Ghanaian President Kufuor Thanks Bush For Efforts To Address HIV, Malaria, Other Issues During White House Visit

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 17 Sep 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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Ghanaian President John Kufuor on Monday during a visit to the White House praised President Bush for his efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, AFP/Google.com reports (AFP/Google.com, 9/15).

Kufuor during his arrival ceremony said the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the President's Malaria Initiative have helped African nations fight HIV/AIDS and malaria and have "dramatically increased financial resources to Ghana" and other countries affected by the diseases. Bush during Kufuor's arrival ceremony said that Ghana and the U.S. "stand as one in [their] work to free people from disease."

Bush added that Ghana and the U.S. have "protected hundreds of thousands of people from malaria" and that the two countries this month will begin distributing medicines to eight million people under an initiative to address neglected tropical diseases (White House release [1], 9/15). Kufuor said that the "hefty support" Ghana has received from PMI is "very welcome" and that the country "hope[s] to take [the funding] even further" by "employing technologies and more scientific research" (White House release [2], 9/15).

Kufuor also praised Bush for his efforts to promote economic development in Africa (AFP/Google.com, 9/15). Bush praised Ghana's efforts to fight "corruption" and "secure freedom from poverty" and said the U.S. is "proud to support these efforts" through the Millennium Challenge Account, which has helped improve agriculture and infrastructure in Ghana (White House release [1], 9/15). Kufuor after thanking Bush called on wealthy and developing countries to work together on development issues. "We believe the developed, as well as the developing countries, should feel that we are in the boat together and that we must learn to sail together, or perhaps we sink together," Kufuor said (AFP/Google.com, 9/15).

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