Obama Chooses Ghana for First African Visit

Barack Obama has chosen Ghana for his first visit to Africa since becoming the President of the United States. Its upsetting some in Kenya where his father comes from. Lets find out why.
Ghana is celebrating after it was announced on Tuesday that U.S. President, Barack Obama will make the country his first stop on his first trip to Africa since becoming president.

But the visit in July has disappointed some in Kenya where Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother, was hailed as "a son of Kenya" during his presidential campaign.

On Tuesday they were rejoicing instead in Ghana.

Despite high expectations inspired across Africa by Obama's election, the world's poorest continent has not been high on his agenda. Hes been tackling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea.

The White House says Obama hopes to strengthen U.S. ties with Ghana and highlight the "critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development.

People on the streets of Accra were delighted.

But the news that his first visit to Africa as U.S. president would see him visiting Ghana rather than Kenya was splashed across major Kenyan newspapers, and was also the subject of political cartoons.

Some articles considered the choice of Ghana a major snub to Kenya. Others pointed out that it was a way to pressurize Kenyan politicians into improving their performance.

On the streets of Nairobi, there was an appraisal of why Obama was not going there first.

[Nairobi Resident]:
"What Obama is doing is a sort of protesting on what the grand coalition is going through. I think that the best think that the grand coalition should do is to be serious in their reform agenda, its when Obama can come here — he cannot come here in order to be seen like taking positions of the side of the grand coalition."

One woman considered it down to the crime rate.

[Nairobi Resident]:
"No. Kenya is really unsafe, and who said he must come here because he was born here? If he comes here he may be mugged, let him stay until our security is proper."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• NTD
• Barack Obama
• Ghana
• Africa
• Visit
• United States
• Kenya
• Election Iraq
• Afghanistan

[ArmadadeSauvages]

Ghana is also very rich in term of natural resources ; oil. I 've heard on french t.v there are billions and billions dollars oil to exploit in Ghana's soil.

Most Ghaneans are enlighten and nice people and the country is stable.

The thing i appreciate about Obama is the fact that he hates all the savage dictators put in place...by western Governments.Never forget this !

[ebraco30]

And my African brothers and sisters,

Please stop this show of shallow-mindedness, arguing over which country Obama should visit. We're all Africans. It matters less whether Obama goes to Ghana or Kenya. Very few Western leaders even visit the continent. If you think America or Europe will solve our problems for us, you're just insulting common sense. Infact, watch this carefully, they'll never even let the A.U agree on very important African issues!

[kmcl11]

The cartoons always draw obama as a monkey...wow.

[TheEzekiel300]

@ajack50 3% tax increase on the rich is not socialism!

[surferdudette19]

Peace to you .

[mocny01]

@ebraco30 America is in recession so Borat Obama is looking for help...I Ghana he will learn many things...For that reason he is in Ghana,,,

[LordKaisen]

@ajack50 dumbass

[ajack50]

it's his country and he should have stayed there,we found that we don't want him here..too expensive and all the wrong socialist ideals

[magdamagda999]

eyeboah

well, we could ask that obama stop spending the US into bankruptcy. i don't think that is too much to ask for.

obama is bankrupting the US. he is going to go down in history as jimmy carter 2.0

[tadelesh12]

Afica is the wealthies continent on the world unfortunatly, this what happen:

The Scramble for Africa: Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 to Divide Africa The foreign ministers of fourteen European powers and the United States established ground rules for the future exploitation of the "dark continent." Africans were not invited or made privy to their decisions." less

[zulukydd]

erm its ghana i didnt hear kenya or south africa

ghana!