Accra, Nov. 29, GNA - A 10-member council has been inaugurated to plan towards the successful organisation of the Ghana International Furniture and Woodworking Industry Exhibition (GIFEX 2008) scheduled for October 17-26, 2008.

The role of the council includes streamlining the roles and responsibilities of various structures of the exhibition and coordinating the activities of the secretariat and all sub-committees to ensure successful exhibition. GIFEX has been held in the country since 1985. Next year's exhibition will bring together local and foreign companies, agencies and individuals involved in the trade in wood and wood products worldwide. In an address to inaugurate the Council and the sub-committees, Professor Nii Ashie Kotey, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said the exhibition would serve as a platform to encourage further processing in line with government programmes and policies.

It will also move the country from a primary processing industry to a tertiary one. Prof. Kotey, who also chairs the Council, asked the members to bring their diverse experience and expertise to bear on the planning process to make the exhibition not just an event but a lasting one that could be built on to chalk success in future. Mr Alex Ofei, a member of the Council, said members would be alive to their duties and the challenge to deliver an excellent exhibition.