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‘Wear made-in-Ghana fabrics’

• Prof. Azuah (standing) talking to the tutors
A workshop to equip Fashion Design Tutors in the Senior and Vocational Institutions in the Western Region took place at Fijai in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the region recently.
The workshop aimed at preparing the tutors to teach the students how to sew beautiful dresses for different occasions using Ghanaian fabrics was on the theme “Wear Ghana: The Role of Senior High Schools and Vocational Training Institutions Towards Revamping the Interest in Ghanaian Products in the Youth of Today”.
The Head of Department (HOD) of Fashion Design and Technology at the Takoradi Technical University (TTU), Prof. (Mrs) Scholatisca Azuah said there was nothing more beautiful than coming out decently dressed in the Ghanaian fabric and style.
She said the Ghanaian Kente and the Northern local Cloth among other fabrics identified the Ghanaian outside Ghana and there was no need to introduce oneself if you dressed well as the local people always did.
She said the main objective was to make the students develop great interest in how to create their own designs especially with Ghanaian fabrics.
She told the tutors to choose their own designs to teach the students for the supervisors or lecturers to come and see how far they were in conformity with the Ghanaian styles.
She again asked them to choose the day of exhibition to coincide with the school’s entertainment day for the school masters and students to have a fair view of fashion as this could create market for the department.
The HOD advised the teachers to avoid using any foreign styles because the competition was mainly dealing with Ghanaian styles so they should stick to home wear.
A Fashion Design Teacher at the Takoradi Senior High School (TADISCO), Madam Victoria Baiden was of the view that the Vocational Institutions under Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) had more practical periods than the Senior High Schools (SHS).
She said they were more equipped in materials and equipment than the SHS and so could have a better chance of organising themselves better than the Senior High Schools.
She, therefore, suggested the separation of the High Schools from the TVET Schools to be on a fair ground because the TVET Schools had a better chance of winning competitions.
The competition is being organised by the Western Regional Centre for National Culture in collaboration with TTU and partly sponsored by Embel Fashion, PS Collection and Fashion School.
From Peter Gbambila, Fijai.
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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