ACCRA , Ghana ( CNN ) -- President Bush sought Wednesday to dispel rumors that the U.S. plans to bring `` all kinds of military to Africa , '' saying that is `` simply not true . '' President Bush shakes hands with Ghanian President John Kufuor in Accra , Ghana , on Wednesday . He said the United States has no plans to add new bases in Africa but may open an office somewhere on the continent as part of its plans for Africom , a new U.S. military command that will focus on Africa . The president did not elaborate on the size of such an office but took pains to say it would not be a military base in the traditional sense . `` The purpose of this is not to add military bases , '' Bush said . `` I know there 's rumors in Ghana -- 'all Bush is coming to do is try to convince you to put a big military base here . ' That 's baloney . Or as we say in Texas , that 's bull . '' Watch what gifts Bush brought to Ghana » . The president of Ghana , John Kufuor , said he welcomed Bush 's comments . `` I am happy for the president 's dispelling any notion that the United States of America is intending to build military bases on the continent of Africa , '' he said . The U.S. military divides the world into regions and has a `` command '' for each region . The U.S. Central Command , for example , focuses on U.S. military concerns and activities in much of the Middle East and South Asia , while the U.S. Southern Command focuses on Latin America . The new command established last year , Africom , will be based in Stuttgart , Germany `` for the foreseeable future , '' the U.S. military says . `` Now , that does n't mean we wo n't develop some kind of office somewhere in Africa . We have n't made our minds up , '' Bush said Wednesday . `` I want to dispel the notion that all of a sudden America is , you know , bringing all kinds of military to Africa . It 's just simply not true . '' About 1,800 U.S. troops are stationed in Djibouti , a country in the Horn of Africa , as part of the U.S. fight against Islamic extremists . Bush said Africom will `` provide military assistance to African nations so African nations are more capable of dealing with Africa 's conflicts , like peacekeeping training . '' `` The whole purpose of Africom is to help leaders deal with Africa 's problems , '' he said in a joint news conference with Kufuor . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Ed Henry and Tim McCaughan contributed to this report .
Bush says U.S. has no plans for military bases in Africa . Office in Africa is possible as part of new Africom project in U.S. territory , he says . CNN , established last year , focuses on Africa but is based in Ghana . Ghanaian government welcomes Bush comments on base rumors .