THE GOVERNOR General of Canada, Michaelle Jean will pay a one-week state visit to the country from November 27.

A press release issued by the Canadian High Commission to Ghana said at the request of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Governor General, Canada's Head od State, will lead a delegation of distinguished Canadians from civil society to Ghana and he will be in Ghana from November 27 to December 1, and will meet the President, Mr. John Agyekum Kufour.

The visit, according to the release and announced by the Acting Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Donald Bobiash, said the visit will highlight Canada's bilateral, relationship with Ghana and the many local partnerships created through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and other Canadian entities.

While in the country, the organizations to be visited include the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Supreme Court and a number of other Canadian-funded, innovative projects that are improving the quality of life of Ghanaians.

Her Excellency will also visit the historic Elmina Castle and the northern city of Tamale, where she will have the opportunity to visit a village benefiting from CIDA programme and participate in a durbar.

The Governor General, the release noted, will also meet with Canadians working in Ghana to learn about their contributions to Ghanaian development.

Ghana is a country of concentration for Canadian development assistance, which has increased by over 400% during the last four years. Bilateral trade between Canada and Ghana is $123.4 million; in 2005 Canadian exports to Ghana increased by 40% over the previous year. Ghana is Canada's third largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.

The two countries have also worked closely in multilateral fora to promote regional peace and stability, the release added.