Ghana puts Bush on Africa's road map

ACCRA (Reuters) - Africa has its fair share of streets named after South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, or after Pan-African pioneer Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

But few bear the name of George W. Bush.

Ghana's President John Kufuor took a step towards remedying that late on Wednesday when he announced he was christening a major highway under construction the "George Bush Motorway". The road is being finished with U.S. aid money.

"Mr. President, in appreciation of your many kind gestures towards Ghana and other parts of Africa, and to immortalize your good will to us, my government has decided to name this road, this very strategic road after you," Kufuor said in Accra during a formal dinner held in honor of Bush and his wife Laura.

The U.S. leader is on a five-nation tour of Africa.

He has received a warm welcome in the world's poorest continent, where, despite misgivings over his policy in Iraq, he is praised for his unstinting support for relief projects to improve health and education and fight poverty.

Replying to Kufuor at the dinner, Bush said: "We appreciate so very much your hospitality, and I really appreciate the George Bush Motorway".

"The next time I come and ride on the George Bush Motorway, I promise that we will not shut the highway down," he said, referring to the traffic jams caused earlier by the presidential motorcade.

The U.S. president, who has already visited Benin, Tanzania and Rwanda on this trip, will travel to Liberia on Thursday on his last stop before flying home.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)