The cancellation of our debts and the recognition that at last, the former Gold Coast has shed off the image of dictatorship which characterized the political landscape for close to two decades should be a thing of joy to all true sons and daughters of Ghana.

Already on the high seas and heading for Ghana are eight 40ft containers of medical equipment donated to the country by Cook County, Chicago, US.

The deal was arranged by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I.C. Quaye when he visited the US state recently.

The minister, according to The Chicago Inquirer, "won the approval for the country (Ghana) to benefit used medical equipment."

One of the facilitators of the donation said it is a way of giving back to Africa. According to The Chicago Inquirer the donation was made through the efforts of John Stroger in a bid to alleviate the health problems in the country.

The medical supplies which are surplus items from the old Cook County Hospital were thoroughly sanitized to ensure that no disease is transferred to the country.

Also cited for their role in getting the donation through to Ghana is the former Ghana National Council President in Chicago, Clement Tiempo and Martin Bonsu, city of Chicago Assistant Commissioner both of whom have been described as arrowheads in the arrangement.

The items include surgical cart, stress test machine, 40 incubators, 41 gurney, infant scales, 185 beds, 66 crash carts, 73 aspirators and 29 defibrillators.

Others are OR lamps, ortho monitor, orthopedic Doppler, sterilization equipment and stretchers. There are also RPX-Mart processor, X-Ray viewer, processor and 14 X-Ray machines.

The rest are ultrasound equipment, table stands utility cart, incubator, IV pole and treadmill among others. More than 25 volunteers worked to get the items loaded and shipped to Ghana.

The ordinance or the legal backing for the donation was passed by the Cook County board in October last year.

In another gesture of goodwill towards the country, a business delegation from Chicago Heights is expected in the country to formalize a sister city relationship with Asuogyaman.

According to a correspondence from the African-American Chamber of Business, there is also the possibility of establish a cousin city relationship with a location in the Greater Accra Region. The delegation, which would be led by a member of the city government, Alderman Kevin Perkins would pay a courtesy call on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I.C. Quaye.

The delegation would include a developer seeking to establish trade relations and investment in business projects in Ghana that will create employment and earn the country foreign exchange. The African Development Foundation, a US Government agency recently announced a package for small businesses in Ghana.

According to the deal, small-scale business persons in the country will soon benefit from an American-propelled financial support package which seeks to provide up to $10 million annually to finance 40 new business investment projects this year.

To actualize the deal, the Washington-based ADF and the Government of Ghana signed a new strategic partnership that will significantly expand ADF's resources to deliver direct investment and technical assistance to Ghana's small business sector.

Mr. Kwamina Bartels, Minister for Private Sector Development, signed for Ghana and the ADF President Nathaniel Fields and Board Chair Ward Brehm signed for the foundation at a ceremony at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC.

The three signatories later met with President J.A. Kufuor during his recent visit to Washington and he expressed strong support for the strategic partnership.

The strategic partnership according to a news release from the ADF Secretariat, builds a five-year investment compact that ADF and Ghana signed in November 2002.

At that time according to the release, each party agreed to commit $1 million annually to business investment projects benefiting 8 Ghanaian-owned businesses per year.

The revised agreement will increase total investment in ADF's business investment programme by up to 400 percent and provide up to $50 million in direct investment to 200 Ghanaian-owned small and medium sized businesses between 2006 and 2010.

Each business will receive expansion capital and management, marketing and technical assistance provided by ADF.

"The image of the United States as an effective development partner is greatly enhanced by strategic partnerships like ADF's business investment program. It is a partnership that works well in Africa," said Mr. Bartels.

President Fields thanked the government of Ghana for its support for ADF's investment programme noting that "Ghana has created a positive environment for small business growth and our agreement underscores America's commitment to helping Ghana make the dream of prosperity a reality in the 21st Century."

Some of the businesses which recently benefited from the ADF's programmes include Afrique Link of Wenchi, a processor of pureed tomatoes, Barbex Technology of Adomfe, a producer of essential oil, Bosbel Vegetable Oils of Tamale, a producer of soya bean oil and shea butter and Elsa Foods of Tema, a maker of instant fufu flour.

The rest are General Mills Company of Kumasi, a manufacturer of processed maize for major breweries, Getrade Ghana, an Accra-based producer of traditional products that is developing a traditional soap line, SAL Tilapia near Dodi, an aquaculture facility that cultivates and harvests tilapia and Woodhouse Company of Madina, a specialty maker of school furniture.

The ADF is a United States Government agency dedicated to expanding access to economic opportunity in Africa. Over the past 20 years, the agency has funded 1,600 projects in support of African entrepreneurs and local African communities.