Accra, (Greater Accra) 25 Feb. '99,

Mr Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Greater Accra Regional Minister, on Thursday stressed the need to sustain peace, unity and development in the country. "Our dear country would need peace as opposed to chaos and turbulence, unity as opposed to division and confusion; we need development in order to improve the quality of life of our people" Mr Ohene Agyekum said this at the flag-raising ceremony as part of activities to mark the 42nd independence anniversary celebration. The theme for the celebration is "Peace, Unity and Development: Challenges of the next millennium". The Minister inspected a guard of honour mounted by 60 students from Achimota School under the command of Sebastian Charles Asiedu. Mr Ohene Agyekum said "as a nation it is expected that we enjoy a brighter future notwithstanding the painful struggle that the nation has gone through". He said there have been significant gains by the government since the difficult days in 1982. "The launching of the Economic Recovery Programme and other measures put in place by the government have reversed effectively the downward trends in the economy; real and positive changes have occurred in many sectors." Mr Ohene Agyekum urged Ghanaians to adopt appropriate response to the challenges of preserving the environment and managing the growing population in order to alleviate poverty. Among those who attended the function were Mrs Mary Grant, Member of the Council of State, chiefs and queen mothers of the Ga traditional area.