Following are two news releases from Ghana. The first is from the Tripartite National Steering Committee and the second is from the Civil Society Steering Committee. NEWS RELEASE POSTPONEMENT OF THE GHANIAN SAPRI FIRST NATIONAL FORUM The Tripartite National Steering Committee of the Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative (SAPRI), wishes to confirm the earlier public announcement that the the first national forum of SAPRI which was to have taken place from the 7th-9th of September 1998 has been postponed until further notice. The postponement became necessary when two of the parties reported that they had not been able to obtain the full representation required to ensure full and meaningful discussion at the forum. The Committee expressed its disappointment at this turn of event, particularly at that late stage and in view of the substantial preparatory work put in by so many people and institutions. It was nevertheless, recognised on all sides that, given the objective of SAPRI, proper preparation by all parties and the full representation of all views were critical to the success of the Forum. In the circumstances, the committee agreed to the rescheduling of the forum to a date to be settled after due consultation, and announced shortly. The Committee wishes to take this opportunity to express its appreciation to all persons and institutions that have been involved in the very effective preparatory work done so far, and to assure everyone of its full commitment to the successful prosecution of the SAPRI process. signed September 8, 1998 NEWS RELEASE The Civil Society Coordinating Council (CIVISOC) wishes to assure the organizations of civil society of its continued commitment to the fruitful execution of SAPRI. We regret the last minute postponement of the First National Forum of SAPRI that was scheduled and advertised for September 7-9, 1998 and express our heartfelt apologies to all those who were inconvenienced by the postponement. To avoid the recurrence of such disappointment, CIVISOC wishes to use this occasion to urge the World Bank and Government as partners in SAPRI to undertake special effort to improve their representation and coordination of work within the framework of SAPRI. It is the hope of CIVISOC that in the coming period both the World Bank and government would participate fully to ensure that SAPRI meets the objective of contributing to a new inclusive process for economic and social policy making. signed 14 September, 1998
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