Hot!
Children abandon classroom school for game centres
Despite effort by the Gaming Commission to phase out analogue and non-digital slot machines within the gaming landscape in Ghana, it appears the taskforce still has a long way to go.
The ‘clampdown’ initiated on January 1, 2022, formed part of measures by the Comission to upgrade the industry to meet international best practices and protect minors.
However, a number of these children at Alabar in the Kumasi Metropolis in the Ashanti Region and some parts of Accra continue to while away time at gaming centres at the expense of their education.
These children aged between eight and 12 are often seen in makeshift wooden structures in the early hours of the morning playing their favourite video games while others gamble with slot machines.
Mr. Mohammed Kudus, a game centre owner at Alabar, admitted the centre was opened to adults but the children found their way to the place at odd times.
According to him, some of them lived in the slum with single parents who struggled to cater for their basic needs and that some of the parents also tried to prevent their wards from patronising the venue but “they kept coming.”
He said the centre had strict rules of conduct including sacking children who came there in school uniforms.
Madam Beatrice Baiden, Public Affairs Manager of the Gaming Commission, said the proliferation of slot machines and exposure of children to raffles in obscure places were against the law.
She said the Commission would continue to ensure that persons below 18 years were not exposed to gaming, as stipulated in the Gaming Act, 2006 (Act 721) and appealed to the public to report operators who assembled such machines.
Ms Baiden added that the regulator was committed to the development of an industry that supported gaming as a recreational or leisure activity in a responsible manner.
Speaking to Ms. Daniela Ruedisueli Sodjah, one of the founders and the Executive Director of Chance for Children, a Non-Governmental Organisation, commenting on the issue of street children attributed the challenge to weak social support systems.
She, therefore, called on partners and the government to develop strategies to protect vulnerable children and help secure their future.
By Geoffrey Buta
Hot!
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.
Hot!
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
