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Ghana Exim Bank CEO hosts US Embassy team
L-R; Jonathan Christopher Koney, Laurie Kelleher, Dean Matlack, Rosemary Beryl Archer, Lawrence Agyinsam, Hon. Michael Okyere Baafi, Victoria Afua Agbai, Paa Ekow Quansah.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM), Lawrence Agyinsam, on Thursday, August18, 2022, hosted a team from the United States of America Embassy in Ghana, led by the Commercial Counsellor, Dean Matlack.
The meeting was held at the head office of GEXIM in Accra and afforded the Bank the opportunity to discuss areas of mutual interest for collaboration and building synergy with the United States of America Embassy.
In addition, it was a follow up to a meeting held between GEXIM and the United States of America Exim Bank (US Exim Bank) in May 2022 on the sidelines of the 2022 Spring Meeting of the International Union of Credit and Investment Insurers (Berne Union) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Mr. Lawrence Agyinsam reiterated the Bank’s commitment to drawing a framework to operationalise an existing agreement for a USD300 million guarantee to be provided by the US Exim Bank after reviewing the existing memorandum of understanding signed by the two banks in 2019.
“In our quest to assist the Government of Ghana’s agenda to reposition the Ghanaian economy to become an export-led one and spearhead the industrialization drive, we need strategic partnerships such as the collaboration with the US Exim Bank. This is very important in helping us to carry out our mandate to help in realising the agenda to make Ghana a pillar in regional and continental trade. Currently, our team is working with officials of US Exim to finalise this and we are certain of great prospects from this partnership”, he added.
On his part, Dean Matlack expressed his appreciation for the warm reception accorded him and his team by GEXIM and said the US Embassy in Ghana is prepared to assist at all levels to ensure the success of the collaboration between the US Exim Bank and GEXIM. He further indicated the Embassy’s willingness to collaborate with GEXIM on projects aimed at ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing of people.
Other members of the GEXIM team at the meeting were Hon. Michael Okyere Baafi, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, who is a Board Member of GEXIM, Rosemary Beryl Archer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Banking and Jonathan Christopher Koney, Assistant Manager, Corporate Affairs & International Cooperation.
Dean Matlack was accompanied by Laurie Kelleher, Commercial Officer, Victoria Afua Agbai, Commercial Specialist and Paa Ekow Quansah, Commercial Specialist.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
