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Eastern Region holds Festival of Arts and Culture
• Dr Akosua Abdallah (left), greeting Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III
Cultural display was at its best in the Eastern Region during this year’s Regional Festival of Arts and Culture which was celebrated at the Koforidua Jubilee Park.
The region which has 11 traditional areas namely Anum, Boso, Manya and Yilo Krobo, Akuapem, Akyem Abuakwa, Bosome, Kotoku, Kwahu, Akwamu and New Juaben had their cultures displayed through beautiful performances.
Several performances, including the dipo, adowa, borborbo, among other traditional dance were performed by the Ohu Cultural Group from Akropong, Klama Cultural Group from Odumase-Krobo, Nyanyui Borborbor and Centre for National Culture (CNC) Cultural Group in Koforidua, to the admiration of the audience.
The Asokore Seventh Day Adventist, Oyoko Methodist and Ghana Senior High Schools were among schools that performed through poem recitals, brass band performance and singing of corals.
The Eastern Regional Police Band was also present to grace the occasion which was chaired by the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III.
Speaking on the theme: “Reviving Patriotism, Peace and Unity Through Cultural Diversity for Sustainable Development,” the Director in charge of Community Education and Youth Development (CEYD) at the National Commission on Culture (NCC), Dr Akosua Abdallah said it was worrying to note that modernisation and globalisation had affected and continued to affect every aspect of national life and culture.
“You will go to a house and they are eating fried rice, noodles and other foods that are not Ghanaian. Where are our traditional foods like ampesi, fufu and the rest? We need to go back and teach our children our traditional foods and culture and stop adopting western culture which was depleting our culture,” she said.
She said there was an urgent need to imbibe into the youth, a sense of patriotism, nationalism, unity and a selfless ideal towards the country, adding that the NCC believed in a national strategy that sought to promote and sustain the interest of Ghanaians, particularly the youth and called for some stock-taking and deeper reflection on “our ideals so that we can teach our youth.”
She said the NCC was committed to promoting the national culture and would continue to hold such events to promote the cultures to the international community.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong stated that the Culture and Creative Arts Industry was an essential component of the country’s economy which was making significant contribution to national development.
“We consciously need to guard it by steadfastly holding on to it for employment and wealth creation and it is important to uphold the rich cultures handed to us by our ancestral heritage taking cognisance of its vitality and values,” he said.
He said the theme was apt since the country had allowed for western cultures to permeate the Ghanaian culture through technology, adding that the situation had caused a lot of indiscipline among the youth.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu
Agyeman, Koforidua
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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
