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Cultural display at Wa Jubilee Park
• A cultural group
It was a sight to behold at the Jubilee Park Wa, in the Upper West Region as the region climaxed its maiden Cultural Week Celebration and the festival of arts and culture.
There was a display of colourful smocks designed with beautiful patterns, the swift movement of waists and feet to traditional sound from xylophones and traditional drums as well as the display of artefacts among others.
his dancing skills
Categorised into the Dagaaba, Waala, Sissali, Lobi and Brifo uniquely displayed their respective native dance to the admiration of the gathering.
The Fulani community in the region added an icing to the cake with their presence and a spectacular performance of their native dance.
Dance troupes from Wa, Nandom, Lawra and the Sissala Land displayed the Bawa, Bene, Kobine, Dogu, Tumpani and Dumba dances.
Interacting with participants, the Acting Director at the Centre for National Culture in the region, Mr Jamal-Deen Yahaha expressed his delight for the successful occasion which according to him, allowed the participants to showcase the culture of the land through music, dance, theatrical enactments, artifacts, handicrafts, folklores, among others.
He said the idea of the cultural week celebration was conceived by some individuals and institutions over decades until recently when the Centre in conjunction with Radio Progress, a local radio station in the region, jointly worked together to bring the concept to fruition.
He said that with the support of the chiefs and other stakeholders, the Centre was able to mobilise resources for the celebration of the week which was also used to graduate some 20 ladies who had undergone training in smock weaving at the auspices of the Centre.
In a speech read on his behalf, the President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, Naa Dikomwine Domalae said culture should be included in every aspect of national discourse to ensure that people held their values in high esteem even as they moved along with ‘modernity’.
Speaking on the theme “revisiting out culture for business and wealth creation in the era of global insecurity”, the chief charged government to work closely with traditional authorities to research, document, conserve, manage and promote positive traits of Ghana’s cultural heritage.
“Government should also facilitate the development and promotion of archaeological and historic sites as well as national and community festivals and various classes of artefacts in addition to tourist infrastructure to support the tourist industry”, he added.
Dignitaries such as a Member of the Council of State, Professor Daniel Bagah and representative from the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University as well as the Simon Diedong Dombo University for Business and Integrated Development Studies graced the occasion.
From Lydia Darlinton Fordjour, Wa
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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
