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Mepe queen warns teenage girls against early sex

Queen of Mepe, Mama Sreku

The Queen of Mepe Traditional Area (MTA), Mama Sreku, has cautioned teenage girls against early sex, advising them to focus on their studies to become responsible adults in future.

She asked the young girls, especially, to stay away from sex because they could become pregnant and pose social and economic problems to their families.

According to her, getting pregnant when one was not ready would only compound the huge problems that come with it.

Mama Sreku said this when she addressed guests at the press launch of the Tongu Union of Chiefs at Juapong in the Dorfor Traditional Area of the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

According to Mama Sreku, the youth are full of energy and want to be engaged in a lot of things but cautioned that that energy must be put to good use.

She reminded teenage girls of the challenges they would face if they become pregnant before marriage or become victims of early marriage.

“The girls must be aware that many future opportunities may elude them while the boys that made them pregnant would walk around freely. These boys would continue with their education and become responsible people but would not return to the victims. This is why our girls must be extremely cautious.”

To this end, she advised parents to bring their wards up dutifully to grow into responsible adults, and asked the youth, particularly the girls, to endeavour to learn a trade to enable them to become self-employed and economically independent.

The queen advised the youth to cherish and protect the rich culture of their respective areas because culture and tradition remain as the lifeline of every society, and undermining it would retard development.

She urged the youth to treasure their cultural values, such as dance and mother tongue among others, for the benefit of the present and the future generations.

A teacher who led the Volo D.A JHS Culture troupe to perform at the ceremony, Ms Helen Wotordzor, said the troupe was formed two years ago to participate in a District Arts and Culture competition which they ended in second position.

Ms Wotordzor explained that the enthusiasm students showed had improved discipline and brought to an end students’ absenteeism and lateness to school because members of the troupe who absented themselves from school or late were suspended.

From Samuel Agbewode, Juapong

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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