GRi BEF News 05 - 11 - 2001

Finance Minister favours liberalisation of pensions

Inflation to go down to 22 percent by end of 2001 - Dr Nduom

Inter-bank exchange rates

 

 

Finance Minister favours liberalisation of pensions

 

Ho (Volta Region) 05 November 2001 - Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, said at the weekend that he favoured the liberalisation of the pensions regime in the country to give contributors a wide range of options to chose from.

 

He was speaking at a four-day capacity building workshop for members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament at Ho.

 

The Minister said this when Mr John Tia, MP for Talensi, asked him to comment on agitation by workers for a review of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Pension Scheme.

 

"I am totally in favour of liberalisation of pension schemes, I think that freedom of choice should be there", Mr Osafo-Maafo stated.

 

He observed that in some countries, pension schemes were varied and the decision as to which one to join was left to the individual.

GRi../

 

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Inflation to go down to 22 percent by end of 2001 - Dr Nduom

 

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 05 November 2001-Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation said on Friday, that inflation would be reduced from the present rate of 25 per cent to 22 per cent by the end of 2001.

 

Launching the "Co-ordinated Approach to Implementing Poverty Reduction Programme and Projects", Dr Nduom said the reduction of inflation, which had a bearing on interest rates, was due to the government's prudent economic measures.

 

He said the programme aims at ensuring that there was no duplication of efforts and dissipation of scarce resources in the government's attempt to reduce poverty among deprived communities.

 

The new approach, therefore, was to correct the uncoordinated attempts in the past, whereby a number of projects and programmes funded by government and donors had little or no impact on the economy.

GRi…/

 

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Inter-bank exchange rates

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 05 November 2001

 

Currency                                  Buying                          Selling

 

US Dollar                          7,032.00                       7,226.55

Pound Sterling                 10,240.70                     10,528.36

French Franc                        963.49                          989.67

Swiss Franc                       4,293.80                        4,410.34

Deutsche Mark      3,230.51                        3,272.62

Canadian Dollar                 4,420.19                        4,541.41

Japanese Yen                         57.78                             59.36

Dutch Guilder                    2,867.98                        2,945.82

S/African Rand         733.31                           752.08

Euro                                  6,319.47                         6,491.78

CFA Franc                           9.63                                    9.90

Naira                                    64.31                                 66.09

Ecowas                             8,985.55                             --------

GRi../

 

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