Accra, Jan.27, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday said Ghana treasured her friendship with Canada as a pace setter within the G-8.

"We treasure the friendship with Canada as a pace setter within the G-8", he said.

President Kufuor made the observation when Mr Robert Fowler, the Canadian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Africa on a visit to Ghana paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu. President Kufuor commended Canada for her unique role in peacekeeping efforts worldwide, adding " Canada is next to Germany in peacekeeping worldwide".

Mr Fowler said peace, security and peacekeeping was dear to Canada and would continue to provide the needed assistance for peace anywhere in the world.

Mr Fowler is also the Canadian Ambassador to Italy, Permanent Representative to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

On arrival in Ghana, Mr Fowler visited the Field School Project at Libga in the Savelegu/Nanton District of the Northern Region last Monday.

Mr Fowler's visit to the region was to inspect agricultural projects funded by the WFP, FAO and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The Project at Libga is a training centre on modern agricultural technologies for farmers from five communities in the area. It also supports farmers with credit facilities to enable them to buy improved seeds, equipment and construct pens for their livestock. The project is sponsored under the FAO Special Programme for Food Security.

Mr Fowler also visited the Nutrition Centre at Dungu in the Tamale Rural District, where 250 children aged between eight months and three years were undergoing pre-school education. The children, from four communities, are provided with hot meals twice a day.

The WFP is supporting the centre built by ActionAid Ghana, a British NGO.

Mr Fowler also inspected an FAO sponsored grasscutter project undertaken by 25 women at Gumani in the Tamale Metropolis and the CIDA funded Northern Region Water and Sanitation Project (NORWASP) at Sang in the Yendi District.