Decision to go HIPC should be commended and not condemned

Kumasi, Aug 12, GNA - Dr Edward Baffoe-Bonnie, Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa-East, said on Tuesday that the government's decision to adopt the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative was a prudent one that should be lauded by all Ghanaians rather than condemned. The MP said if the government had not gone HIPC the country would have faced worse economic hardships than ''what we are experiencing presently.''

Dr Baffoe-Bonnie said this when he presented 100 bags of cement and six head pans to the Ayigya M/A Basic School in Kumasi for the construction of a day care centre.

Even though the cost of the items was not made known they were procured from his share of the MP's Common Fund.

He said various financial packages had come from a number of donor organisations and international community since Ghana went HIPC, and "these funds have been channelled into supporting organised groups to embark on income-generating ventures as well as development of the educational and health sectors of the economy."

Receiving the items Alhaji Alhassan Ibn Ibrahim, Chairman of the Ayigya Basic School Management Committee, commended the MP for his practical concern for development of education.