Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British Monarch, is set to receive President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana for a State Visit to the United Kingdom (UK). The historic visit, at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, will be from March 13 to 15, 2007.

During the visit, the President and Mrs Theresa Kufuor will stay at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The palace is perhaps one of the biggest residences in the world, with 775 rooms, 19 State Rooms, 52 Royal and Guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

The visit, among other things, will offer Ghana the opportunity to market itself to the investor community in the UK. The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) is, for instance, organising a special roundtable conference at Buckingham Palace on March 14 to?facilitate?opportunities for profitable investment in Ghana.?

The forum will set out the economic?advances made by the country in?recent years and highlight the opportunities available for investment in Ghana.

The Director-General of the council, Dr Mohan?Kaul, in an interview, said, "We are proud to be participating in President Kufuor's State?Visit and to have been invited to work with Ghana's leading?business institutions.?The tide of opinion on Africa is changing rapidly as?government's like President Kufuor's reform old structures, take?determined action against corruption and embrace good?business practice and governance."