The press secretary to the president, Kwabena Agyepong has been justifying Mr. Kufuor?s recent trip to the United States and Britain, saying it has helped showcase Ghana as a preferred investment and tourism destination in the world.

In an apparent response to critics who said the trip was a total waste of the taxpayers? money, Mr. Agyepong told journalists on arrival that the 10-day visit also provided a platform for the enhancement of the country?s image abroad.

Reports in the sections of the media suggest that the president and his team were ?spoiling themselves? in the luxurious Williard hotel in the US in the name of seeking for investment for the country. The reports also said the president went on the trip with a 48-member delegation, suggesting that the number was too much and a waste of resources.

The president?s hard-hitting press secretary described the reports as malicious and mischievous, aimed at creating disaffection for the president and his government.

He recounted the benefits that have come out of president Kufuor?s foreign visits.

According to Mr. Agyepong, last year, Ghana was selected by the Discovery Global Communications for a special documentary to promote the country?s tourist attractions to the world.

He said during the visit, the one-hour documentary, which was produced jointly by the Discovery Global Communications and the Africa Society on the National Summit on Africa virtually free of charge, was premiered in Maryland in the USA.

The film, which featured the president as the chief tour guide, would be shown to about 84 million households in America on November 08 and to more than 200 million households in Europe and Asia on December 21, 2005.

He said a similar film which was produced for Uganda, precipitated a near-boom for that country?s tourism industry and expressed the hope that the documentary on Ghana would produce similar effects on the tourism industry in the country.

Additionally, the presidential press secretary said the president held bilateral talks with President George W. Bush where the USA affirmed its commitment to help Ghana to accelerate the achievement of her development objectives.

He said the president held discussions with a number of companies interested in investing in Ghana and also met Mr. Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank and Mr. Rodrrigo Rato, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to discuss issues relating to Ghana?s economy.

He said the president used the occasion to appeal to the two Bretton Wood Institutions to harmonise their positions on the effective date for the total debt cancellation for 18 poor countries, including Ghana, which was announced recently by the G-8.

Mr. Agyepong said the president also had a meeting with the national security adviser of the Bush administration and addressed the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) of the USA at its 17th annual dinner in Washington.

The function was attended by more than 2,000 African-American business executives from various parts of the USA.

The ELC is an influential business organization primarily comprising senior African-American executives in major US corporations.

He boasted that President Kufuor, the first African president to be recognized for his exemplary leadership of diversity and inclusion was presented with crystal urn (large tea or coffee container) custom-made by an exclusive designer, by Coca Cola.

Mr. Agyepong said the president took his investment drive to Britain where he called on the British business community, as well as investors worldwide to invest in Ghana.