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Discipline, perseverance get results …Princess Korkor Boateng, Chartered Accountant at 18 says

Princess Korkor Boateng
Princess Korkor Boateng is being celebrated for emerging the “youngest person ever,” at age 18, to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in Ghana.
The level 400 student who is studying Business Administration at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) has been congratulated on the University’s official Twitter handle and continues to receive goodwill messages across social media platforms.

In a recent interaction with The Spectator, the young achiever spoke about the role of her family, the rudiments of the test, and the hurdles she overcame in attaining this feat.
According to Princess, the motivation came from her mother, Ms Mary Sarbah who recommended that she apply for the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) course early enough to avoid the strain of combining work and studies in future.
She started the course in 2019 after gaining admission into the University and completed her last set of papers in April 2023. As young as she is,, she feels “comfortable” rubbing shoulders with colleagues of different age groups.
She said although some people did pass inauspicious comments, she was still focused on attaining her goal.
“Every accountant’s dream is to take the course a step further even to the highest level. Either way I knew I would do it, therefore, we thought it wise to start early and save ourselves the stress.
“I am happy I was able to finish the test and my mother who is an accountant, is proud to see her daughter step in her shoes. It is encouraging to see that my success has made people take steps forward to achieve their goals,” she said.

Apart from obtaining secondary and tertiary education, the road to becoming a Chartered Accountant comes in three levels.
“There is no fixed timeline to write any papers. You can choose to take the four papers one at a time or write them at a go. In Level 1, we write four papers, six papers in Level 2 and four papers in Level 3.
“Depending on a candidate’s schedule and the pace in passing the papers, one could finish within two years or take 10 years to write,” she explained.
“After first degree, especially as a Business student, one might have previously done certain courses in the university and this would not require them to repeat some ICA courses,” she added.
Princess said she was first unwilling to sit for the test because she had wanted to “enjoy a bit of life in the university” but the courage she eventually mustered has paid off.
“I thought there was ample time in the university especially when you do not have any leadership responsibility. But once I took the decision to start, I have been able to get the results,” she said, acknowledging the immense contribution of her family and colleagues on the rugged journey to success.
“I know it is unwise to inform everybody about your plans, however, there were some people who I confided in because I knew along the way I would need help. Some of them were already within the working environment and their practical explanations helped me a lot,” she said.
Time management, discipline and perseverance have been some of the key elements of Princess’ academic progress. She said in spite of her tight schedules, she was able to combine UGBS and ICA courses effectively.
Princess attended Akosombo International School, a Ghanaian co-educational international second-cycle institution in the Eastern Region. She hopes to delve into the world of technology after completing her first degree.
She is a budding photographer and enjoys listening to poetry performances. Her mother and other female chartered accountants are her role models.
While urging the youth to pursue their dream in the face of challenges, she asked women to rise up to the task and match their male counter-parts in every field of study or at the workplace.”
By Yunusah Essandoh
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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