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Dr Bawumia Donates To Kumasi Children’s Home On 60th Birthday
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the comprehensive transformation agenda being embarked upon by the National Service Scheme, and which is tied to the new strategic direction of other pro-youth agencies, is addressing the specific employment needs of young people.
This youth-driven transformation agenda, according to him, relates primarily to training and skills development, provision of pre-employment support activities, as well as instilling the values of civic responsibility, discipline, nationalism and volunteerism.
To this end, the President stated that “several youth development programmes have been put in place, which not only prioritise young adults’ needs and build the skills needed to become productive and successful members of society, but also strengthen young people’s sense of identity and belief in the future.”
President Akufo-Addo was made this known on Tuesday, 10th October, 2023, at the launch of activities to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the National Service Scheme, at the Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
Citing the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), the Ghana Enterprises Agency’s (GEA) YouStart Programme, and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (CTVET), he said, “my government, since 2017 has engaged young people, including National Service Personnel, in intentional, productive and constructive ways, whilst recognising and enhancing their strengths.”
Under the Economic Enclave Programme, for example, President Akufo-Addo noted that the NSS, will, in the next four years, in the agriculture sector, deploy 65,000 graduate youth to the Agricultural Enclaves, create 81,000 jobs in agriculture and its allied sectors, and develop 20,000 hectares of land for production, in addition to the production of 110,000 metric tons of food and production of 1.5 million birds.
This, he said, will result consequently in the generation of revenue of some US$92 million by year four.
Additionally, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that, for the first time in its existence, the NSS will lay a Draft Policy document before Parliament, which will transition the Scheme to the status of an Authority, thus providing a legal framework for the envisioned ‘Deployment for Employment’ (D4E) model that is designed to encourage young graduates to create a positive impact, and contribute to the development of our nation.
On the necessity of NSS support to the education and health sectors, as well as, Graduate/Youth in Agriculture, as a means towards import substitution and addressing food security challenges, the President urged the Scheme to scale-up and “focus on the new modules that it has initiated, with the purposive intention that the capabilities of these energetic and educated youth would be deployed to generate maximum impact for the socio-economic development goals of the country.”
The President, in his address, paid glowing “homage to the Members of Parliament who deliberated on the draft NSS Bill that culminated in the passage of Act 426. They include the late statesmen, J. H. Mensah, A. A. Munufie, Peter Ala Adjetey, Harry Sawyerr, and Kwaku Baah, among others.”
“I recount the words of the then Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya, Hon. John Agyekum Kufuor, subsequently the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, who intimated, during the debate on the processes leading to the passage of Act 426 in 1980, that the “Scheme is a vehicle for building national cohesion”. He again posited that “…we should look at the Scheme as a development of human resources. We are going to make our future manpower more prepared to be used more efficiently…”, he told the gathering.
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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
