The Danish government HAS signed two separate agreements with the Ministries of Justice and Private Sector Development, respectively, under an 800,000 dollar (6.3 billion cedis) grant assistance to support Ghana's private sector development.

The assistance, covering the provision of equipment, vehicles, capacity building, office supplies and information technology facilities for the two Ministries, is under DANIDA's current sector programme, dubbed, "Business Sector Programme Support' (BSPS) designed for Ghana under four key areas.

Under it, assistance would be given to the Justice Ministry to help it reform old laws, delete inhibiting ones and promulgate new but relevant business related laws to facilitate the country's private sector development.

It is also to be used for advocacy support to the private sector in the form of empowering private sector institutions and practitioners to effectively contribute to policy formulation and implementation, direct support to private sector in the form of integrated business support services, business development training and credit and improved access to markets for Ghanaian manufacturers in a competitive and globalised market.

The Danish Ambassador, Mr. Ole Blicher-Oslen initialled for his government, while Nana Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Justice and Chief Director of the Ministry of Private Sector Development (MPSD), Mr. Stephen S. Saaka respectively, signed for the two Ministries. Mr. Blicher-Oslen said each of the Ministry would have 400,000 dollars under the programme, which would start in the middle of 2003.

The Ambassador explained that even though the BSPS was scheduled to start next year, two front-runner, but key pillar projects, namely the establishment and operationalisation of a business law reform division and feasibility studies on the establishment of commercial courts in Ghana along the lines of the Tanzanian model for the Justice Ministry would start right immediately.

The other would be the establishment and operationalisation of the policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation division and development of private sector development country strategy for the MPSD. The Justice Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo said the pivotal role of the legal sector in the improvement, of the business sector has now been widely recognised and it is therefore critical to build the capacity of the Justice Ministry to play a proactive role in the modernisation and overall reform of laws and institutions.