GHANAIAN TIMES

The Times in its lead story says the government is to close down non-performing subvented organisations and merge those whose performances are a drain on the national economy. In a front page headline: "Inactive firms to go -Veep", the Times says the functions of other subverted organisations will be commercialized so as to be hibved-off government budget since their performances over the past four years have been largely unsatisfactory. The Times says the Vice-President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills dropped this hint when he opened a two-day workshop on: "Public Sector Re-invention and Modernization Strategy for Ghana" at Akosombo yesterday. The workshop, being organised by the National Institutional Renewal Programme (NIRP), is aimed at reforming the country's public administration system to facilitate the needed change for the realisation of the broad policy objectives of the government. The Times says Prof. Mills announced that total payments to be made to subverted institutions this year is expected to be increased from last year's 158 billion cedis to 220 billion cedis. GRI

The Times in another front page story, reports the rejection of a one million-cedi bribe by the police. The story says Andreas Kwamivi Dagadu, a wealthy businessman at Abor, in the Keta District who was arrested by the Volta Regional Police Task Force on Sunday night for allegedly stealing 25 galvanized pipes belonging to the China Water Company, a firm at Anyako near Abor, offered the policemen a bribe of one million cedis to "settle the matter". The Times says, but Dagadu, 37, made a mistake, the 20- member task force who feigned interested in the offer, arrested him after collecting the money. The paper says Dagadu, who owns a fleet of cargo trucks, a number of shops and a welding workshop at Abor, was arrested together with his accomplice, Eklu Miheso, who was said to have helped him to pack the pipes into a cargo truck belonging to Dagadu soon after mid-night on Sunday. GRI

In a back page story, the Times reports that the government has urged the Ghana Shippers Council to look into the low activity level at the Takoradi port which is affecting general commercial activity at the twin city of Sekondi and Takoradi. The Times says the call was made by the chairman of the Council of State, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, when he launched the "Shippers' Day'' in Accra yesterday. The day, under the theme: "Fostering closer links between users and providers of shipping services", focused on the aspirations and problems of the Ghanaian shipper and fostered closer links between the users and providers of shipping services. Alhaji Bawumia said the Takoradi port appears to be over-dependent on the timber export trade and there is the need to diversify cargo through the port. He also called on the Council to facilitate the construction of an inland port at Fumesua in the Ashanti Region which is expected to improve the efficiency of inland transportation networks saying that the government has plans to declare that area a 'free zone'. GRI