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La Anobil Basic School needs fencewall …as school children turn old graveyard into playground
• Sergeant C. F. Adjetey grave grows with weeds
The pupils of La Anobil Basic School for many years have been compelled to live with the “dead” as a century-old abandoned cemetery serves as a playground and walkway.
The abandoned cemetery with about 70 broken old graves surrounded by other schools including St Paul’s Primary and Junior High Schools further serves as a walkway for some residents in the area.
The presence of the damaged tombstones has become impediment to pupils during play hours.
Mrs Habiba Kutumah, the Municipal Director of Education of La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) said the situation was very challenging for them especially when visitors came around but there was little they could do as owners of the land were not cooperative in finding solution to the worrying scene.
She said owners of the land removed the constructed fence which separated the cemetery from the schools and all efforts to get the area re-fenced had not yielded results.
She said the assembly had been informed about the situation and there were plans to put the graveyard back in shape as the school and the assembly continued to engage the owners of the land.
When contacted, Mr. Solomon Kotey Nikoi, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) admitted the assembly had some years back fenced the area to preserve and protect prominent persons buried there but persons claiming ownership of the land did not maintain it.
He agreed that the grave yard, in its present form, was an eyesore but said the assembly was considering other temporary solutions.
In a brief statement on the issue, the La ‘Shikitele’ or Kingmaker of La, Nii Adjei Akoofeh IV indicated that, the Traditional Council was in charge of all royal and other cemeteries within the assembly but the issue around the abandoned cemetery would best be handled by the assembly.
“Although all royal and other cemeteries are under the care of the Traditional Council, it is also directly under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Assembly and they have the final say on how the place is managed” he explained.
He said the only way to ensure safety was proper fencing of the graveyard.
“It is very important the place is properly preserved or the remains be exhumed to a different location to enable the school children free access to their compound without them having to walk or play around the tombs,” he noted.
The Former MCE of LaDMA and current Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dade-Kotopon Constituency, Ms. Rita Odoley Sowah said, the place in question was fenced during her time as the MCE.
She agreed the area needed proper and stronger wire fencing that could stand the test of time to ward off both school children and the community members.
Mr. Aaron Annan Akronge, the Assembly man of Labone Electoral Area, confirmed the Assembly had, some years ago, fenced the grave yard and provided lighting but the barrier had broken and the lights stolen.
By Victor A. Buxton
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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
