Accra, Feb 6, GNA - The Chairman of Finatrade Foundation Miss Joyce Aryee, has announced that the Foundation would from this year sponsor brilliant but needy students pursuing Post-Graduate Agricultural courses in the Public Universities.

She said so far the Foundation had over the years sponsored 120 students from the University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, University for Development Studies and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at the undergraduate level. Ms Aryee who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Chamber of Mines said this during a get-together organised by the Finatrade Group of Companies for their clients throughout the country.

The programme which was jointly organised by Direct Market Access, Continental commodities Trading Company and Sikatrade all subsidiaries of Finatrade was also aimed at creating viable synergies between the companies and their clients.

Ms Aryee commended the Finatrade Group of Companies for the tremendous support the have given to government and individuals as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

She particularly commended the Rice Master and other subsidiaries of the company for their support to the Black Stars and other important national events and called on other organizations to support government programmes for rapid development. The Foundation Chairman also enumerated the Finatrade KNUST Model Farm= , Finatrade Humanitarian and Finatrade ICT projects as some of the achievements of the Company and called on government to support them to produce better programmes in the coming years. The Executive Chairman of the Company Mr Nabil Moukarzel, said his outfit was currently offering 2,000 direct and over 1,000 indirect jobs to Ghanaians and called on government to create a congenial atmosphere for business.

"Government can create a congenial atmosphere for business by workin= g hard to eliminate smuggling of goods and by putting adequate measures to stabilise the Cedi against major other major currencies" he explained. He said his outfit which started 15 years ago in Ghana, was now operating in six other West African countries adding 91We are determined t= o do genuine business, but the activities of smugglers and high taxes are challenges we face and hope that government will tighten security and surveillance at the country's entry points to protect genuine business in the country. The Finatrade Group of Companies is a major importer of rice, alcoholi= c and non-alcoholic beverages and poultry products. 6 Feb. 11

--90e6ba5bbb617f6509049b9de6a9