Sikkens to hike up Olympic fund

Accra (Greater Accra) The Olympic Fund, launched by the Ghana Olympic Committee, (GOC) to generate money for our participation in the Sydney Olympic Games will have a major boost next week with a generous donation from the Sikkens Group of companies.

Mr. Rex Danquah, Chief Executive of RICS Consult, consultants to GOC and overseers of the fund said that the chairman of Sikkens, Mr. Ofosu Bamfo, would make a big donation as part of his sporting philanthropic gesture.

" Sikkens has pledged to make a donation commensurate with the corporate profile of his company and I have no doubt in my mind that it will be an appreciable amount," Mr Danquah said.

The consultant also mentioned Passico Company, manufactures of louvre blades, Home Finance Limited, Asare Original Pay All and Cocoa Board as some of the corporate bodies on the queue to swell the Olympic Fund.

Mr. Danquah put the total amount the fund has generated so far at 65 million cedis, an insignificant fraction of the three billion- cedi- target announced at the launch on May 12, by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Enoch T. Mensah.

He regretted that two months after the launch, only five companies and an individual have contributed to the fund. The list of donnors consists of RICS Consult, which made a donation of five million cedis, Asare Original Pay All, with a contribution of four million cedis and Gemini Life Insurance's five million cedis donation.

The consultant said, Gemini Life insurance has issued a 500 million cedi insurance cover for the team.

He said GNPA Limited, formerly called Ghana National Procurement Agency has donated 10 bags of rice, two bags of sugar and five cartons of cooking oil to the Fund.

The biggest contributor so far has been Nestle Ghana Limited, which contributed 45 million cedis and its products worth five million cedis.

Mr. Danquah appealed to corporate bodies and individuals to exhibit the usual Ghanaian generosity by responding to the clarion call and ensure that Ghana's flag takes its rightful place in the Olympic comity.