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Ray of hope for Appiatse community
There is ray of hope for the people of Appiatse as the Government has given the assurance to reconstruct the entire Community which was completely destryed by heavy explosion last Thursday.
Also, some well-meaning Ghanaians, institutions and individuals have donated cash and other items for the upkeep of the victims.
The vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on behalf of the Government donated GH¢200,000 and assured that all the medical bills would be borne by the state.
At the time of filing this report, plans were underway by the Ministry of Works and Housing, and the State Housing Company to see how best the community could be reconstructed.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Foundation, led by Executive Director, Dr Dominic Eduah also visited the sites and pledged to build schools in the community.
Meanwhile, Future Global Resources (FGR), Bogoso, has also offered their resettlement camp to the Prestea- Huni Valley Municipal Assembly (PHMA) to accommodate the displaced Appiatse community.
In an interview with The Spectator, the Municipal Works Engineer, Mr Kojo Scott, explained that, after a stakeholders’ meeting, theAssembly, decided to move the displaced persons to the new site due to the increase in numbers and also to provide them with better accommodation.
He said the Red Cross Society had provided some tents for households while FGR also gave bigger tents each containing 10 beds to other individuals and another building with a bigger space to also accommodate the youth.
“There is also a conference room, a clinic and another room with bigger screen to provide entertainment. We have a wash room, offices, a warehouse, a hand pump and mechanised bore holes. The military and police are here to beef- up security 24 hours.Again, we have a committee comprising opinion leaders. There are also street lights to improve security at the camp.” Mr Scott told this reporter.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of PHMA, Dr. Isaac Dasmani also in a press statement copied to The Spectator confirmed that, “a temporary camp (residence) comprising tents and built structures have been erected for the displaced persons pending the reconstruction of the Appiatse community, and ready for habitation by the displaced.”
He added “The camp is 90 percent complete. We believe that as we move them in community life will fully bounce back in the Camp, which is located within the site of the Dumase Resettlement Project, about five minutes walk away from Appiatse community”.
Dr Dasmani expressed his thanks to Future Global Resources for giving out their resettlement project site to be used as a camp, and all other organisations for their immense support so far, stressing “ let’s continue to donate in support of the people of Appiatse.”
Appiatse, near Bogoso, was hit by explosion last Thursday, January 20, that killed 13 people with several others sustaining various degrees of injury.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Appiatse
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
