The Presidential Press Secretary has explained that President Kufuor was unable to show up at a VOA programme ‘Straight Talk Africa” because he was attending a meeting with Africa Ambassadors. Sections of the public have criticized the President for failing to appear on the programme, which was carried live on the national television network, GTV.

But Mr Agyepong told the ‘Daily Guide’ that before the programme, President Kufuor made it known to the host, Shaka Sali that he had a tall line-up of programmes that day and that he would be meeting US President, George Bush, UNDP officials, African Ambassadors in the US and the UN Secretary General after which he hoped to turn up for the programme.

According to Mr Agyepong, the President was still in a meeting with the African Ambassadors when the VOA programme got underway and since it was the President who was billed to speak, none of the people in his entourage could deputise for him.

He was of view that the host did not help matters because he kept remarking that he had information that the Ghanaian President was caught up in traffic. “Infact, it was the host’s own calculation of things, but that was not the situation on the ground”, he added.