News in Brief

The Ghana News Agency

Accra A heavy loss by Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) today eroded market gains on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) despite appreciation in three other equities.

SCB dipped by a whooping 470 cedis to close at 4,830 cedis, a development which an official of the GSE, attributed to a share bonus issue by the bank on May nine.

"The bank issued one new share for every ten, meaning more shares have been created which does not increase the value but dilutes it - in this case by a tenth - which works out to almost 500 cedis."

Accra The government should organise a national economic forum which will bring together all the players on the economic landscape to brainstorm on the country's structural disequilibrium.

This is because Ghana has no choice but to alter the current direction of economic policy-making in order to create the enabling environment and build on its potential.

This was the consensus of members of the public today at the presentation of the economic review of 1996 and outlook of 1997 by the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA).

CEPA is an independent economic think-tank, headed by a veteran Statistician Dr. Joe L. Abbey which has been reviewing the state of the economy for the past six years.

Accra Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Minister of Food and Agriculture today called for a strong partnership between private entrepreneurs and the public sector for Africa's rapid development.

He said such partnership is what is needed to "lift our continent from the malaise that has afflicted it.

"I charge you therefore as captains of industry to resolve here and now that our continent shall no longer remain a basket case", he told the participants.

The three-day UNIDO-organised forum is part of the 13th Conference of Ministers of Industry (CAMI) which is scheduled to open at the Accra Conference Centre next Monday.

Accra Ghana is among five African countries to benefit from a UNIDO Information Networking for Technology, Business and Investment (INTIB) programme that will help promote investment opportunities in Africa.

Under the programme, dubbed the "Cyber Cafe", Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Zambia and Sudan will be hooked onto the Internet next year to market their potential on the international market.

Mrs. Shadia Yousif Bakhait, Industrial and technological Information Officer of UNIDO, who made this known to the GNA at the Conference of African Ministers of Industry (CAMI), said five other countries were already benefiting under the programme.

Accra Africa's industrialization objectives must be based on its cultural values, historical background and political aspirations, delegates at the inter-governmental committee of experts' meeting said in Accra today.

The committee's meeting is a preparatory forum for the Conference of African Ministers of Industry scheduled to open in Accra next Monday.

More than 35 African countries and other international institutions are represented at the forum.

Delegates underscored the importance of African industrialization in the 21st century, saying it was a major challenge and that the continent should be cautious about the form it takes.

Kpabia (N/R) Large quantities of foodstuffs, including yams from last season's harvest, are said to be locked up in the Kpabia area of the Yendi district because of poor access roads.

As a result, the yams are getting rotten.

The people have called for immediate rehabilitation of the Sang-

Kpabia-Dabogni road to enable them to evacuate their crops to the market.

Accra The Asthma Society of Ghana is to be re- organized to cater for more patients, Professor Alfred Neequaye of the Department of Medicine at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, said today.

He told the GNA that plans are far advanced to revive the Society which has not been active since its formation five years ago.

Prof. Neequaye, who is a patron of the Society, said a number of activities have been lined up for the programme, including the launching of asthmatic week between July and August every year.