Accra, July 26, GNA - Parliament has approved a 90-million dollar loan agreement to enhance the commercial and technical operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Nii Adu Daku Mante, Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, said the loan agreement between the government and the International Development Association of the World Bank Group, was being contracted under the Ghana Energy Development Access project. Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, (NDC-Tamale South) said Ghana was ranked the 84th among the nations of the world in the assurance of availability of electricity to citizens.

He said this situation undermined the growth of industry and development.

The House also approved the waiver of taxes amounting to 26,366,634,00 dollars on vehicles, equipment and materials to be imported or purchased locally to support the implementation of the project.

Earlier, members of parliament urged the security services to put in more efforts to halt the recent killings of innocent people. The members, who were contributing to a statement by Alhaji Abukari Sumani, (NDC-Tamale North) on these killings, said the public should also assist the police to bring the culprits to book.

Alhaji Sumani referred to the cold blooded murder of Mr Rokko Frimpong, Deputy Managing Director of Ghana Commercial Bank and Mr Kwatei Quartey, a retired public servant among others, and said what was more "worrying is the dexterity with which they kill their victims." "Mr Speaker, if people can walk into homes and kill their victims, how safe are those of us who are fortunate to still be alive?" Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, Interior Minister, said the police were on top of the situation because some arrests had been made in connection with the murders.

He listed some previous killings in 2006 and the more recent ones and said court processes were ongoing in connection with the killings.