Bush comes, Accra reacts(page 53) February 25, 2008

Story: Michael Donkor
A cross-section of Ghanaians interviewed in Accra appeared divided over whether the $17-million package announced by the United States President, George W. Bush, to fight malaria in the country could achieve the needed results.
While some people believed that the amount could fund programmes to reduce the incidence of malaria, others said it could not fight the disease as expected since a larger part of the money would be misapplied by corrupt public officials.
They have, therefore, called for the establishment of an independent body to enforce the judicious use of the package to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
In a random interview to sample the views of a cross-section of Ghanaians in Accra on the aftermath of President Bush’s visit and his package for Ghana, those who saw his visit as a good gesture said malaria had been one of the major killer diseases in Ghana and as such the package given to the country was not only timely but also a support in the right direction.
They appealed to those who would be entrusted with the money to use it judiciously for the benefit of affected persons.
They also argued that the visit had further strengthened the relationship between the two countries.
Mr Yaw Sakyi, a mobile phone dealer at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, said malaria, which is no respector of persons, whether old or young, had had people spend their meagre salaries in fighting it and that the package given to Ghana was laudable.
He said although the government had made efforts to fight malaria, the package was a big boost, which deserved commendation.
Mr Sakyi said the visit of Bush, whose entourage included some businessmen, was also a sign that very soon American businesses would open more branches in Ghana while more Ghanaian goods would find their way into the American market to earn foreign exchange for the country.
Mr Kwasi Adu Afriyie, a businessman in the Import and Export sector, said the package demonstrated the confidence the USA had in Ghana in terms of good governance and democracy.
He said now that America had openly declared its support for Ghana, there was the need for the country to tap expertise from America to make great strides in the path that it was charting.
Mr Afriyie said President Bush’s to visit and his support for the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS was a good idea from a leader of his calibre.
He said a third world country like Ghana certainly needed to partner developed countries like the United States of America so that it could also develop.
He said it was in view of this that he saw President Bush’s visit to Ghana as positive towards the development of the country.
He said the cream of American investors and businessmen in the entourage of President Bush meant that there was room for the progress of the nation.
Mr George Ntumi, an entrepreneur, said he was happy to hear the package announced by President Bush for Ghanaians and said it showed that the efforts of President Kufuor in fighting malaria had been recognised as a step towards the fight against major killer diseases in the country.
He said the businessmen in the encourage of President Bush to Ghana to explore business opportunities here further demonstrated their confidence in the leadership style of Ghana.
He said in business one needed more partners from all countries, especially the developed ones, to trade with.
He said as a businessman, he was glad because it would benefit his business.
Mr Ntumi said Ghana was now the shining star of Africa and that this was evident in the visit of President Bush and his support for the country.
He said although President Bush’s term of office was coming to an end, his visit was very significant to international politics.
He recalled President Kufuor’s outstanding performance as the Chairman of the African Union and the Chairman of ECOWAS as well, and his sterling qualities as the President of Ghana, stressing that even though there were some lapses in his administration, President Kufuor had won the admiration of many world leaders.
Ms Adwoa Antwi, who is also an entrepreneur, said the visit of President Bush to Ghana was beneficial because it had once again put Ghana on the world map a developing country and an oasis of peace.
She said countries cemented friendships for many reasons and that although America might have some economic interest, it was good for the country.
Dr Sarfo Akenten, a political analyst, said President Bush’s visit to Ghana was inconsequential to the development of the nation.
He said the package and other promises of helping fight neglected tropical diseases were all attempts to make further strides into the economies of Africans.
He said the rate at which China and Dubai were dominating the African markets posed a threat to the Americans, hence such visits and packages were important.
Mr Akenten said while China was giving grants to Africa and producing relatively cheaper but quality goods, America was lending to Africa with stringent conditions and economic ties.
He said since the discovery of oil in the country, America’s interest in Ghana had increased tremendously.
He recalled the number of United States Generals that had visited the country in recent times, all in the name of grabbing the oil in Africa and Ghana in particular.
He said the assertion by President Bush that the US was not going to set up a military base in Ghana was due to the public resentment that first greeted the news.
Mr Akenten said President Bush’s visit would have been unpopular should he have gone ahead to confirm that America had the interest of setting up a base in Ghana.
Mr Alex Bampoe, a businessman, said the package announced by President Bush would not benefit Ghanaians in the fight against malaria because it would end up in the pockets of some few elite as the situation had always been.
He, therefore, suggested that an independent body be set up to monitor the disbursement and use of the money, to ensure its benefit to Ghanaians.
Bannerman Villas, also a businessman, said President Bush’s visit was significant because of his efforts at helping Africa address the HIV/AIDS pandemic and especially the announcement of $17 million to fight malaria in Ghana.
Alidu Dramani, an artist at Kaneshie, said the poor were not going to gain anything from Bush's visit.
He said the money to be donated by the US government to fight malaria would benefit only the bureaucrats and those who were in power, with only a small percentage to reach the target group.
Janet Akuoko, an educationist, said the responsibility to make real changes in the lives of Africans rested on the shoulders of African countries, their people and their leaders and not President Bush, so she did not see any benefit coming from his visit.
She said no matter who visited Africa, if the Africans themselves did not take the bull by the horn and get down to something serious, their predicament would be the same.
Emmanuel Tetteh, an evangelist, said President Bush's visit to Ghana would not help the people of Ghana in any way.
According to him, the visits were meant to make President Bush and his hosts look good.
Seth Frimpong, an energy expert, said what Africa needed was a fair trade with the rest of the world, forgiveness of Third World debt, and corrupt-free leaders who would work to improve the lives of the masses.
Until then, visits by any American President would be insignificant.