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ECOWAS Court orders AG to pay $750 for late filing of defence in case against Agyapa deal
The Attorney General has been ordered by the ECOWAS Court to pay an amount of $750 dollars to Transparency International for late filing of its defence in the case filed against the Agyapa deal.
Transparency International is asking the sub-regional court to halt the proposed deal geared at monetizing Ghana’s gold and rather allow for further consultation as it alleges that the presence of politically exposed persons in the transaction leaves much to be desired.
The Sub-regional Court which is sitting here in Accra on Wednesday, March 23, heard the case for the first time.
Chief State Attorney, Dorothy Afriyie Ansah, urged the court to permit the Attorney General’s Office to file a defence despite failing to file one after many months.
She explained that as the officer tasked to handle the case, she suffered post-COVID-19 complications and was therefore unwell.
Lawyers for Transparency International led by Olumide Babalola did not oppose this request. The Court, therefore, adopted the proposed defence filed by the AG’s office.
Mrs Afriyie Ansah however noted that lawyers for Transparency International had filed a response to the proposed defence which had now been adopted.
She, therefore, urged the court to give the office more time to file a further response. This did not sit well with Mr Babalola who urged the court to award a cost of $1,000 if it was minded to grant such an adjournment.
“The AG is an institution. It’s not an individual. If you were not here today, does it mean no one will come?” He quizzed.
Mr Babalola pointed out that he flew into the country from the United Kingdom and, therefore, deserves to be reimbursed with the cost.
“They were served as far back as July, 2021. I flew in from the UK two days ago. The expense is unquantifiable.” He said.
The Court, therefore, ordered the AG to pay Transparency International $750 dollars.
Source: www.myjoyonline.com
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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
