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SOS Children’s Village Ghana in partnership with Jiossam and Green Tec Africa commission solar water facility for Papramanten
The National Director of the SOS Children’s Villages, Mr Alex Mar Kekula in group picture with partners
and chiefs and people of Papramanten
SOS Children’s Village Ghana in collaboration with Joissam Company Limited and Green Tec Africa has commissioned a solar energy and water facility for Papramanten, a farming community in the Fanteakwa North District of the Eastern region.
The solar energy facility which has a solar light, potable water container, a phone charging unit and a refrigerator, would provide electricity and its associated services to the people of the community.
The solar facility has a mechanized borehole which would also provide clean and potable water to school children and community members in the area.
The National Director of the SOS Children’s Villages, Mr Alex Mar Kekula the project as part of his outfit’s Family Strengthening project aimed at building the capacity of families and communities by providing them with support and resources, to empower them to become self-resilient.
He said the solar energy was to provide the community members with clean and sustainable energy in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) seven.
“We believe that access to electricity is not just a luxury; it is a fundamental right that can catalyze progress, improve education and enhance healthcare. The solar panel we believe will not only provide clean and sustainable energy but will also serve as a beacon of hope for generations to come,” he said.
The water project, he said, was a fundamental resource to life, adding that it was provided to promote Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to create a positive impact of safe access to water in schools and improve health, growth and continued education of school-aged children and communities by reducing related diseases incidents.
He said the provision of water was in line with his outfit’s commitment to ensure that every child, regardless of their circumstances, had access to water.
For his part, the District Chief Executive of Fanteakwa North expressed gratitude to SOS Children’s Village and their partners for the kind gesture and called on the people to ensure that the facility was maintained well to benefit all and future generations.
The Chief of Papramanten, Nene Angmor Tetteh said previously community members had to walk long distances to charge their phones, adding that the solar energy facility would make it easy for them to charge their phones and help improve communication in the area.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Papramanten
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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
