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YAB campaign reaches Hansen Road Adventist Church
Youth Against Betting (YAB), an anti-betting group last Saturday took its campaign to the Hansen Road Adventist church in Accra as part of efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of Betting.
Participants of the programme included members of the senior youth of the church and some representatives of YAB.
A founding member of YAB Mr Emmanuel K. Agyare in his presentation cautioned the youth against engaging in betting despite how popular it had become.
He said such acts have proven to be addictive and could have daring consequences, like anxiety, depression and serious financial troubles on individuals who practiced it.
He noted that a research by the National Institute of Health (NIH) showed that 8.5 per cent of males and 3.5 per cent of females showed signs of gambling disorder and concluded that 3.3 percent of gamers worldwide suffer from gaming addiction, representing 105.6 million gamers.
Gambling addiction he said increases by 23 folds for gamblers who also have alcohol disorders or addiction.
Mr Agyare expressed worry about Ghana being one of the leading African countries in gambling and called on authorities to as a matter of urgency implement strict measures to salvage the situation.
In furtherance, he mentioned that the Bible spoke against betting, therefore Christians must rise against the menace.
According to him, “1Timothy 6:9-10 but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
“For the love of money is the root of all evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,” he quoted.
He therefore underscored the need for the church to provide a safe place for social gathering for the youth and collaborate with relevant institutions to create awareness on the adverse effects of betting and promote attitudinal and behavioral change.
Training on alternative livelihood for young people, he said must also be provided by the church and Ghanaians who mean well to prevent people from getting into betting due to poverty.
The Programmes Officer of YAB, Miss Julia Pwoawuvi in her remarks advised the youth to desist from betting and focus on activities that will only add value to their lives.
“There is nothing to gain in betting. It will only bring you more problems when you get addicted to it. You will lose money and get depressed, that is if you don’t end up in jail for stealing to bet. Let us all say no to betting,” she advised.
Also present at the event was Ms Raissa Sambou, a member of the YAB team.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
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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
