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Effiduase SSNIT flat residents receive threats from encroachers
• The encroachers operate at night
Residents of Effiduase SSNIT flats in the New Juaben North Municipality of the Eastern Region of late have been receiving threats of ejection from encroachers.
The reason is that some unscrupulous persons who are parading as land owners have been selling portions of land belonging to SSNIT to people in the community.
Other reason given indicated that, the government gave the land to SSNIT without paying any compensations to the land owners.
According to Mr Asiamah Yirenkyi, a resident and a management committee member of Effiduase SSNIT flats, all the metal drying lines, farms and playing ground in the area had been destroyed.
He mentioned the most affected areas as, Blocks 7,8,9 and 10 and called on the authorities concerned to protect them from such harassments.
He said the danger associated with their activities was that they operated in the night so it had been difficult for them to be recognised.
Mr Yirenkyi said the operatives came to the area about two weeks ago with bulldozers to pull down a warehouse belonging to SSNIT and started developing new houses.
“They have sold parts of the land, destroyed our farms and even portions of the drains that carry waste water from our homes have also been destroyed” he said.
He said the leaders of the SSNIT flats association had written to the Eastern Regional Minister, SSNIT Management, the Police, Town and Country Planning, Lands Commission, the two MCEs of New Juaben North and South, to come to their aid.
When The Spectator contacted the office of SSNIT in Koforidua, Mr Twum Twumasi, Deputy Data Operations Manager, confirmed the situation and said management was working hard to ensure that those selling government properties be are brought to book.
He said the SSNIT Legal Department had taken the matter up and requested for court injunction over the activities of the people.
The Eastern Regional PRO of SSNIT Mr Royal Nii Krotey Donkor also said that all the documents in possession of SSNIT showed that the land belonged to Trust and that compensations had been duly paid to beneficiaries and, therefore, no one had the right to own it.
He appealed to the people selling such lands and harassing occupants of SSNIT properties to desist from it, assuring the residents that his outfit would do everything possible to protect them.
By Spectator Reporter
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113 Cardinals hold 3rd General Congregation in Rome
The 113 Cardinals present in Rome held the third General Congregation on Thursday morning, and announced who will deliver the two pre-conclave meditations.
The Cardinals decided that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández will celebrate the Mass on the sixth day of the Novemdiales, instead of Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
They agreed that Fr. Donato Ogliari, O.S.B., Abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls, will deliver the first meditation on Monday, and that Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher Emeritus of the Papal Household, will deliver the second meditation at the beginning of the conclave, whose starting date has not yet been decided.
The Cardinals began a conversation about the Church and the world, deciding to hold the next General Congregation on Friday morning at 9:00 AM.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists that 61,000 people have paid their respects to the late Pope Francis as of 1:00 PM on Thursday, adding that St. Peter’s Basilica should close at midnight on Thursday, unless large crowds are still queuing to enter.
Following the Pope’s funeral on Saturday, April 26, a Rosary will be held in front of the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Saturday at 9:00 PM.
Mr. Bruni said the burial service for Pope Francis will take place in private.
Starting the morning of Sunday, April 27, the faithful may begin to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Marian Basilica.
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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.
