First Lady Melania Trump takes Be Best Campaign to Africa, first stop Ghana

First Lady Melania Trump’s Visit to Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana

American First Lady Melania Trump visit neo-natal hospital in Accra, Ghana on October 2, 2018.

First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Accra, Ghana Tuesday morning.  Mrs. Trump was greeted by the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy to Ghana, Christopher Lamora.  Flowers were presented to Mrs. Trump and local schoolchildren greeted her waving United States and Ghanaian flags.  Mrs. Trump was welcomed to the Jubilee Lounge for an official meeting with Mrs. Akufo-Addo.

In the afternoon, accompanied by USAID Administrator, Mark Green, Mrs. Trump visited the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, also known as Ridge Hospital.  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides robust assistance to this hospital, specifically to support maternal, newborn, and child health.  The First Lady and Administrator Green  were met by Mrs. Akufo-Addo, the Hospital Medical Director, Dr. Emmanuel Srofenyoh and the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison, who escorted them on a tour of the hospital.  The first stop was to the old wing of the hospital, the Child Welfare Clinic, where they observed how newborns were weighed with cloth bags hanging from a scale, and their vitals recorded in a ledger.  The medical staff showed Mrs. Trump and Administrator Green how they educate new mothers on infant care and the importance of immunizations and good nutrition.  The second stop was to the new wing of the hospital, where the First Lady and her delegation visited the newborn intensive care unit.  Mrs. Trump also had the opportunity to meet with new mothers being trained in the hospital’s Kangaroo Mother Care – a method used in caring for premature babies where infants are held skin-to-skin with the mother.  Before departing, Mrs. Trump donated baby blankets, teddy bears, weighing sacks, and diaper bags to the hospital.  All donations were personally selected by the First Lady. 

The First Lady then traveled to the Jubilee House to meet with Mrs. Akufo-Addo at her residence on the grounds, where they discussed the importance of maternal and newborn health in all communities.