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Support for training institutions to conduct hydrographic surveys crucial – MOWCA SG
The Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) Dr. Paul Adalikwu, has advocated for support to training institutions in the maritime sector to conduct hydrographic surveys.
That, he said, will enhance navigational safety for ships and promote sustainable marine environment in West and Central Africa.
Consequently, he proposed that the Regional Maritime University(RMU) in Accra and the Regional Maritime Academy of Sciences and Technologies of the Sea (ARSTM) in Abidjan must be supported for such exercise.
He was speaking at the recently held 18th conference of the East Atlantic Hydrographic Commission (EAtHC) in Casablanca, Kingdom of Morocco.
Mr Adalikwu said the two institutions have individual and combined capacities for hosting short seminars as they already did five years ago and for developing hydrography programmes as part of their training for marine engineers.
The MOWCA SG’s suggestion falls in line with the programme of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO)to establish training centres of excellence where the conditions were favourable.
Consequently, Dr John Nyberg, Director at IHO together with senior Officials of EAtHC agreed to visit the RMU and ARSTM, to consider the development of a hydrography programme at the Engineer level.
Dr Adalikwu identified the suitability of their premises, availability of qualified lecturers with the relevant profile and experience, possibility of partnering with international universities that had such programmes and existence of an hydrography agency as part of the public Administration or a Technical Department of the Port Authorities in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire .
It was also agreed that IHO would be invited to the 19th session of the MOWCA General Assembly, scheduled for the last quarter of 2025 to address Ministers on the benefits of promoting hydrography as part of their overall maritime programmes
The EAtHC is one of the 15 Hydrographic Commissions established by IHO worldwide to coordinate hydrography and cartography activities for safety of navigation and environmental protection.
It covers the coastal area from France down to Angola, and therefore includes the coastline of MOWCA’s member States.
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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
