Obama, family, leave Ghana for return flight to United States

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US President Barack Obama is heading home from Ghana, ending his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office in January. During his visit, he met with Ghana's President John Atta Mills.

President Barack Obama addresses the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Ghana, Saturday, July 11, 2009. (AP Photo)

He praised Ghana for its peaceful presidential elections in December and the country's stability. Later, Obama addressed Ghana's Parliament on his Africa policy. He stressed the importance of democracy and good governance in the continent. He said he has the blood of Africa within him. He also said that the twenty-first century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome, or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well.

Obama also visited a maternity clinic and a fortress which served as a headquarters for the trans-Atlantic slave trade.Obama's less than 24-hours stay in Ghana has drawn the attention of the entire continent and meant US policy shift towards African nations.