A United Kingdom-based Consortium with the vision to develop Accra as a sustainable city and re-positioning it as a world city fit for the 21st Century, on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.

The meeting, which formed part of a consultation process with President Kufuor and key sector Ministers of State was also a follow-up to a meeting held between President Kufuor and the Society of Black Architects (SOBA) in July last year.

The Consortium is made up of architects, consulting engineers, manager and construction consultants.

Miss Elsie Owusu, an architect and leader of the Consortium, told newsmen that the project was not a face-lift for Accra but a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) project to create jobs, education and training for their Ghanaian counterparts.

She said during their meeting with President Kufuor last year, they were tasked to put their talents and experience at government's disposal for the full utilisation of the potentials in the architecture of the Flagstaff House and its environs to generate funds.

Miss Owusu said other areas to be tackled by the Consortium were the drainage, road infrastructure, solution to the perennial floods and development of a master plan to make Accra one of the prestigious cities in the world.

Mr Alan Turner, Managing Director of Gleeds BBL, an International Management and Construction Consultants based in Bristol, UK, said the Consortium on completion of their work, would help raise the image and profile of the country internationally for investments.

He said the project would be extended to other urban towns in the country. The Consortium is expected to visit Jamestown, Osu, Nima, Tema and Aburi. It would also travel to Kumasi to meet the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive.

In another development, Mr John Edward Thomas, Senior Vice President of Eddie Bauer Corporation of the US also held a meeting with President Kufuor behind closed doors.

The meeting centred on the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on Garments. Eddie Bauer is one of the leading garment retail chains in the US, which offers a distinctive and diverse range of clothing, accessories and home furnishing.