Former President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived home on Tuesday night
after four weeks travel abroad which took him to the United States, Europe and
Asia during which he received an honorary doctorate degree and assumed
chairmanship of the international peace group, Interpeace.
The Inje
University in Seoul, South Korea awarded him an honorary doctorate degree (PhD)
in Political Science
for his exemplary leadership as President of Ghana for two terms
and for his contribution to peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Kenya.
A statement
signed by Mr Frank Agyekum, Press Secretary at the Office of former President,
said Swiss-based Interpeace, which was supported by the United Nations and works towards peace and conflict resolution
in areas of civil strife, made him Chairman of their Board of Governors.
Former
President Kufuor's chairmanship of Interpeace follows the stepping down of
former Nobel Peace prize
winner and former
President of Finland, Marti Athesari, after nine years.
Former
President Kufuor becomes the first African and the first person in the Southern
hemisphere to head Interpeace.
The statement
said during his visit to the US the former President formally launched the
700th anniversary of the founding of Exeter College at the University of Oxford
of which he is an alumnus, and delivered lectures at the Medical College,
Cornell University and at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Boston,
Massachusetts.
At The Hague, The Netherlands, former
President Kufuor was the special guest speaker at the celebration of 60 years
of Dutch development cooperation dubbed: "The Millennium Event - 60
years of Dutch development cooperation."
In Tokyo,
Japan, former President Kufuor addressed an international conference on:
"Africa and Globalization - Enabling a Better Future," at the United Nations University.
Former President Kufuor described his tour as
gratifying and said it was ample testimony of the international community's
appreciation of leaders who promoted the rule of law and promoted human rights
as well as the welfare of their people.