff, almost all Ghanaians, strive to strengthen the rural private sector through projects in three crucial areas: the promotion of non-traditional export crops, including cashews, cola, shea nuts and pineapple; improving access to savings and credit bu rural farmers; and teaching basic literacy to women involved in community businesses.

TechnoServe staff work directly with over 560 farm groups, cooperatives and other community-based organizations to identify sources of credit and improved markets and to help rural entrepreneurs add value to their raw commodities by using local processing to enhance the product. They also work with rural banks and other institutions to strengthen capacity to provide loans to rural entrepreneurs.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps work together at TechnoServe’s Ghana operation. USAID funds TechnoServe and five Peace Corps Volunteers work on TechnoServe projects.