Mr. Speaker, I rise to give a hearty welcome to His Excellency John Kufuor, president of the Republic of Ghana, on the occasion of his official visit to Canada.
President Kufuor is the first Ghanian head of state to visit Canada since the country's independence in 1957. He is a founding member of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana and was elected president of the country in December 2000.
Ghana is one of Africa's thriving nations with a commitment to the principles of democracy. Its peaceful and transparent transition of political power from one democratically elected government to another is a model for many African countries.
Relations between Canada and Ghana reflect four decades of personal and official contacts that began through Canadian development assistance and through common membership in the UN and the Commonwealth.
Ghana receives Canada's largest aid program in sub-Saharan Africa and is Canada's third largest export market in sub-Saharan Africa.