Agona-Nkwanta (W/R), Aug 7, GNA - Norplam Ghana Limited, a palm oil industrial concern, on Friday launched Lifeshield, a work place HIV/AIDS programme for the workers of the company and people living in the company's area of operation.

Launching the programme, Mr Thor Bakken, General Manager of the company, said the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation had trained 26 peer educators free of charge in support of the programme.

He said the Foundation also trained volunteers from the communities on HIV/AIDS and related diseases and measures to prevent contracting them.

Mr Bakken, said the company was to spend over 75 million cedis to train another batch of 35 peer educators from the surrounding communities.

He said the company paid 217 million cedis to the Administrator of Stool lands as ground rent from September 2000 to 2004. He said the company in collaboration with the Norwegian Development Agency (NORAD) was sinking seven boreholes in some communities with 480 million cedis.

Mr Bakken said the collaboration with NORAD had enabled the company to rehabilitate some bad roads within its plantations and some of the communities at a cost of 833 million cedis.