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AMA, Guadalajara sign MOU to promote cultural and commercial ties

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with Guadalajara the capital state of Jalisco in western Mexico, to promote cultural and commercial ties between the two cities.

The Chief Executive Officer of AMA, Mrs Elizabeth K. T Sackey, signed on behalf of the Assembly last week Wednesday at a brief ceremony held at the Accra City Hall.

The Director of International Relations and Migrant Attention, Mrs Lilian Rizk Rodrigues, also signed on behalf of the Municipality of Guadalajara.

Mrs Sackey said the friendship between the two cities was the beginning of the collaboration in the areas of arts, culture, tourism, trade, investment and education.

She was hopeful that Guadalajara and Accra would embark on impactful projects to the benefit of its people, stressing that the MOU would impact Ghana and Mexico positively.

“This agreement is the beginning of collaboration in the areas of Arts, Culture, Tourism, Trade, and Investment, Education among others. Indeed, this relationship we are cultivating will go a long way to benefit the citizens and residents of our two cities.

The relationship between Accra and Guadalajara is a testament to the bilateral cooperation that has existed for years between Ghana and Mexico and continues to thrive,” she said.

Mrs. Lilian Rizk Rodrigues, described the union as historic feet for the two cities, citing the agreement as the first of its kind to be signed with an African city.

“We are very excited about the world of possibilities that opens with the signing of this twinning agreement, which we are convinced will translate into multiple benefits for the inhabitants of both cities and will be an example to the international community,” she said.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Mexico in Ghana, Arturo Salazar was hopeful the agreement would go a long way to foster unity and bring development between the city of Accra and Guadalajara.

BY BERNARD BENGHAN

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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