Ghana?s Ambassador to the United States His Excellency Fritz Poku visited Omaha, Nebraska recently, where he participated in the First International Diplomatic Conference organised by the State of Nebraska. The conference explored opportunities in trade, industry and culture as well as explored opportunities to create friendships between the countries present and the State.

While on this business and investment tour, Ambassador Poku met with senior officials of International Healthcare Services of the Nebraska Medical Center who have offered to introduce Ghana to its strategic international partnership programme, which reaches out to patients around the globe through its no-cost training. The programme offers assistance in the area of direct patient care as well as engagement in medical education and research. It has so far been introduced to 70 partners in 31 countries.

Ambassador Poku who visited facilities at the Nebraska Medical Center expressed optimism about the programme?s positive effect in the general healthcare delivery system in Ghana after possible adoption and said the country was grateful to the International Healthcare Services for their offer to pursue collaborative programmes with the Ministry of Health and the Medical Schools in Ghana.

Following his visit to Omaha, the Governor, Mr. Mike Johanns and his Secretary of State, John A. Gale have since made Ambassador Poku an honorary citizen of the State of Nebraska, a mid-western agricultural State. The two in a certificate to this effect asked the Ambassador, who was accompanied on this trip by the Minister Counsellor of Trade and Investment, Mr. Johnson Adasi, to consider Nebraska as his ?home away from home.?

Ambassador Poku in response thanked the Governor and Secretary of State respectively for the honour done him and Ghana and promised to undertake visits to renew old acquaintances and keep current on Nebraska?s remarkable progress and growth in addition to the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge about the cultures and industry between Ghana and Nebraska.