§ Mr. Tilneyasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what Great Britain has done and will do to help Ghana tide over the difficulties which the present Ghana Government inherited from the Nkrumah régime.
§ Mr. G. Thomas,pursuant to his reply on 14th February [Vol. 741, c. 333], gave the following information:
We have made a considerable effort to help Ghana over her economic difficulties. The British Government organised a meeting between Ghana and her creditors in December. This resulted in proposals for a debt settlement which will allow the Ghanaians to spread the repayment of their heavy medium term debts over an extended period of years. The Export Credit Guarantee Department are continuing to extend limited credit facilities to enable the supply of essential commodities to be maintained.
The Ghana Government have been told that the unspent balance of the Volta Loan—a total of £3.44 million—is available to them for electricity distribution projects, but I understand that there may be some alternative proposals for the use of this money. We will shortly be examining with the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other potential donor countries, the possibilities of further financial aid.
British technical assistance and the work of the British Council continues at a high level. And the British Joint Services Training Team still assists the Ghanaian Armed Forces.