Accra, Jan. 9, GNA - Ghana on Friday honoured Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO with a Grand Medal (Honorary Division) for his significant role in instituting and sustaining the decentralization process of UNESCO with the establishment of the Accra UNESCO Cluster Office.

It was also in recognition of his distinguished career as a diplomat and visionary career in UNESCO and Ghana.

President John Agyekum Kufuor decorated Mr Matsuura while Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports read the citation. This took place at a dinner hosted in honour of Mr Matsuura and delegates attending the on-going Second ECOWAS Ministers and Experts of Education meeting at the gardens of the Castle, Osu.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports presented a Kente cloth to Mr Matsuura and his wife Mrs Takako Matsuura who were on a three-day visit to Ghana at the invitation of President Kufuor.

President Kufuor proposing the toast said Mr Matsuura began his diplomatic career in Ghana in 1961 during the First Republic and took a number of steps to promote the relationship between Ghana and Japan. He said Mr Matsuura was very instrumental in the establishment of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Research into Malaria at the University of Ghana, Legon and made special contributions to the development of education especially in promoting teacher training institutions in Ghana.

Mr Matsuura in replying to the toast said his visit was a homecoming one after 40 years of diplomatic career in Ghana. He commended President Kufuor for his re-election as the Chairman of ECOWAS for a second term.

Mr Matsuura said the re-election was an indication of the trust and confidence the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS countries had in President Kufuor's leadership and his efforts to restore peace and stability to the West African sub-region.

The Director-General of UNESCO said the smooth transition to democratic rule in Ghana in 2000 was remarkable in view of the absence of an effective and efficient democratic rule in any African country adding that Ghana had set the pace for democratic rule in Africa.

Mr Matsuura said through NEPAD African countries were now co-operating among themselves for development.

He said UNESCO would not only co-operate with the NEPAD Secretariat but also contribute to the promotion of intra-co-operation among African countries through education.

Mr Matsuura commended the government for promoting basic education and noted that without effective education no country could build a prosperous and sustainable development.

As part of the visit, Mr Matsuura would hold joint working session with Ministers in-charge of UNESCO's fields of competence as well as representatives of other UN bodies.

On Saturday, Mr Matsuura would visit the University of Cape Coast and the Cape Coast Castle where a mini-durbar would be held in his honour. He would to launch the Commemoration of the International Year of the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition.

The event would attract five Ministers of Culture of the countries under the Accra UNESCO Cluster Office. These are Ghana, Benin, Cote D'Ivoire, Togo and Nigeria. 09 Jan.04