General News of Sunday, 23 January 2005

Source: GNA

Demark to support Ghana with ?41 million

Accra, Jan. 23, GNA - The Danish Government has earmarked 41 million Euros to support the improvement in the water and sanitation, transport and health sectors as well as other economic development ventures in Ghana.

The Danish Ambassador, Mr Flemming Bjork Pedersen disclosed this to newsmen in Accra on Sunday during a courtesy call on him by a two-member Danish development partnership delegation.

He said the Volta, Eastern, Central and the Greater regions would see massive support for the improvement of the water and sanitation sectors and the improvement of the Kumasi-Konongo feeder road. Mr Pedersen said the three Northern regions would also benefit from the road improvement funds while a countrywide programme for the health and business sector would also be supported.

He said the Danish Government would also support the promotion of human rights, deepening multi-party democracy, strengthening of the legislature and other governance institutions.

The Ambassador said the Electoral Commission and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice would be supported and other projects on the Danish Government priority list for Ghana including support for the intensification of sanitization programmes on the HIV/AIDS pandemic as well as projects on effect of child trafficking. Mr Pedersen commended Mr Karsten Strorup, International Advisor of City of Copenhagen, Education and youth Administration Department for Development and Planning and Mrs Mette Mollek Andersen a Teacher at a second cycle school (Solvgades Skole) in Copenhagen who were in the country to study the possibility of developing a network with Ghanaian school.

Mrs Anna Saakwa, a Member of the Copenhagen City Council, who is also the Chief of Apraponso in the Wassa East District of the Western Region, invited the two to assist in the development of District. Mr Strorup told the Ghana News Agency that the Danish Government had developed an International Strategy to work together with countries abroad in the field of education, democracy and other cultural exchange programmes.

He said such exchange programmes were aimed at closing the gap between the developed and developing world as well as give globalisation a new impetus.

Mr Strorup said the project involved the establishment of a sister-school relationship between the two countries as teachers and students from Denmark would visit Ghana to study at rural schools in selected districts.

Mrs Andersen said two teachers from Denmark would visit Ghana next month to learn about Ghana and strengthen relationships. 23 Jan. 05