200,000 Jobs Created Last Year -Kufuor

Ghana Targets Growth of 8% in Three Years, From 6.5%

Ghana is targeting economic growth of 8 percent within three years, up from the current goal of 6.5 percent, President John Kufour said in his state-of-the-nation address today.

Proceeds from an oil discovery, estimated at more than 3 billion barrels, will boost growth, Kufour said in Accra, the country's capital.

About 200,000 jobs were created last year, compared with 120,000 in 2006, Kufour added. Ghana, the world's second-biggest cocoa producer, after Ivory Coast, will seek ``value addition,'' in its cocoa industry, he said. About 30 percent of the beans grown in the country are now being