General News of Thursday, 13 November 1997

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Ivorian Mayor Urges Action On African Unity

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 10 Nov. The Mayor of the Ivorian city of Bondougou, Mr. Felix Koukou Dapa, has called on African countries to stop paying lip service to African Unity and take concrete steps to ensure real integration. He said after years of rhetorical support for continental unity, it is now time for the various governments to harmonise their policies and educate their citizenry especially officials at the borders to enhance speedy integration. Mr. Dapa, was speaking to newsmen in an interview at Sunyani, when he paid a two-day familiarisation visit to the Brong Ahafo regional capital at the weekend. The mayor who spoke in Twi with appreciable level of fluency, said geographical and cultural similarities between Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire are so overwhelming that all obstacles to the free flow of goods and services should be removed to encourage greater interactions among the people. ''We need to increase co-operation in the areas of agriculture, education, sports, energy and management for the common good of our people'', he stressed.