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Don’t fall for social pressure – Ms Karikari advises women
The Chief Executive Officer of Glory Gate Capital Limited, Mrs. Francisca Nyamekye Karikari, has advised women not to fall for the social pressure of marriage and child birth.
She said getting married and having children should not be the only ambition of women and that a woman was still “complete whether she is married or not.”
Speaking at the second edition of the Women Connect Conference (WCC) in Accra last Saturday, she charged women to remain ambitious and committed to goals in all aspects of life.
The forum themed: “Women on the Go: Staying Mentally Healthy as You Juggle Everyday,” sought to build the capacity of women and broaden the conversation on mental health.
Mrs. Karikari, speaking on the subject: “The realities about being a woman with ambition and its related mental health challenges,” she noted that failure was eminent in the bid to attain excellence but that should not be an excuse for aiming higher.
“Don’t evaluate yourself based on the achievement of others, you are unique. You just need to define your success parameters and stay focused. Work hard even if you are not appreciated. Even if nobody sees it, you are building your own skills,” she said.
Highlighting the need to avoid procrastination, she said women aiming to thrive in male domination professions must be flexible while believing their own abilities.
“Surround yourself with ambitious people who would tell you things that would build you up. Don’t present yourself as a superwoman because you are not, find help when you need it,” she added.
Mrs. Abena Biney, Audit Partner and Consumer Business Leader, Deloitte Ghana also speaking on joggling workload with personal life, emphasised the need to prioritise tasks, set personal boundaries, and build support groups at work.
“When you continue to put yourself under unnecessary pressure that is when you begin to build stress and anxiety,” she said.
Ms. Emiley Mensah, Project Head, WCC, said the forum was to educate women on the need for self-care as they went about daily routines which were likely to affect their mental and physical well-being.
“Society has created an expectation for women and the challenge is that women often do this at the expense of their mental health. That, however, does not mean you should go through your struggles silently,” she said.
The forum brought together hundreds of women from diverse backgrounds, including the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Kati Csaba, and Ambassador Nancy Quartey Sam, Chief Executive Officer of Staple Travel and Tour, who was honoured with a citation.
By Ernest Nutsugah
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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
