Hohoe, June 11, GNA - The Gbi Traditional Council and Bank of Ghana's (BOG) Volta Regional office in Hohoe are in dispute following the bank's decision to terminate a cleaning contract it awarded the council.

The Gbi Traditional Area and BOG entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1997 under which the bank would render general cleaning services as part of its social responsibility to the community. A letter signed by Mr R. B. Bentil, Head of General Services Department, BOG, and dated April 17, has terminated the contract. Parts of the notice of termination read, "Consequently as required by our present contract we hereby give you one month notice for the termination of our current contract effective 31st May, 2009. Your current contract therefore ends on 30th June 2009." Togbe Gboxo 1, Chief of Gboxome and spokesman for the traditional council, told the Ghana News Agency that the council viewed the action of the bank as insulting and breach of trust. He said the contract, which is operational under the name "Wedd Briku Enterprise" and managed by Mr B. E. Kumadie for the traditional area employed, seven locals and draws a paltry 266.88 Ghana cedis per month as remuneration for cleaners and for buying detergents. Togbe Gboxo said correspondence and reminders to the bank since 2003 for an upward adjustment of contract sum had been treated with insolence.

He said the bank is sited on their traditional land, does not attract any form of royalty and thought that the bank's social responsibility to the traditional area ought to be the renewal of the contract.

He therefore appealed to the Board and Management of the Bank of Ghana to reconsider the decision of terminating the cleaning contract. Mr Bentil said in a telephone interview that there was no MOU between the bank and the traditional council and that the land was legitimately acquired by the bank in the 1950s. He said competitive bidding processes were opened and Zoomlion won. 11 June 09