COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR CODEL PAYNE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001713 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO AF/RSA KATHLEEN MOODY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN GH SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR CODEL PAYNE REF: STATE 112538 ¶1. Ambassador Bridgewater warmly welcomes and grants country clearance for Hon. Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Mr. Ted Dagne to travel to Ghana August 22-24. The purpose of the visit is to meet with government officials and discuss regional and country specific issues. ¶2. Point of Contact: The Control Officer will be Political Officer Michael W. Gray. tel: 233-21-776859, cell: 233-(0)244-329207, office 233-21-741851 Fax 233-21-741921. The Embassy's after-hours numbers for emergencies/Post One are 233-21-775-297 or 0244-328-741 (cell). Other key point of contact at the Embassy is Chris Stillman, Management Officer, 233-21-(0)244-327424. ¶3. Lodging: Hotel reservations within per diem have been made at the African Regent; Tel: 233-21-765180-2; Fax: 233-21-766990. The hotel has a "non-show" penalty equivalent to one night's lodging. Failure to inorm post of cancellation at least 48 hours in advance of scheduled arrival will result in the assessment of a penalty charge where required by the hotel involved. Ensure that you bring enough cash or travelers checks to cover cost of hotel expenses. Use of credit cards is not recommended. ¶4. Security: Credit card fraud is a serious problem in Ghana and is prevalent at many of the hotels where TDY personnel stay. The Regional Security Office recommends that all hotel charges be paid with cash or travelers checks. Please ensure that your travel authorization covers hotel expenses. Hotel reservations made through the Embassy travel office do not need to be confirmed with a credit card and you should not present your credit card if asked upon check in at the hotel. The security situation in Ghana is generally calm. Political rallies and demonstrations have shown a tendency in the past to become violent and crime has become a serious concern recently. Visitors are cautioned to take all reasonable precautions while traveling outside of a secure environment. Avoid carrying large sums of cash or wearing expensive jewelry while walking about. Locking up valuables in hotel safes is highly recommended. There is no specific threat information regarding your visit. Please note that visitors wishing to have access to Embassy facilities are required to cable post with their security clearance information. ¶5. Currency: The local currency is the cedi. Current bank rate is cedis 9,210 to USD 1.00. However, on July 1 Ghana introduced a redominated cedi. Four zeros will be removed from the current denomination but the value will not change. Thus, 10,000 cedis will become 1 new Ghanaian cedi. Amounts less than one cedi will be expressed in pesewa with 100 pesewa to 1 new Ghanaian cedi. USD 1 will equal 92 pesewa (0.92 new Ghanaian cedis). Foreign exchange (Forex) bureaus are common and generally reliable, and typically offer a better rate of exchange than banks or hotels. Hotel Forex bureaus are open daily and offer an exchange rate ACCRA 00001713 002 OF 003 comparable to that of the Embassy for USD cash. We encourage visitors to bring new bills in 100 and/or 50 denominations. Old bills, which can be identified by the smaller sized portraits, are not accepted and lower denomination bills (USD 20 and below) are exchanged at lower rates. The amount of USD cash that can be exchanged is limited only by the availability of local currency at the Forex. ¶6. Health: Chloroquine resistant malaria is present in Ghana. Prophylaxis should begin before arrival and continue throughout the entire length of stay. A valid vaccination and shot record is required at the point of entry, and a yellow fever vaccination is required. Typhoid and meningitis are present in Ghana, so post recommends that all visitors ensure that these immunizations are up to date. TDY employees should note that medical facilities in Ghana are not equipped to provide satisfactory care for serious chronic illnesses. Employees should consider any health conditions and medical requirements they might have prior to undertaking TDY travel and should consult with their personal physician regarding the safety or advisability of travel to Accra. TDYers may also want to consult with M/DGHR/MED for detailed information on medical conditions and medical care capabilities at post. All travelers should visit www.travax.com; user ID statedept, password 4re$ted, and click on Ghana for travel medicine information. Individuals may also contact M/DGHR/MED for specific questions. A few important highlights are included in this paragraph. Chloroquine resistant malaria is present in Ghana. Malaria prophylaxis should begin before arrival and continued beyond the travelers stay in Ghana as directed. The Embassy Health Unit stocks limited supplies of medications for urgent medical problems only. Please carry adequate supplies of all your medications, including anti-malarials, to see you through the duration of your stay. Documentation of yellow fever vaccination is required and may be requested by immigration officials upon entry. Besides normal adult vaccinations, typhoid and meningitis are present in Ghana, so post recommends all visitors consider getting these immunizations as well. Medical facilities in Ghana do not meet US standards. Employees should consider any health conditions and medical requirements they might have prior to undertaking TDY travel and should consult with their personal physician regarding the safety or advisability of travel to Accra. All travelers should insure that their health insurance will cover them overseas; many HMOs, Medicare, and Medicard do not provide international coverage. All non-official travelers, including family members of TDY employees, do not have access to the Embassy Health Unit and will be referred to a local clinic if in need of assistance. It is recommended that all non-official travelers check that they have medical ACCRA 00001713 003 OF 003 evacuation insurance as part of or purchase in addition to their health insurance plan. ¶7. Visas:All visitors to Ghana must have a valid visa before arriving at the airport or border. Airport/border visas are not available. ¶8. Post is looking forward to helping you make the most of your visit. BRIDGEWATER