The Office of the President on Friday said the unique watch given to Mrs Michelle Obama on the historic visit of President Barack Obama in July 2009 was from the people of Ghana and not from the First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills.
The gift, christened Black Star of Ghana, was designed by Africa Watch Trading Company in collaboration with Backes and Strauss, and carried no price tag, but a model free of charge.
Mr Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Office of the President, quoted a correspondence received from Backes and Strauss which stated: “In recognition of this unique occasion, Africa Watch Trading Company is pleased to offer the Black Star of Ghana model free of charge, to be presented as a gift from the people of Ghana to Mrs Michelle Obama.”
Stories are making the rounds in the media that Mrs Mills gave a gold watch worth $48,000 to Mrs Obama when the US First Family visited Ghana in July 2009.
The timepiece is said to be one of the most expensive gifts given to Mrs Obama since he husband came to power.
However, the Head of Communications at the Castle, per the letter from Backe and Strauss, stated categorically that the gift came from the people of Ghana through the companies and not First Lady Mills.
The gift was not a personal one, but would rather be kept in the US museums as memento of the historic visit.