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Wild jubilations for Nana Akufo-Addo …as he grabs second term in office
Many Ghanaians who were on tenterhooks following the delay in the declaration of the winner of the presidential elections suddenly heaved a sigh of relief when the Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Jean Mensa finally declared NanaAddo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as winner of the keenly contested poll.
This created a peaceful atmosphere for members, supporters and sympathisers of the winning New Patriotic Party (NPP) to inundate the streets and corners of Accra and other parts of the country in party colours with spontaneous jubilation to the glory of God and the success of the party.
President Akufo-Addo was declared winner of the Presidential Election with 6,730,413 votes, representing 51.59 per cent of the total 13,434,574 votes cast.
The declaration suddenly deflated the tensed atmosphere which had engulfed the nation for 48 hours after the close of polls on Monday December 7, with the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) claiming victory ahead of the Electoral Commission’s (EC) final declaration.
Many people celebrated late into the night drinking and dancing on the streets and in the bars. Young men and women in groups rode motorbikes like swarm of bees on the streets of Accra amidst loud noise from the engines of their motorbikes in celebration of the victory.
Massive traffic was recorded in some parts of the city but drivers and passengers appeared unperturbed. While some drivers cheered in the traffic, others tooted horns from their vehicles and waved NPP flags
At the Nima residence of President Akufo-Addo was a large crowd of supporters chanting victory songs and throwing fireworks. Security personnel at the residence had a hard time controlling the jubilant supporters.
President Akufo-Addo, in his victory speech, stressed the need for all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political affiliation, to join the struggle of building a progressive and prosperous country for all.
“The period of campaigning is over. The outcome of the election has been established. The Ghanaian people have made it loud and clear that the two parties, the NPP and the NDC must work together in Parliament for the good of the country.
“Now is the time for each and every one of us, irrespective of our political affiliation to unite, join hands, stand shoulder to shoulder and work hard to put Ghana where it deserves to be,” the President said.
He pledged to dedicate his second term of office as President to work harder and build a prosperous and progressive country to justify the confidence reposed in him by Ghanaians.
Present at the victory speech delivered at his private residence at Nima in Accra were, Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia, among other members and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
President Akufo-Addo said he was humbled by the show of confidence by Ghanaians and indicated that his victory was a clear indication of the support of Ghanaians for his policies and programmes of social and economic development.
He commended the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, and all officials at the EC for the sterling performance and urged them to continue that path in future elections.
“The orderly, commendable and peaceful conduct of Ghanaians on election day is to be widely applauded,” he said, and praised the citizenry for strictly adhering to the COVID-19 protocols during the exercise.
He applauded personnel of the security agencies for ensuring peace, law and order during and after the election, and condemned the isolated violent incidents that led to few deaths.
By Yaw Kyei
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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
