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Support feeding of prisoners – officers appeal to public
• ASP Kpiriko (left) receiving the items from NCO Bakuri (right) on behalf of the service
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Prison Service in the Upper West Region, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) Joseph Kpiriko has appealed to non-governmental organisations and other benevolent bodies to support the feeding of inmates at the prison.
He mentioned that the daily cost of feeding inmates which was pegged at GH₵1.80 per head was woefully inadequate to provide quality and nutritious meals for the inmates and called on the public to assist government take care of the convicts.
The PRO stated this when the Narcotics Control Commission (NARCOC) in the region donated assorted medical drugs to the Wa Central Prison to enable it stock its infirmary and sufficiently treat patients.
The drugs mobilised by the Commission from various pharmaceutical companies comprised 4,800 tablets of Ibudol plus, 150 tablets of albendazole USP 400, 600 tablets of Lufart Forte, and 60 tablets of Tininadazole 500 for treating malaria, general body pains and other first aid needs.
ASP Kpiriko explained that although there had not been a day that the inmates had gone without food, the quantity of meals served was not adequate but could be improved if they received food donations and other welfare needs.
He described the gesture by the NARCOC as ‘heaven-sent’ and timely and made a call to the public for donation of more drugs to the prison.
He stated that prior to the donation, the infirmary at the prison could barely treat sick inmates due to the shortage of essential drugs and said although some of the inmates had skin infections that needed attention, there were not enough drugs to treat them.
“We have an infirmary and three trained nurses who are officers so we are able to handle some of the ailments and also admit sick inmates temporarily, however, if the patient requires further medical attention, we take them to a general hospital”, he said.
Narcotic Control Officer (NCO) Issahaque Bakuri for his part said that the donation was to meet an earlier request by inmates for drugs to stock their infirmary as according to them, there were no drugs to treat common sicknesses.
He said that a greater number of the inmates were youth and needed sympathy, love and support from the public to make them feel at home and have the urge to turn over a new leaf.
NCO Bakuri said that NARCOC was working harder to mobilise more drugs and mattresses for the inmates.
The officer disclosed that aside the donation, the commission as part of its mandate provided regular counselling services to inmates with narcotic drug addiction to help them break the addiction.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
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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
