MR. MAHANA AND MR. ADEBITEY INSPECTING HOUSES.




Initials JSU/VS/MR/MM



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Background: GHANA'A COMMISSIONER FOR FORESTRY, MR. LORAHIM MAHANA ON FRIDAY (20 OCTOBER) VISITED TEMA TO INSPECT A NEW LOW-COST HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.

THE COMMISSIONER WAS TAKEN AROUND THE BUILDINGS, WHICH ARE 60 PER CENT WOODEN, BY THE CHIEF OFFICER OF THE DEVELOPMENT MR. VICTOR ADEBITEY.

IN A SPEECH, MR. MAHANA SAID THAT IN VIEW OF THE AMOUNTING COST OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IN THE COUNTRY THE TIME HAS COME TO CONSIDER TO USE OF OTHER TYPES OF MATERIALS WHICH HAS BEEN FOUND TECHNOLOGICALLY SUITABLE FOR BUILDING.

EARLIER, HE TOLD NEWSMEN THAT THERE WERE ABOUT 200 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF TIMBER IN THE FOREST OF GHANA AND OF THESE ONLY ABOUT A DOZEN WERE MARKETABLE.

HE SAID HIS MINISTRY AND THE FOREST PRODUCTS RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF THE GHANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE HAS DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE ALL EQUALLY GOOD TYPES OF TIMBER ??? FROM AMONG THE COMMERCIALLY UNKNOWN SPECIES.

MR. MAHANA HOPED THAT IF THE SECONDARY SPECIES WERE EXTENSIVELY USED GHANA WOULD BE ABLE TO SAVE A LOT OF FOREIGN CURRENCY.