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Ghanaian community in Germany pays fines for 12 prison inmates in Ashanti Region
• Rev. Frimpong Mensah (left), a member of IPCA in Ashanti Region, Rev Supt. Stella Katso (2nd left),
Prison Chaplain, Supt. Bukari (right) and Mr. Owusu Barimah after the presentation
Moved by the example of Jesus Christ in shedding his blood on the cross of calvary for the forgiveness of sins,a Ghanaian community based in Germany in collaboration with the International Prisons Chaplains Association (IPCA) have paid approximately GH¢ 20,000.00 fines to free 12 prison inmates, who are minor offenders from the various prisons in the Ashanti Region.
The fines were paid before Easter. This was made possible by the group through the effective collaboration of IPCA and discussions held with prisons authorities in the region.
In addition to paying the fine, the group has also given the inmates pocket money to enable them to travel to their hometowns.
The group said it had identified IPCA as a credible partner having followed its activities over the period, especially the global advocacy campaign in fighting for the rights of prison inmates, and interacted with some leading members of the association.
The President of IPCA, Ghana, Rev Steve Mensah said the two groups would concentrate on extending their services to cover other regions with emphasis on female prisoners,
and make a strong case in pushing forward the introduction of Non- Custodial Sentences in the country.
He was full of praise for the Germany-based group, especially Mr Kweku Appiah and Mr. Owusu Barimah and the leading members of the Ashanti Region Branch of IPCA together with the Prison authorities.
IPCA has over the years been spearheading the welfare of prison inmates, feted them and provided them with some basic needs.
He said IPCA would monitor the lives of the freed inmates for a couple of months and support them with some basic needs so that they would not go astray and eventually find themselves back in prison, a situation which would put their work in vain.
By Raymond Kyekye
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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
