Hot!
Use of artificial over natural plants …experts express worry
Artificial grass
There is a new phenomenon of artificial plants and trees briskly taking over restaurants and bars.
In an interaction to know the motivation for this trend, two reasons run through most of the conversations which was “easy to maintain and the little or no stress in keeping them.”
The natural plants must be watered sometimes twice a day, pruned from time to time and have fertilizers applied to them occasionally just to mention a few.
A Restaurant Operator who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Spectator on Monday said the use of natural plants was a drain on their finances.
“We pay a gardener and spend so much on watering them, especially, the grass. We hire experts to advise us and several others but with the artificial plants, we do not give them much attention except that we dust them and when very necessary, we re-spray to maintain their colour and appeal,” she disclosed.
She said in place of grass, they had also resorted to the use of carpets which were very economical.
A Florist at the Adjei-Kojo Underbridge area, Yaw Kissi said as a person with a lot of passion for natural plants, the development breaks his heart.
“Aside taking our jobs from us because they don’t buy our products anymore, they are not helping our society to combat climate change. Fake plants also attract a lot of dust as compared to natural plants and trees so it is not good for us,” he said.
He said there was the need for an all-hands-on deck approach to address the development urgently to take steps to change the situation “before it got out of hand because we need oxygen.”
Meanwhile, a Research Scientist with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. Gordon Akon-Yamga has expressed concern about the development.
He said it was a clear indication that much was not known about the benefits of natural plants on the health of people.
He said it was worrying that in an environment which supports the growth of natural plants even if they were placed indoors, the replacement of natural plants with artificial ones leaves much to be desired.
He said aside providing colour to the facility, there was nothing more to it and so it should be discouraged and persons in the hospitality industry educated to use natural plants.
Dr. Akon-Yamga admitted that as compared to natural plants, artificial plants needed little or even no attention and hardly needed a replacement but natural plants have enormous health benefits.
He said in terms of carbon sequestration, the trees take up the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and make it safe for humans.
He said natural plants purified the air around us as they absorbed a lot of pollutants and also reduces dust into such premises.
He called on regulatory bodies of the hospitality industries to educate the operators to replace the artificial plants with natural ones.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema
Hot!
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.
Hot!
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
