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Homowo climax: Otublohum Dadeban Naa calls for unity and progress
• Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II sprinkling kpokpoi
The Otublohum Dadeban Naa, a traditional division of the Ga State in the Greater Accra Region has marked this year’s Homowo in unity under the auspices of the Supreme Head of MantseAnkrah Royal Family, Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II.
As part of Ga Mashie Homowo celebration, all the seven divisions of Ga Mashie comprising Otublohum, Asere, Gbese, Abola, Sempe, Akumajean and Ngleshie Alata also known as Jamestown marked the festival last Saturday to jointly “hoot at hunger”which means Homowo in the Ga language.
Homowo is a festival celebrated by the Gas who in their quest for harmonious location, died of hunger on their way from Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo until they reached their final destination “Akra” popularly known as Accra.
NiiAdjabenAnkrah II said that peace was an important element for the progress of the Ga State, and for the indigenes to live as one people with a common agenda for both human and infrastructural development.
He sprinkled “kpokpoi” a traditional meal used for celebrating the festival on the streets of Ga Mashieto acknowledge the dead who fought for stability and peace.
Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II led another sprinkling of “kpokpoi” at the Mantse Ankrah Royal Mausoleum of Otublohum Dadeban-Naa which recently received a facelift at North Kaneshie, Accra.
The principal streets of North and South Industrial areas in Accra which belong to Otublohumwere also sprinkled with “kpokpoi” as custom demanded.
Nii Adjabeng Ankrah II, who would mark his sixth anniversary in November 2022 on the stool has been phenomenal in settling disputes, among others.
Diplomats, tourists and people from all walks of life were present to witness the Otublohum Dadeban-Naa Homowo 2022 celebration.
Principal Elder of Mantse Ankrah Royal Family, MrNiiAyiAnkrah, told the public not to associate the celebration of Homowo with diabolic meanings because it was a tradition to be cherished by generations.
“We need to hold onto our culture in order to see a progressive Ga State because the Ga people have rich cultural norms that need to be cherished and preserved,” he said.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
