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“We need concerted effort at addressing internal conflicts around chieftaincy, economic and other social issues”
The Director at the Governance, Justice and Peace Directorate of the National Catholic Secretariat, Very Rev Father Clement Kwasi Adjei has called for concerted effort at addressing internal conflicts around chieftaincy, economic and other social issues in the country in order not to serve as fertile grounds for violent extremism.
He noted that activities of terrorists and extremists in neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo, among others, put Ghana at risk and was therefore imperative that stakeholders took immediate action to protect the nation through amicable and timely conflict resolution.
He stated that issues such as chieftaincy and tribal conflicts as well as illicit trafficking made communities weaker and less resilient and served as possible pull factors for Jihadists .
Rv. Fr. Adjei stated this on Tuesday at Wa in the Upper West Region during a regional dialogue session on trending conflict issues in northern Ghana under the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) by the Catholic Relieve Services (CRS).
The Dialogue which was on the theme: “Trending Conflicts in Ghana: Fertile Grounds for Violent Extremism; A call for Action” brought together traditional rulers, religious, leadership of market women, persons with disabilities, the clergy, among others.
The SPI which was at the instance of the Catholic Church aimed at promoting peace and building a cohesive society to ensure that individuals living in Ghana experienced greater levels of peace, social cohesion and resiliency.
Rv Fr Adjei said the five northern regions, namely, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North East, Savannah and Northern Regions were at risk of violent extremism as they bordered the Sahel Regions and shared more than 500 kilometres of borders with Burkina Faso, a country under insurgency.
“As we speak, the Bawku District which borders Burkina Faso and Togo and the Sissala East District which borders Nazinga Forest in Burkina Faso have been experiencing increasing spillover of violent extremist related activities”, he noted with concern.
Economic disparities, he noted further, was also a recipe for conflict and needed to be addressed by governments by creating opportunities for all Ghanaians regardless their background or circumstances, in the areas of education, job creation and entrepreneurship.
“We need to strengthen social cohesion and promote tolerance and respect for diversity by building bridges between different communities, promote dialogue and understanding, unity and cooperation and do away with hate speech and incitement to”, he enumerated.
In a speech on his behalf, the Upper West Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih said government had put in place necessary measures to ensure that citizens were better protected.
He encouraged the public to play their part through vigilance and reporting of suspicious people and activities to the appropriate authorities for action, and also charged religious leaders to ensure their sermons were devoid of messages that fueled agitations and dissentions.
Some participants expressed concern about the springing up of youth camps in the region with membership mostly made up of unemployed young persons who were ready to accept any task to earn an income.
They were of the view that taking security measures included providing permanent decent jobs for the youth without recourse to nepotism.
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
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