Kumasi, May 9, GNA-The Ashanti regional branch of the Civil Servants Savings and Loans Scheme set up in July last year, has disbursed 1.7 billion cedis to members, at an interest rate of seven per-cent.

Mr Kwame Asamoah-Dwomoh, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Civil Servants Association, who announced this, said the loans were in the form of television sets, corn mills, cellular phones and cash. He was briefing a monthly meeting of the District Co-ordinating Directors and their deputies from all the 18 districts of Ashanti on the activities of the association in the region.

The meeting organised by the Regional Co-ordinating Council, was to enable the administrative officers to assess the performance of the various districts in the previous month and to plan ahead to enhance good governance.

Mr Asamoah-Dwomoh said the scheme had set aside 25 percent of the gross surplus of its interests for a housing project for members, adding that the national association had given 40 million cedis as a welfare package to members.

The Regional Chairman said a committee had been set up to work out the modalities for the package.

He called on the co-ordinating Directors to get themselves seriously involved in the activities of the association so that they could move the association forward.

Mr Asamoah-Dwomoh told the meeting that a health insurance scheme established by the association two years ago was on course and it intended to go solo in spite of the coming into force of the district insurance schemes.

Mr Ernest Kwarteng, Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, who presided, urged the officers to continue to work harder to enhance the systematic development of their districts.

He expressed his satisfaction with the operation of the association in the region and expressed the hope that they would do more to uplift the welfare of members.