The road to Hong Kong begins from Nyariga

Accra, Sept 24, GNA - A cross-section of civil society organisations will, on Tuesday embark on an involving eight-day trek from Nyariga in the Upper East Region to Accra to collect and collate data on how the activities of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have contributed in driving developing countries into poverty.

Data collected from the trek dubbed: The Road to Hong Kong would be processed and given to Ghana's Minister of Trade as civil society's contribution to strengthen his capacity during negotiations and the country's stand at the Ministerial Meeting of the WTO in Hong Kong in December this year.

The trek is a follow-up to a meeting held in Accra in August this year, under the Umbrella of Third World Network- Africa attended by civil society organisations, including Oxfam (GB), ISODEC, SEND Foundation, Third World Network - Africa, Action Aid Ghana, Market Access Promotion Network, Peasant Farmers Association, Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Abibiman Foundation with many others to decide how to support governments of developing countries, especially Africa to check-off the "double standards" of the rich and powerful countries bullying the weak.

A statement the Joint Planning Committee (JPC) issued and signed by Mr. Steve Manteaw said "the journey to Hong Kong begins in Nyariga in the Upper East Region on September 27 where rice farmers will tell their story and have the opportunity to make demands on the Hong Kong meeting."

Mr. Manteaw said from Nyariga, "the caravan will them move to Savelugu on September 28 for interactions with cotton farmers, and to Tuobodom (in Brong Ahafo) to meet with tomato farmers." The next stop will be Otwereko, a rice farming community in the Central Region; and to Asutsuare and Juapong to collate the workers demands in rice and textiles production respectively. The caravan would go on to Tema and Accra where it will move to the Holy Gardens at Kwame Nkrumah Circle to share insights and experiences with the media.