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Focus on education not dressing, makeup
Nana Ogyedom Ama Tsetsewa I
The Osumpahen of Gomoa Akyempin Traditional Council, Nana Ogyedom Ama Tsetsewa I, has asked women to pursue education and skills learning to put value on themselves.
In her view, women were gradually relegating issues about their education, skills learning and other ways of putting value on themselves to the background and rather seemed to be focusing on dressing well to look good.
“Much as a good appearance is not bad in itself, it was gradually becoming the most important thing in the life of many ladies, relegating other ways of adding value to themselves to the background,” she claimed.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator on Tuesday, Nana Tsetsewa I said “Enough of the dressing and makeup. Every woman must strive to add intellectual value or have a skill to complement her looks.”
“Now when you engage many young ladies in a conversation, they appear more concerned about wearing makeup, beautiful dresses and pair of shoes. It is so disappointing that knowledge acquisition has become secondary,” she said.
Doubling as the Mankrado of Gomoa Oguan and also an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practitioner, she said women play critical role in the society, and as the first person a child comes into contact with, it was good to add quality to her life so that she could pass on same.
Nana Tsetsewa I said the great women recognised in the history of Ghana were not celebrated because of their biological or physical appearance, but because of their intellectual attraction or empowerment and impact on society.
She said if women did not try harder as a group or individuals to add value to themselves, females would have only a handful of voices to represent them when it comes to making important decisions.
She said that women had all it took to make an impact on fields such as security, engineering, religion, tradition, media, academia, health, among others and urged them to go all out for it.
“Some women have paved the way to show that we can excel wherever we find ourselves. Mrs Gifty Afenyi Dadzie excelled in the Ghanaian media. So was American Talk Show hostess, Oprah Winfrey, in her field. In politics, former Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, showed her prowess. Warrior queen mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, Yaa Asantewaa, also made an impact on the traditional landscape.”
“If a woman empowers herself, she could stand up for herself and others and so unhealthy practices such as widowhood rites, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and abuse of many forms would be reduced,” she said.
In reference to the axiom “behind every successful man, there is a woman”, she stated that role can be performed in several capacities as wives, mothers, sisters or daughters, adding that “in all of them, women still play roles to inspire greatness in men to make the world a better place”.
She encouraged the youth to invest most of their time and energy in education, skills training or any other thing that would make them responsible in future.
Nana Ogyedom Tsetsewa I also advised healthy lifestyles and good eating habits to ensure good health because health is wealth.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
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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
