Accra, May 7, GNA - Government is to sign a partnership agreement with the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday to manage the accounts of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). This partnership means that ADB would be expected to pay all personnel of the NYEP henceforth.

Nana Akomea, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, announced this at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday. He said: "The beauty about this partnership is that when there is a delay from us transferring the allowances to them, ABD would be expected to pay the personnel from their own account and wait for government to pay ADB when the money is available."

Nana Akomea said ADB would be expected to pay the personnel from the month ending April, while it made further arrangements with the Ministry of Finance to pay them all outstanding arrears for the first quarter of the year. He said all personnel would be mandated to open an account with ADB nationwide for the bank for their allowance to be lodged into them. Where there is no ADB in the community the bank would liaise with the Rural Banks to pay personnel. Nana Akomea urged personnel agitating for demonstration against the NYEP to relax since the solution to the problem was at hand. 7 May 08 ATTENTION RECIPIENTS ITEM 20 ENDS OUR THIRD TRANSMISSION