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Stages of intimacy in relationships

It’s essential to preface this article by saying that all relationships are unique. They all carry with them very distinct personalities and traits that make them special. As humans, we are all unique in our ways.

We all carry a unique set of traits and characteristics that we bring with us into our relationships. And when we mix those traits with the features of another person, then it just makes everything more complex and profound. And that’s why it’s tough to generalise relationships – but it’s not impossible to spot out specific trends that most relationships are likely to follow.

Typically, all relationships go through specific steps – certain stages. These stages signify specific turning points in relationships that signify just how deep things are going between two people. And again, while all relationships are unique, it’s fairly reasonable to assume that most couples are going to go through these stages the longer that they stay together. Here are the various stages of intimacy in a relationship:

The initial meeting

This is the stage where it all starts. For some couples, it happens by chance. Two strangers having a random chance encounter at a random place. For some, it’s a meeting that takes place by design. Two people who are set up by mutual friends perhaps. Or maybe, it’s two friends who have decided to take a chance on each other in a romantic plane.

Getting to know each other

For people who are just meeting for the first time, this is the stage wherein you both really build on the initial attraction that was established during the first meeting. This is when you try to explore each other’s surface – to see if there’s something there that both of you can work with moving forward. For those who are already friends, this is still a period for the two of you to get to know each other – but through a different lens this time. You are already friends, and you know each other in that sense. But you’ve never looked at each other through romantic eyes.

Young and innocent love

This is the stage of the relationship where everything is still so fresh and new. It’s always exciting and exhilarating. This is usually where a lot of relationships peak. They feel like nothing could go wrong because everything just seems to click. It’s as if everything just falls into place with you two, and there’s nothing that either of you could do to mess it up.

To be continued…

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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