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Ghanaians beat drum for Obama, hail 'change' call
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 11 - 07 - 2009


Ghanaians gave U.S President
Barack Obama a jubilant welcome on his first visit to
sub-Saharan Africa as head of state on Saturday, hailing his
achievements and his African heritage, Reuters reported.
Accra residents applauded the message from America's first
black president that Africa must take responsibility for solving
its own problems, though tight security and roadblocks meant few
were able to catch sight of him.
Radio stations played a selection of laid-back reggae
grooves with vocalists lionising Obama as the first black man to
sit in the White House, and imploring him to pay renewed
attention to the continent of his father's birth.
On the streets, drummers in bright yellow T-shirts showing
the faces of Obama and Ghana's President John Atta Mills
celebrated "a partnership for change," while some who heard
Obama's speech hailed it as a "wake-up call for Africa".
Still, expectations about what the Obama administration can
do for a continent riven by disease, corruption and conflict
were anchored in reality.
"It's childish to assume that President Obama will
immediately improve the fortunes of Africa overnight," said
Accra lawyer Magnus Asante. "He must first of all pay attention
to the world financial crisis which by extension is also taking
a toll on our continent," he said.
Ghanaians, some wearing deep blue shirts with Obama's
smiling face printed on them, welcomed his declaration in
parliament that "Africa's future is up to Africans."
"It was a wake-up call for Africa," said visiting Nigerian
journalist Stella Williams. "He was not talking about the U.S.
as just handing out aid but being a development partner, and
he's asking Africans to build manpower and infrastructure."
Though Ghana has taken plaudits for December's peaceful and
democratic transition of power, in contrast to many other
African countries, and hopes are high that its expected 2010
debut as an oil exporter will bring new wealth to the country,
the former British colony has its problems.
President Mills' government has so far failed in its
attempts to reduce inflation, which has hovered around 20
percent since the start of the year, and, struggling with a high
budget deficit, the government is in talks with the
International Monetary Fund for around $1 billion to boost
foreign exchange reserves. In June, the World Bank agreed a $535
million package to help stabilise the economy.
"We should use the platform which the visit offers to
attract more investors to the country," said an editorial in
Saturday's edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper.
Aid packages, it said, "should not replace entirely our
responsibility to take our destiny into our own hands."
Other Ghanaians rejoiced in the symbolic endorsement of
their country that a presidential visit bestowed, while
recognising that a short visit from Obama would not transform
Ghana, much less the continent as a whole.
"I am not under any illusion that he's coming to solve our
problems in one go, but the long term benefits are enormous,"
said Janet Ashiboe, 42, a market trader in Accra.
"We need to show him our love. He is our own," she said.


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