TUMI MAKGABO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "In Focus" - Ghana.

This vibrant West African nation is situated along the Gulf of Guinea between Ivory Coast and Togo. In 1957, it became the first African nation to gain independence. While under British rule, Ghana had been known as the gold coast, and for good reason. The precious metal has been mined for hundreds of years, yet large reserves remain. Today, gold accounts for 40 percent of the country's export earnings. Still, agriculture is the backbone of the economy, employing more than 60 percent of the workforce.

Nearly 20 million people call themselves Ghanaians, and while English is the official language which they speak, more than 25 other languages are also spoken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: President John Kufuor of Ghana, who swept into power earlier this year in a vote many saw as a mandate for change, says a part of that change will be ensuring the private sector can work without political constraints. In an interview with CNN Financial correspondent Charles Hodson, President Kufuor did say his first priority has been to build up his political team.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KUFUOR, GHANAIAN PRESIDENT Of course I am also very concerned about the state of the economy for which I have got an economic team working feverishly to prepare budgets that should come out in about a month's time.

CHARLES HODSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Mr. President, you used to be in business yourself. How will you set about creating a more favorable business climate, perhaps one that would attract more overseas investment into Ghana?

KUFUOR: Make sure the legal system is truly free and fearless of executive meddling and also enable your indigenous entrepreneurs to attract the international counterparts. It may mean thinking of venture capital to support people with feasible projects. It may also mean affirmative action so that your private sector businessmen are enabled to talk eyeball to eyeball with their foreign counterparts.

And generally, you cut out political patronage or you reduce political patronage so that the businessman who proves that he's got a good project, whether he's in your party or not, can interact confidently on the basis of sound projects with people he or she has to deal with.

HODSON: So do you have a vision of Ghana as a kind of Switzerland of West Africa, perhaps?

KUFUOR: It's possible. We address ourselves as the gateway of the sub-region, and already we are touted as the haven of stability and peace in the sub-region. We are attracting, thereby, people who are interested to invest in the sub-region. We need to work on our currency, and I believe when we tackle that problem successfully, we would be drawing capital from within the sub-region and overseas.

HODSON: So is there a possibility of currency reform, maybe introducing a new currency, not having so many zeroes on the end?

KUFUOR: Yes, that. But it is not so much the zeroes as the stability of the currency so that it's predictable for the investor.

HODSON: State services - hospitals, law enforcement, utilities and so on - what are your priorities there? They all need resources. They all need attention.

KUFUOR: These are what we call social services for the people generally. And their provision depends very much on the budget. And I have told you I am writing a budget. All my economic team is preparing a budget that should be given to the people, the nation, through parliament in about a month's time.

HODSON: Well, Mr. President, in terms of HIV, you don't have as overwhelming a problem as perhaps some of your southern African neighbors have. But it's still of tragic proportions. What do you see as the best way of combating HIV?

KUFUOR: Education. Education should be the key. And of course, having access to the new discoveries, scientific discoveries to spread about to make it affordable to people generally. But above all, education in the sense that when you succeed in making the people aware that their lives and their future, the future of whole communities, are at stake, when you do that, then perhaps people will be careful enough as to how to live. But as far as we know, there is yet no cure for this deadly disease.

HODSON: Mr. Kufuor, your arrival in power is seen by many Ghanaians as the arrival at long last of democracy and a more open society. Those are huge expectations. Do you think you will be able to fulfill them?

KUFUOR: I believe if we can even lay solid foundations toward eventual establishment of democracy, we will have achieved a lot. We have a term of only four years to start with, and within the four years, there are so many causes (ph) on our very limited time and resources.

But we mean to live within the constitution of our country, which is essentially democratic. And my party comes from a tradition, the longest in Ghana's history, of gold coast even, for about 50 years. The word from start was always liberal democracy. So we come to democracy without effort. It is natural with us in that we believe we will go a very long way by the end of the first term of office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: In recent meetings with regional leaders, President Kufuor has said the success of his new leadership should be measured not only in how the government improves living standards, but also how it promotes the principles of democracy and the rule of law.

Well, let's stay in Ghana but shift our focus to the environment. Femi Oke is standing by with a story of a world-class adventure.

Femi?

**** **** ***** **** **** *** ***** ***** ***

Source: CNN.com