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ER DOVSSU Coordinator cites lack of financial support to clamp down on perpetrators of SGBV
The Eastern Regional DOVSSU Coordinator, Police Chief Superintendent, Mrs Florence Anaman has revealed that the lack of support, especially financial for victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) was a big challenge to clamping down on perpetrators through legal action.
According to her, most of the victims were of poor backgrounds and found it difficult to foot the financial burden associated with the legal actions, including payments of medical endorsement fees.
“Unfortunately, these developments and financial constraints have become a huge barrier in making headway in gender-based and sexual violence issues and we need to address it,” she said.
Mrs Anaman made these statements during a town hall meeting on the Gender-Based Violence campaign, as part of the “Our City Project” which formed part of a three-year Action for Youth Development programme (AfYD) implemented by Star-Ghana, four civil society organisations, New Juaben South Municipal Assembly and National Youth Authority in Koforidua.
The project which was funded by the Botnor Foundation was aimed at strengthening and enabling youth inclusion to influence governance and access quality goods and services within the municipality.
Mrs Anaman stated that even though the Domestic Violence Support Fund was set up years ago, it has been difficult accessing the funds to help victims of SGBV.
She said there was a need for the government to operationalize the funds and allocate it to the right authorities for usage to help such victims and educate them on how to access it.
That, she said, would reduce the financial burden they experienced when legal actions on SGBV cases were taken, adding it would also encourage the victims to report SGBV issues to authorities when they experienced it.
For her part, the Project Manager of Star-Ghana Foundation, Dr Ernestina Tetteh urged young ones to report to appropriate authorities when they experience SGBV for redress.
She said most often, victims of such abuses were young due to several factors and stressed the need to encourage them to report perpetrators to be punished to deter others from abusing young ones.
Dr Tetteh indicated that as part of the empowerment of the youth, there was also the need to build youth’s capacity on SGBV issues to create awareness and empower them to stand up for themselves.
“Young people must stand up against any form of wrongdoing or crime, by empowering themselves and their peers to stand for their rights in matters of Gender-Based Violence and all other issues which affect them,” she added and stated that such education should be organised frequently to encourage effective reporting on such issues.
For his part, the Municipal Chief Executive Officer of the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, Mr Isaac Appau-Gyasi expressed his appreciation to Star-Ghana Foundation and their partners for collaborating with the assembly to organise such education for the youth.
He stated that SGBV was criminal which should not be overlooked and called on the youth not to allow themselves to be intimidated but to report such issues to the appropriate authorities for redress.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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.
