Obama in Ghana on first sub-Saharan Africa visit

By Kwasi Kpodo and Jeff Mason

ACCRA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama was given a hero's welcome in Ghana on Friday on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office as the first black president of the United States.

It was a poignant moment for Africans as the leader of the world's most powerful country, the son of an African immigrant, and his wife Michelle, the descendant of Africans shipped to America as slaves, stepped onto the red carpet in Accra.

In Ghana, he is expected to deliver a message on the importance of good governance in a country that defies stereotypes of a continent blighted by conflict, coups and crisis.

"Part of the reason that we're travelling to Ghana is because you've got there a functioning democracy, a president who's serious about reducing corruption, and you've seen significant economic growth," Obama said before leaving Italy.

Obama, his wife and two daughters were met at the airport by President John Atta Mills, elected in a peaceful, transparent vote last December that set an example for the continent.

Economic reforms in the cocoa and gold producing country, set to begin pumping oil next year, also helped bring unprecedented investment and growth before the impact of the global financial crisis.

Obama shook hands with local dignitaries, some in the colourful traditional kente cloth. To cheers, he moved briefly to the beat of the traditional drummers in the humid evening air of the coastal capital.

"He could hear the music before we opened the doors," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. "This is both a special and an important visit for him personally as president but also for our country to articulate a vision for Africa."