Mr. David Lloyd Johnston, Canadian Governor General on Thursday left Ghana for Botswana after a four-day state visit to the country as part of a three-nation tour of Africa.
Ghana was the first leg of the tour, which will see him and his entourage visiting the Republics of Botswana and South Africa.
Mr. Johnston and entourage were seen off at the airport by President John Dramani Mahama, Ms Trudy Kernighan, Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Samuel Valis-Akyianu-Ghana�s High commissioner to Canada, amidst drumming and dancing, as well as a guard of honour mounted by a contingent from the Ghana Air Force.
Mr. Johnston and his entourage, including some investors arrived in Ghana on Monday May 13, and held meetings with President Mahama at the Flagstaff House. He also co-hosted a business luncheon with Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, visited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, where wreaths were laid at the tombs of the Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his wife.
The Governor-General is the federal representative of the Canadian Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and his visit was expected to strengthen bilateral relation and deepen commercial and educational ties between the two countries.
Other highlights of his visit include a visit to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, meetings with the various Ministers, a joint news conference hosted by President Mahama, a visit to the University of Ghana and the Crop Research Institute at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research.
David Johnston began his professional career as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at the Queen�s University in 1966, moving to the Law Faculty at the University of Toronto in 1968. He became the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario in 1974.
In 1979, he was named principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University, and in July 1994, he returned to the McGill Faculty of Law as a full-time professor. In June 1999, he became the fifth president of the University of Waterloo.
Mr. Johnston has served on many provincial and federal task forces and committees. He has also served on the boards of a number of companies, including Arise, CGI, Fairfax, and Masco.
He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Conf�rence des recteurs et des principaux des universit�s du Qu�bec.
He was the founding chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, chaired the federal government�s Information Highway Advisory Council, and served as the first non-American chair of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University.
Mr. Johnston is the author or co-author of two dozen books, holds honorary doctorates from over twenty universities, and has been awarded the Order of Canada (Companion).
Mr. Johnston holds an LL.B. from Queen�s University (1966), an LL.B. from the University of Cambridge (1965), and an AB from Harvard University (1963).
While at Harvard, he was twice selected for the All-American hockey team and is a member of Harvard�s Athletic Hall of Fame. His academic specializations include securities regulation, information technology and corporate law.
He was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and is married to Sharon Johnston. They have five adult daughters and nine grandchildren.
Sworn in on October 1, 2010, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston is the 28th Governor General since Confederation.
Also at the airport to see him off was Mrs. Dzifa Gomashie-Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang-Minister of education and other dignitaries.
<<Print>>