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Set a day aside to celebrate drivers
Samuel Amoah
The National Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Mr Samuel Amoah is calling for a consideration of a day to be set aside and celebrated as ‘Driver’s Day.’
“That would encourage professionalism and go a long way to show the commitment of the country to ensuring road safety,” he said.
Mr Amoah told The Spectator in an interview that the call was not new in Ghana where days have been set aside to celebrate people in other professions for the contribution towards nation building.
“It would be a proud moment to call out private and commercial drivers who have driven responsibly on the road and prevent needless deaths for awards annually.
“Drivers who do not drink and drive, over speed, over load, do not ignore road signs, do not speak on the phone while driving, disrespect their passengers and other road users should be highly commended,” he said.
Mr Amoah believes that a ‘Driver’s Day’ celebration will among encourage more drivers to live up to expectations and become more conscious and responsible on the road.
He said on a daily basis, the GPRTU received calls of commendation for drivers who has acted and conducted themselves professionally.
“We are also quick to take punitive measures against those who have misconducted themselves or bring the name of the job into disrepute,” he stated.
He said if a driver carried many passengers from one place to the other successfully, it was considered a normal thing, however, if the unfortunate happens and lives were lost, the whole country takes them on.
Mr. Amoah said good works should be rewarded to serve as a motivation to those who are upholding the right standard to continue their good work.
He said it would also encourage more drivers to take their maintenance culture seriously because a vehicle in a right state for the road was equally important.
The PRO said the contributions of drivers in the area of the economy by carrying several workers to and from work daily and also carrying farm produce to the market to feed the nation was also enormous.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman
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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
