News
Overnight success a myth; get used to discomfort’ – Yahya Diab
The Chief Executive Officer of Veros Petroleum Limited, Mr Yahya Diab, has said there is nothing like “overnight” success.
“It is a myth”, the member of one of the oldest Lebanese families that resettled in Ghana in the 1960s said in a write-up.
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs who deal in general merchandise and are also in the construction, real estate; and oil and gas industries, Mr Diab, whose company is a registered and licensed firm in the downstream oil and gas sector and specialises in petroleum retailing, bulk distribution, bunkering, storage facilitation and the sale of lubricants, said “success doesn’t come overnight” but “takes years of consistent effort”.
He said success is a result of never-ending determination, consistency and hard work.
Mr Diab said although “many individuals relate success to a single day’s improvement that uplifts them from rags to riches”, that is a misconception.
On the contrary, he noted that: “Individuals invest a lot of their daily hours and unparalleled devotion into their enterprise or thought to make their desires flip into actuality”, stressing: “Success is a long-run plan and never a single-day prevalence”.
Successful people, Mr Diab noted, “invest many of their daily hours and unparalleled devotion into their business or idea to make their dreams turn into reality”.
Success, he underscored, “is a long-term plan and not an overnight occurrence”.
He observed that “onlookers would think that people have succeeded overnight but the truth is that that person is reaping the benefits of his or her hard work over the years he strived”.
“There are no shortcuts or off-roads to success in life”, Mr Diab added.
He advised young, brilliant and upcoming entrepreneurs that they “can turn out to be profitable at a younger age when they channel all their time, power, and resources in the direction of their profession that older individuals of their fields didn’t”.
Entrepreneurship, he admitted, “is bitter but its fruits are sweet”, adding that “whenever you decide on your plans and targets, no matter how onerous it will get, you’ll positively succeed”.
Mr Diab also urged entrepreneurs not to give up when they falter or fall on their journey, saying “mountains don’t rise without earthquakes”.
“Entrepreneurs must get used to being uncomfortable because it is part of the journey to greatness”, he added.
News
NPP condems arrest of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and detention of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah by operatives of the National Security.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua noted that “This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.”
According to the him, “The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.”
“The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution,” they added.
Read the full statement below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 19, 2025
*NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY CONDEMNS THE UNLAWFUL ARREST OF VETERAN JOURNALIST, OKATAKYIE AFRIFA MENSAH BY NATIONAL SECURITY OPERATIVES*
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) condemns the unlawful arrest and detention by operatives of the National Security, of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, a veteran journalist, who has been critical of the John Mahama administration.
This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.
The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.
The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution.
In line with this commitment, the country also went through the painstaking process of repealing the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, a process that was spearheaded by the immediate past President, H.E Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who was then the Attorney General of the Republic.
It is therefore completely repugnant and unacceptable for the John Mahama administration to be using State Security to intimidate political opponents as well as media personnel in a bid to silence all critical voices This, in fact, is an egregious affront to our democratic and constitutional tenets.
We call on the Ghana Journalist Association, the Media Foundation of West Africa, Civil Society Organizations, and all stakeholders to join us in demanding an immediate cessation of this tyranny and growing culture of state-sponsored attacks on the media.
Enough is enough.
…Signed…
JUSTIN KODUA FRIMPONG
GENERAL SECRETARY
News
We have built enough buffers to pay all DDEP obligations – Finance Minister Ato Forson
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has assured banks that the government has built sufficient financial buffers to meet all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) obligations this year.
Speaking at a high-level meeting with over 22 Managing Directors of banks, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and restoring confidence in the financial sector.
“We do not intend to default,” Dr. Forson declared.
“All outstanding holdouts have been paid, and we have put in place the necessary buffers to ensure that every single DDEP obligation for this year will be met.”
The Minister explained that these buffers were created through fiscal discipline, strategic investment cuts, and prudent resource allocation.
As part of this approach, the government has reset goods and services expenditure to 2023 levels and is working to achieve a primary surplus of 1.5% to sustain economic stability.
He also announced plans to submit a fiscal responsibility rule to Parliament, which will set a debt ceiling that the Ministry of Finance cannot exceed.
This measure aims to prevent excessive borrowing and reinforce financial discipline.
Beyond ensuring timely DDEP payments, Dr Forson revealed that the government is taking deliberate steps to reduce reliance on the Treasury bill market.
By improving coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, the government aims to stabilize interest rates and ease liquidity pressures on the banking sector.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
