Population now over 18 million

The Daily Graphic reports that provisional results released by the National Census Secretariat has put the population of Ghana at 18,412,247, registering an increase of 49.7 per cent over the 1984 figure of 12, 296,081.

The release gave the new figure as comprising 9,025,069 males and 9,387,278, representing a rise in the female population from 50.7 per cent of 1984 to 51.0 per cent.

Dr. Kwaku Twum Baah, acting Government Statistician and National Census Co-ordinator, is reported as saying that the growth rate is 2.5 per cent.

The report, according to the paper, also found the population of Greater Accra more than doubled for the period while Ashanti region is the most densely populated with Northern region as the least.

Dr Twum Baah is reported as saying that the preliminary report, which will be ready by the end of December 2000, will provide more details while that of demographic and economic characterisation will also be available within two years of the release of the preliminary results.

2 Bank officials, others in 1 billion cedis fraud case

Five persons, including two officials of the Osu branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), have appeared before an Accra Circuit Tribunal for their alleged involvement in an unauthorised transaction, which cost the bank over 1 billion cedis. The Daily Graphic says Richard Tonnie Welsing, the branch manager and Betty Appiah, the System Administrator of the branch, are said to have manipulated the computers at the bank and issued various sums of monies running into several millions of cedis to three contractors.

The contractors; Daniel Nana Ofori Atta, Peter Ofori Amoah and Alhaji Sumani Zakari are facing two charges of conspiracy and stealing together with Welsing and Betty, who are also charged with falsification of accounts.

They had all pleaded not guilty and the bank officials were remanded in police custody while the contractors were granted bail in the sum of 300 million cedis each, with one surety to be justified.