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Govt donates Veronica buckets, face masks to churches, churches
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday presented quantities of hand washing items to the Muslim and Christian communities to enable their members observe good hygiene in their places of worship.
The donations follow the partial lifting of the restrictions on social gatherings to enable Christians and Muslims to gather and worship in small groups.
The items are 9 ,900 sets of Veronica buckets which include water containers, metal stands, waste water collectors as well as, 9,900 nose masks, 19,800 bottles of liquid soap, 19,800 bottles of hand sanitisers and 9,900 paper tissues.
The office of the National Chief Imam, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Shia Muslim Community, Ghana Muslim Mission, Tijania Muslim Community and Tijania Muslim Council received a total of 2,500 sets of items.
The Christian Community also got 7,400 sets of the items to be distributed among the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Pentecostal Churches Council, Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Independent Churches Association of Ghana, National Clergy Association of Ghana, Seventh Day Adventist Church, National Association of Charismatic Churches Council and the United Prayer Network.
Presenting the items on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the government has plans to distribute 50,000 sets of similar items to the churches and mosques in the various districts in the country.
The presentation is a gift of appreciation from President Akufo-Addo in recognition of the prayers, support and understanding by the religious groups since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, she said.
She said in the President’s 10th broadcast on measures to fight the pandemic, the suspension of religious gatherings was lifted to enable believers gather in small groups and worship.
She appealed to religious bodies to observe strict hygiene protocols and social distancing arrangements to avoid communal spread of the virus.
The minister said the donations are expected to help churches and mosques in the washing of their hands and also help prevent the spread of the pandemic when they start their services.
Receiving the items, the Apostle General of the Royal House Chapel, Rev. Sam Korankyi Ankrah, who stood in for Archbishop Duncan Williams, and the Personal Assistant to the National Chief Imam, Alhaji M. Khuzaima, thanked the President for the gesture, saying that the presentation would go a long way to help their members to observe the protocols.
BY YAW KYEI
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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
