Mills inaugurates management board for Trust Fund

Accra (Greater Accra) 31 March '99

Vice-President John Atta Mills on Wednesday inaugurated a nine-member Board of Trustees for the National Trust Fund and charged members to give equal attention to street children and those who need education. "These people need to have access to all services and care just like any one else and, therefore, deserve the special attention of the Board," he told the Board, chaired by Mr Mike Erzan, a retired Corporate Director of Barclays Bank. The Board, which has Mr Arko Mensah as its Executive Secretary, takes full responsibility of the Fund which had been administered by an interim management Committee for more than one year. Membership includes Dr Alex Ababio, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Mrs Emma Banga, a lecturer in health science, University of Cape Coast, Odeefuor Boa-Amponsem, President, Central Regional House of Chiefs and Mr Osei Tutu Prempeh, Auditor-General. The others are Mr Ben Onies Kwashie-Johnson, General Manager, Credit and Customer Services Management of Ghana Telecom and Mr Sakara Abudu, Director of Social Welfare. Two members, Mrs Evelyn Tay and Adnan Fakhry could not turn up for health reasons. Prof. Mills tasked the Board to re-appraise the current aims, objectives, strategies and functions of the fund in order to improve its structure, capacity and resource base. The fund was set up 40 years ago as a "community chest" for mobilising money for the disadvantaged. It is also to provide for the social needs of the disadvantaged through social welfare organisations. Beneficiaries include the Society for the Blind and Ghana Child Care society. Vice-President Mills said 40 years is enough to take stock of the fund's activities in order to chart a new course. It is therefore, imperative to have a more dynamic and proactive fund ready and prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century. He urged them to mobilise resources to overhaul the Fund to enable more disadvantaged enter the next millennium with hope and confidence. Major donors to the fund are Golden Souvenir Lotto Raffle which gives out 60 per cent of its profit to it. According to records, the company has since 1992 made a total donation of 341.48 million cedis to the fund. It is estimated that Ghana has some 1.8 million people with various types and degrees of disability. Prof. Mills expressed regret that many of these people are not given the necessary assistance to exercise their rights and participate in national development. He, therefore, asked the Board to harness their human resources, irrespective of sex, religion and other factors to enable them to contribute their quota effectively. He lauded the equipment scheme started in 1994 and urged the Board to build on it. Under the scheme, 50 people with disabilities who have trained in various skills are selected each year to receive equipment to enable them to be self-employed.