By Naa Dedei Aryeetey

Accra - The Chiefs of the Nkonya Ntumda area in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region where the chimps from the US are to be settled, have condemned organisations and individuals calling for a halt to the chimpanzee project, saying, it will deny them of the benefits to be derived from the project, the Public Agenda reported Monday.

The chiefs made it clear that they are ready to offer sanctuary for the primates provided they have been proved scientifically to be free of any health risk to the community and the environment.

In endorsing the project, the chiefs said seven Americans- representatives of the Friends of Animals(FoA), the US based NGO that has plans to settle the chimps- have shown them documentaries of the project and the chimps, and are convinced of the benefits of the project. Among other things, they said, the project would provide jobs for the youth and boost tourism in the area.

Some of the residents who were against the project were quoted as having expressed concern over the health and environmental hazards that the introduction of the chimps may pose to people in the predominantly farming community.

Since the Chronicle broke the story of the planned exportation of the chimps in October this year, many Ghanaians here and in the US have called for an outright rejection of the project citing health and environmental concerns.

President Rawlings last month called for a probe into the project until all the health and environmental concerns had been addressed by various stakeholders.

The latest to add their voice to calls for a halt to the project are the Volta Region Members of Parliament and the Federation of Environmental Journalists.

The roll call of other professional groups and associations who had earlier called for the rejection of the project include the Ghana Bar Association, Environmental Groups, the Volta Region Students Association and the Council of Ewe Associations of North America.