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KTU hostel operators urged to observe COVID-19 safety protocols
Private Hostel Operators hosting students of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) and food vendors operating around the University have been urged to observe all safety protocols slated to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or face closure of their facilities for failure to do so.
According to the Pro Vice Chancellor of the KTU, Professor John Owusu, final year students have returned to continue their programme hence it would be necessary that hostel operators and food vendors ensured that they observed all safety protocols to avoid students who patronize their services from getting infected with the coronavirus.
“We have made them aware that if they do not adhere to the safety protocols to ensure the containment of the coronavirus and any student gets infected then their facilities would be closed down,” he added.
Professor Owusu made these statements during a training programme organised by the University’s COVID-19 Response team for private hostel operators and food vendors to train them on the safety protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Pro Vice Chancellor reiterated the need to organise the programme to enable the University’s COVID-19 response team to interact with them to remind them of the safety protocols and impress upon them to adhere to them.
“We hope that this interaction would yield positive results and cause them to adhere to safety protocols like regular and proper handwashing, observe social distancing in their various rooms by reducing the number of students who sleep in the rooms and also practise all other protocols so that no student get infected.”
“We also urged the hostel operators to get thermometer guns to check temperatures of students regularly, he added.
“The hostels are a source of income to these operators and we hope they would adhere to the safety protocols to avoid closure so that they do not lose their daily source of income. Same goes to the food vendors,” he pointed out.
For food vendors, he warned that anyone found not to observe the safety protocols would be barred from selling to the students.
Professor Owusu revealed that the COVID-19 Response team would inspect the hostels and food vendors from time-to-time to ensure that they adhere to the protocols.
For his part, the Manager of Elite Hostels, Daniel Amoako, one of the hostel and beneficiary of the programme was glad stating that the training was in the right direction.
He stated the need to ensure safety first to prevent the spread of COVID-19 assuring that he would do his best to adhere to complement what government was doing.
A food vendor, was also grateful to KTU COVID-19 Team and urged them to inspect activities of the food vendors to ensure that they constantly adhere to the safety protocols slated by government.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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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.
