Unilever Ghana Plantations presented two cheques, totalling 2.230 billion cedis as dividend to the government for its shareholdings in the Benso and Twifo Oil Palm Plantations.

The dividend from government investment in BOPP stood at 1.7 billion cedis while that from TOPP amounted to 521.1 million cedis.

The Unilever Plantations Director, Mr Kwame Addae said the company's huge investment of 1.5 million dollars and good management had turned it around into a viable venture.

He said the plantation currently employs 1,200 people and offers indirect opportunities to 40,000 others through its out growers and smallholder schemes.

Mr Addae said the company was also alive to its social responsibility, creating wealth and investing in social amenities such as schools and hospitals in the communities.

The Minister of Finance, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo congratulated the company on its the good performance.

He said it is the vision of the government to turn Ghana into a leading agro-based industrial country by the year 2010, and the private sector has an important role to play in this development.