Accra, June 19, GNA - Ghana and France on Monday ended the second session of their joint Commission for Co-operation in Accra, saying the meeting enabled them to chart a new course in their relations.

A statement issued at the end of the day-long meeting said this was achieved through an objective evaluation of developments since 1994 and a recognition of the need to present clear objectives for achieving efficiency and impact of their co-operation on the development of Ghana.

It was also achieved through the common determination to integrate future co-operation within the strategic framework of Ghana's development policy and her vision, notably for reduction of poverty, taking into account institutional, economic, financial, social and cultural advantages as well as constraints. The session was under the joint chairmanship of Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Education, and Mr Didier Ferrand, the French Ambassador in Ghana.

The statement said the general outlines of Ghana-France co-operation as well as priorities in various sectors included economic development support in agriculture, the private sector, rural development, urban infrastructure and privatisation programmes in the public sector, mainly through projects implemented by the French Development Agency.

The others were linguistic, educational, scientific, technical and cultural co-operation. It also included support for the media, notably with Radio France Internationale, in training personnel from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

"With these various co-operation programmes, France stands as one of the major donors in Ghana with new commitments in grants and loans amounting to 54 million Euros in 1999." The statement said for the first time, the private sector took part in the working sessions and expressed its willingness to contribute more intensively to the development and wellbeing of Ghanaians. It said the date and place of the next session would be agreed upon and communicated through diplomatic channels.