Geological Survey Dep�t to Change To Commission � Collins Dauda

After Monday�s earthquake hoax that over-shadowed the entire country, the Minister of Natural Resource, Lands and Forestry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, says there is a need to bridge the wide gap between the Metro/Municipal/Metropolitan and District (GSD) Assemblies and the Geological Survey Department, to make Ghanaians more secure. According to him, the GSD is a service provider; as such relating well to the public without benefit was a headache. He said discussions are ongoing to change the GSD into a commission to enable it sell its services at a commercial rate to boost their work. Speaking in an interview on Peace FM�s �Kokrokoo�, he said the acquisition of a new equipment was very vital after complaints by the GSD. The equipment for monitoring and recording earthquakes, according to the Deputy Director of GSD, Dr Kwasi Adu, had broken down since 2007. However, he believes the earthquake scare had prompted the Ministry of Finance to hasten the processing for the funds. Alhaji Collins Dauda told Peace FM that, his Ministry had sourced about US$3.34m from the Minerals Development Fund, to purchase the equipment. He added that had it not been for the earthquake scare, the acquisition of the funds would have been difficult. �The procurement Authority has given approval for accessing the fund from the Minerals Development Fund�but there is a need to purchase the equipment from a Canadian Company noted well for such equipment�the Procurement Authority (PA) had earlier denied us this process,� he said. He disclosed that instead, the PA requested for a tender to be put out for the public to compete for the right. Meanwhile, he said upon further discussions with the Chairman of the Procurement Authority, Steve Obimpeh, an agreement had been reached with the Ministry of Finance to release funds for the purchase of the equipment. �By the end of this week, the Finance Ministry would have finished with the processing,� he added. He added that equipment at Weija, Kpone, Kukurantumi, Akosombo and its substations have all broken down. He assured Ghanaians that the Ministry would do everything possible to help purchase the equipment. He said the new equipment would be very efficient and more effective than the old one, which was manual. �A digital equipment would now be purchased,� he added.