[Norway] Crown couple off to Ghana

News bureau NTB reports that the royal couple will have a full program during their two-day visit, which runs from April 12-14, just before Norway’s annual Easter holidays set in. Their visit will coincide with a large oil industry conference called Ghana Summit, to be held in the capital of Accra.

Norway and Ghana have bilateral cooperation in several areas, not least in the development of the country’s oil and gas industry. Norway is a partner in the development and management of the country petroleum resources, reported NTB, and Norwegian oil companies have shown “considerable interest” in the country.

In addition to meetings with authorities in Ghana, the couple will meet with UN officials, visit a Norwegian studies center at Cape Coast and visit the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center.

King Harald, meanwhile, was to officially greet Ghana’s new ambassador to Norway, Hajia Fati Habib-Jawula, in a meeting at the Royal Palace in Oslo on Thursday.

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[Norway] Palace confirms royal US tour for King Harald and Queen Sonja

Plans for the trip have been known for months, but the palace confirmed this week that it will take place October 11-22, and include visits to Minnesota and Iowa.

In the two Midwestern states, the royals will meet with state government officials and visit Norwegian-American communities and institutions.

In New York, they’ll be among the guests of honor at the 100th anniversary of the American Scandinavian Foundation, which also is expected to attract most of the other Nordic heads of state, reported newspaper Aftenposten.

King Harald and Queen Sonja will also visit other Norwegian institutions in New York and take part in several cultural and business programs.

In May the royal couple will make state visits to Slovenia and Croatia. King Harald cut back on lengthy official foreign travel after undergoing surgery for bladder cancer and, later, heart trouble. He’s been back on the sailing circuit in recent summers, though, and has declared himself fit and healthy. He turned 74 last month.

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