DAILY GRAPHIC

"Rawlings unfolds package. ..At National Economic Forum", is the headline of the lead story on the front page of the Graphic. The story says President Jerry John Rawlings has announced a package of comprehensive measures aimed at restoring macro-economic stability in the country. The Graphic says as part of the measures, all ministries, departments and agencies as well as district assemblies are no longer to enter into open-ended contracts. Any contract whose variation exceeds 25 per cent of the contract sum, is to be subjected to laid-down procedures for re-award of contracts. The Graphic says the President outlined the measures when he opened a two-day National Economic Forum at the Accra International Conference yesterday. The forum, under the theme: Achieving national consensus on policy measures of accelerated economic growth within the framework of Ghana's 'Vision', is to examine Ghana's economic path and find practical answers to the country's economic problems. GRI

The Graphic carries another front page story in which the President of the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) Mr I.E. Yamson, has expressed the view that there are no soft choices that could be undertaken to enhance the economic development of the country. He said what needs to be done is to bring together all stakeholders to take those hard but necessary decisions in order to propel the economy into the next century. The Graphic says Mr Yamson who was speaking at the first National Economic Forum in Accra yesterday, said the country can never choose to remain divided, unpurposeful and under-developed. Mr Yamson congratulated the government for taking a bold decision to bring all stakeholders in business and government together to address common problems facing the national economy. GRI

The Graphic main story at the back page says the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), is assisting 13,500 farmers throughout the country with credit facilities in the form of farming implements and pesticides under a five-year programme. Under the Headline: ADRA credit for farmers", the story says the facility is to enable the farmers to go into large-scale agricultural production. The Graphic says so far, 1,941 farmers from the Upper East and 800 from the Upper West Regions have benefited from the programme which started last year. GRI