Kumasi, Oct 16, GNA - The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is to cease the production of leaded petrol by December this year and start the production and supply of unleaded petrol as from January 2004. Mr Emmanuel Abankwah, a chemist at the TOR, who announced this, said the change-over had become necessary in view of the established fact that unleaded petrol was more environmentally friendly and safer than the leaded one.

He was speaking at a symposium on, "Chemistry and the Industry", organised by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) branch of the Students Chemical Society (SCS) in Kumasi on Wednesday as part of the society's Week Celebration. The theme of the celebration is: "Chemistry, A Resource for Sustainable National Development".

Mr Abankwah said:" Lead has always been added in the production and refinery of petrol since the establishment of TOR in 1960, but having realised that the substance was poisonous and not environmentally friendly, we have to eliminate it from the production line."

He hinted that Parliament had already passed a legislation to this effect and a notice served on TOR directing it to cease production of all leaded petrol by December 2003.

Professor James Hawkins Ephraim, Head of Department of Chemistry, KNUST, expressed regret that even though Ghana adopted science and technology as a policy in the year 2000, the country had still not been able to translate the plan into concrete national development.

He said the situation was due to the lack of political will, indifference of decision-makers towards science and technology and the lack of advocacy on the benefits of science and technology by scientists themselves.

Prof. Ephraim asked decision-makers and scientists to work in concert and create favourable conditions for the translation of research work and technology into reality.

He said, that was the only way science and technology could be effectively applied to sustain national development.