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ACCRA MAYOR SOLOMON DARKO VISITS CHICAGO

CHICAGO:- Accra Mayor Solomon Darko sure will need a rest when he returns to Ghana after his one-week visit to Chicago at the behest of Sister Cities International. Organizers Julie Driscoll, Deborah Harrington and Julie Stagliano made sure that his tailor-made trip encompassed visits to various hot spots including City Hall, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Merchandise Mart, Whitney Young High School and various other places.

Mayor Darko was here to meet with Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley and explore business opportunities for partnering with Chicago firms and investors in collaborative ventures.

Among some of the discussion points that were pertinent to his visit were the Nobel Peace Prize and Ghanaian UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his being considered for the award; last year’s successful free elections and what created the conditions for this watershed in Ghana’s history.

Hinting on issues that would the forefront of his visit, Mayor Darko at every stop relayed to the audience his strategies of making Accra one of the cleanest cities on the continent. “I am very surprised at the beauty and spotlessness of your city. I vow to make Accra the same for cleanliness attracts investors who subsequently bring their businesses into the cities,” said Mayor Darko. He hopes to make Accra the gateway to the Sub-Saharan African countries. He expressed his deep appreciation for the relationship between the two Sister cities and plans to communicate frequently.

After arriving in Chicago Monday, October 22, Mr. Darko, accompanied by special advisor Mr. Frank Tackie and Mr. Prince Kwame Kludjeson, International Country Coordinator/Sister Cities, remarked that indeed Chicago is a beautiful city.

The delegation’s first official stop the following day took them to City Hall at the Streets and Sanitation department where they met Commissioner Al Sanchez. They later stopped by the Sports Development and talked to Coordinator Joe Sarna. A reception at the Museum of Contemporary Arts treated Mayor Darko and his entourage to authentic exhibit of African Art.

The second day in Chicago had the delegates visiting the Chicago Transit Authority where he toured the facility and discussed mass transit issues, Merchandise Mart and Reggio’s Pizza. The group later stopped by at the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development in the Pilsen neighborhood. There they discussed job resource centers, a partnership between City Colleges, Dept. of Human Services, Dept. of Employment security and strategies for providing career training and employment services. They capped the night off at Oakley Construction Company, a Ghanaian construction establishment.

Thursday was no exception as far as the delegation’s busy schedule was concerned. Mayor Darko and the delegates started out at the residence of Attorney Robert Bennett, the honorary consul of Ghana, where they had breakfast. They later stopped by Whitney Young High School and then City Hall where they met Mayor Richard Daley for a reception. A town planner deeply concerned about the cleanliness of the environment, Mayor Darko became elated when he visited waste management, recycling, garbage, water quality and availability. The delegates stopped by the Department of Planning and Development at the Landmarks Division where they met with Eleanor Esser and Terry Tatum, Director of Research. Dinner at Maxim’s on the Gold Coast would prove to be intimate with the likes of Charles Bowen, Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago, Sculptor Richard Hunt, Atty. Robert Bennett, Ricardo Millet, Mr. & Mrs. Grant Acquah, Ms. Joan Small, members of Sisters Cities International among the participants.

Friday marked another busy day. After visiting Definitions Solutions, an Information Technology establishment headed by Mr. Walter Reynolds, the mayor and his group stopped by the South Side YMCA and then ETA Creative Arts Foundation. They topped the day’s event at Auditorium Theater with the Dance Africa exhibition.

On Saturday, Mayor Darko met with the Ghanaian community at the South Shore Cultural Center for a town meeting. This was his first meeting with the community and jubilation got the better side of him. Organized by the Ghana National Council the conference gave the people opportunity to meet the mayor of Accra.

On Sunday the mayor visited Trinity Church. Thereafter he met with the Ga Community where a reception was held in his honor. Mayor Darko left Chicago on Sunday, October 28, 2001 with sure hopes of seeing his dreams materialize once he gets to Ghana.

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