E-mail: ghnews@ghana.com Website: www.ghananewsagency.org
Fax: 669841 Tel: 665136/662381
First and Second Transmissions for Tuesday, May 6 2008
Begins at: =================== 1800 hours

Major Events Expected Include:

London: Africa is now opened to business - President Kufuor
Accra: Trading on the Stock Exchange
Bawku: Calm returns to Bawku Municipality


Attention Subscribers: Credit GNA with all stories used
End memo.
GNA
BDB
6 May 08



EXPO 01
Social FAO Cereals
FAO releases figure on food imports in Africa

Accra, May 6, GNA - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Tuesday revealed that the total commercial purchases of cereals imported by Africa in 2006 and 2007 were 26,132.3 tonnes.
The figures, which were contained in its 2007 Crop Prospects and Food Situation Newsletter, released in Accra on Tuesday, indicated that out of the figure, West Africa comprising the Costal and Sahelian countries made a total purchase of 3,893 tonnes.
It said Ghana made a total importation of 275.7 tonnes while neighbouring Togo imported 58.9 tonnes.
Nigeria was adjudged the highest importer with the record of 1,742.5 tonnes followed by La Cote d'Ivoire; 490.4 tonnes, Liberia; 106.8 tonnes, Guinea; 77.6 tonnes, Benin; 77.2 tonnes and Sierra Leone, 25.2 tonnes.
The Newsletter indicated that Mauritania made the largest haul of 115.8 tonnes from the Sahelian Countries, followed by Mali 57.1 tonnes, Burkina Faso 35.8 tonnes, Chad 32.8 tonnes, Cape Verde 30.1 tonnes, the Gambia 24.9 tonnes and Guinea Bissau 5.0 tonnes.
GNA
JA
6 May 08

EXPO 02
Social Bawku Situation
Bawku calm, death toll up to five

Bawku (U/E), May 6, GNA - Bawku, where fighting erupted again on Sunday night in a long-running ethnic dispute between the Kusasis and Mamprusis, is calm after the intervention of security forces.
A 22-hour curfew that runs from 0900 to 0700 hours is holding and the security forces are in control, Interior Minister Kwamena Bartels said.
He added that the death toll had gone up to five with several arrests being made.
Police say residents of Bawku, especially workers, are demanding escort to leave the town which has seen bitter fighting for years.
More than 12 houses have been burnt in the Bawku Municipality since violence erupted in the area on Sunday night.
The security personnel have arrested 32 people in connection with the violence and confiscated five guns and ammunition, Mr Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, Upper East Regional Police Commander, told the Ghana News Agency in Bawku.
He said security personnel had intensified surveillance and the situation had been brought under control as at 1400 hours on Monday.
The Police Commander said the security personnel were doing their best to contain the unending Kusassi-Mamprusi conflict.
Mr Daniel Nar-ire, Deputy Coordinating Director of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, told the GNA that the violence started on Sunday night at about 1900 hours when some people attacked worshippers at a mosque, shooting a Kusasi opinion leader who died while being sent to Bolgatanga Hospital.
He said the security personnel could not cover the entire place at the same time and people at suburbs that were not covered at a particular time continued to fight until the security brought the situation under control but this lasted just for a while and resumed again immediately the security personnel moved to other areas.
"However, the security has been reinforced with personnel from Tamale," he said.
The curfew affects Bawku Municipality, Zabzugu, Binduri, Pusiga, Zoosi and their environs and the ban on all persons in the areas from carrying arms, ammunitions or any offensive weapon is still in force. Any person found with any arms or ammunition would be arrested and prosecuted.
GNA
TMA/KK
6 May 08


EXPO 03
Science Water Level
Water level in Akosombo Dam

Accra, May 6, GNA - The following is the water level readings in the Akosombo Dam, as issued by the management of Volta River Authority on Tuesday, May 6.

Current Level (6 May, 2008) - 247.23 feet
Previous Level (5 May, 2008) - 247.26 feet
Maximum Level - 278.00 feet
Minimum Level - 240.00 feet
GNA
TMA/KK
6 May 08


EXPO 04
Economics Exchange Rates
Ghana Association of Bankers announces cedi exchange rates

Accra, May 6, GNA - Following are the average inter-bank exchange rate of the dollar and derived rates for the major currencies against the cedi as issued by the Ghana Association of Bankers on Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

Currency NEW GHANA CEDI EQUIVALENT
Buying Selling

U.S. Dollar 0.9766 0.9950
Pound Sterling 1.9235 1.9601
Swiss Franc 0.9268 0.9440
Canadian Dollar 0.9662 0.9839
Danish Kroner 0.2024 0.2062
Japanese Yen 0.0093 0.0095
Swedish Kroner 0.1615 0.1644
South African Rand 0.1300 0.1320
Euro 1.5104 1.5387


WEST AFRICAN CURRENCIES CURRENCY EQUIVALENT OF GHANA CEDI
CFA Franc 426.29 434.29
Naira 116.07 118.26
ECOWAS WAUA 0.6222
GNA
TMA/KK
6 May 08


EXPO 05
Economics Conference Lighting
Lighting Africa Conference begins

Accra, May 6, GNA - The Ministry of Energy is implementing a programme that will provide up to 50 per cent grant financing to rural dwellers to purchase solar home systems and solar lanterns.
About 15,000 rural households in off-grid communities are expected to benefit from the programme being implemented under the Ghana Energy Development Access Project.
Deputy Minister of Energy, Kwame Ampofo Twumasi who announced this in Accra on Tuesday, said funds for the purchase of the items would be channelled through the rural banks.
He was speaking at the Lighting Africa 2008 Global Business Conference underway in Accra to develop appropriate and viable business models for delivering modern, clean and safe non-fuel based off-grid lighting solutions.
Global players from the lighting industry, international and domestic financial institutions, private developers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international and bilateral development agencies are attending the conference.
Mr Twumasi said government planned to establish a Rural Electrification Agency to be solely responsible for providing cost effective rural electrification options including renewable energy throughout the country.
Currently, over 3,000 communities have so far been connected to the national electricity grid under the National Electrification Scheme initiated some 20 years ago, bringing electricity access to 56 per cent of the people.
Mr Twumasi said to ensure accelerated increase in rural access government had streamlined the National Electrification Scheme to ensure that all outstanding works in 300 communities provided with electricity under the Self-Help Electrification Programme would be completed in 2008.
He said the only way to provide electricity to remote rural communities, which could not be connected to the national grid, was to make available to them efficient battery powered Direct Current Lamps.
But the cost of these lamps, he said, was often beyond the reach of the poor rural majority.
He expressed the hope that the Lighting Africa Program initiated by the World Bank and IFC would provide a major breakthrough for governments in developing countries like Ghana to offer a means to rapidly deliver modern lighting services at reduced cost to the rural poor.
Mr Ishac Diwan, World Bank-Ghana Country Director, said the idea behind the conference was to ensure access to cheap technology to assist the poor to have access to off-grid lighting.
It is also designed to increase awareness of the significant market opportunities for improving lighting products and services and to link global investors with local suppliers and service providers.
An estimated 20 billion dollars is spent every year by 500 million people, who are not connected to the grid, on fuel-based lighting, a major source of carbon dioxide emissions.
The conference will culminate in award to winners of the Development Marketplace Grant Competition (DMGC).
The DMGC is a programme which seeks to award up to $200,000 each to about 15 to 20 finalists for presenting the most innovative and viable ideas for designing, developing, and delivering modern off-grid lighting products and services to sub-Saharan Africa.
GNA
TMA/DK
6 May 08


EXPO 06
Economics Stock Exchange
Index continues upswing

Accra, May 6, GNA - The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) All-Share Index, the benchmark indicator of the bourse, went up by 6.52 points to close at 9,385.33 points from 9,378.81 points.
Change for the year to date now stands at 42.21 per cent.
Traded volumes closed three times higher at 230,900 shares from 81,200 shares on Monday.
On the broader market there were four positive price changes.
Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) gained GH