Sunyani, May 22, GNA - Customers in Brong Ahafo owe the Ghana Telecom a total of six billion cedis in outstanding bills, Mr. Maxwell Owusu-Banson, Regional Manager of the company, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday.

He said the indebted customers were mostly in Yeji and Atebubu and that most communication centres that had folded up were also in arrears. The regional manager said the company faced a number of problems including land acquisition, which he said was a major hindrance to the expansion of its services to other parts of the region. He said the company's plan of opening a branch at Chiraa had been futile due to litigation on the land acquired for the project. Mr. Owusu-Banson appealed to the public to promptly pay their bills to enable the company to render quality and efficient services. "Apart from investing in the state of the art technological infrastructure, the company has embarked on a vigorous attitudinal orientation programme for its employees for them to be in tune with the company's new business model."

Mr. Owusu-Banson appealed to the general public to continue to volunteer information for the arrest of persons whose activities hampered the progress of the company.

He assured the public that the 10 million cedis reward for an informant on such saboteurs was in existence and that 20 million cedis had already been paid to two persons who arrested cable thieves in the region.