Business News of Thursday, 8 January 2004

Source: GNA

Cedi is stable -Deputy Finance Minister

Dormaa-Ahenkro, Jan. 8, GNA- Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, a Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, has said that the cedi has been stable over the past three years.

In addition, the inflationary situation in the country has also been reduced drastically to 22 percent, he said.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu was addressing the Dormaa District Assembly at its third ordinary meeting at Dormaa-Ahenkro on Thursday.

He said the country is now the second producer and exporter of cocoa and attributed this to the mass cocoa spraying exercise and the high technology cocoa programme embarked on by the government. The Deputy Finance Minister repeated that it is the aim of the government to replace the cash-and-carry system with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and appealed to people in the district to register to join the scheme for quality health care.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu said that with hard work and commitment Ghana would develop and called on the people to contribute their quota to national development.

Mr. Yaw Asiedu-Mensah, Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, said the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs had donated three garri-processing machines to communities at Amasu, Kyeremasu and Nkrankwamta in the district.