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Intensify fight against wildlife crimes
There is an urgent need to intensify the fight against various wildlife crimes and other human activities that cause species reduction because they pose severe danger to the ecosystem which is the lifeline for human existence. It is, therefore, a call of duty to increase the awareness on wildlife conservation.
Ms.Georgina Antwi, Assistant Education Officer of the Ghana Wildlife Society who made the remarks said that, it was imperative to draw young people’s attention on the significance of wildlife (plants and animals) in our ecosystem and get them to acknowledge their contribution to the conservation of wildlife in the country.
Ms Antwi was speaking at a sensitisation programme organised by The Ghana Wildlife Society in partnership with Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprises (GRIPE) in some basic schools to educate and raise the awareness among young people on the need to conserve wildlife during the commemoration of this year’s World Wildlife Day on March 3, 2022.
Held under the theme “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”, Ms Antwi again explained that, humans had coexisted with wildlife forages which had become an important part of our lives.
“Wildlife benefits us in numerous ways; they provide us with food, medicines, oxygen, regulate the climate, influence rainfall, increase soil fertility and replenish our natural resources. Recognising the contribution of wildlife in our environment, and acknowledging their essentiality for existence of life on earth, is important and a big step towards wildlife conservation”.
“Unfortunately, we are losing our wildlife to human-induced factors like habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade, deforestation, pollution, over exploitation, climate, among others and the rate at which the number of species of animals and plants are depleting keeps increasing at an alarming rate” she added.
“According to scientists, approximately 200 species of plants and animals are estimated to be getting extinct every 24 hours, which accounts for nearly 73,000 species of plants and animals annually”, and considering the contribution of wildlife in balancing the ecosystem, we cannot afford losing our wildlife as they are essential for the survival of humans,” she said.
Ms Antwi further stated that “the earth with no wildlife will be a desolate and dry planet, impossible for human survival. Therefore, it is important that we protect and conserve our wildlife for our own good, our communities and for the longevity of the planet.”
On her part, Ms. Louisa Kabobah, Project Manager on the Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprises (GRIPE) also advised the pupils to desist from indiscriminate disposal of post-consumer plastics on our beaches, saying that, “when plastics are improperly disposed, they could cause serious health problems for humans, and lethal consequences for marine life especially sea birds, whales, dolphins, and sea turtles””.
She urged the pupils and Ghanaians in general, to segregate their waste into plastics, paper and organic at school, and get in touch with the appropriate collectors and recyclers to pick them up.
Furthermore, she appealed to all and sundry to commit to conserving our invaluable and irreplaceable wildlife for the benefit of current and future generations adding that World Wildlife Day should be viewed as an occasion to celebrate all species, whether common or rare, as they all had significant roles to play in the food web.
The day was commemorated with education and awareness campaigns at the Prince of Peace Presbyterian School located in Tema, and the DPS International School at Dwahenya as Wildlife magazines and posters were donated to schools to enhance their knowledge in environmental sustainability, and circularity, and for them to take actions for people and the planet.
World Wildlife Day, commemorated every 3rd March is used to observe the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which started in 1973.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
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.
