The report that the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) has started implementing a gender policy to deliberately position women-owned businesses for growth in order to support the country’s economic development is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) has started implementing a gender policy to deliberately position women-owned businesses for growth in order to support the country’s economic development.
Towards that, the agency seeks to dedicate 70 per cent of its effort towards women entrepreneurs to unlock their potential into local and global giants.
Consequently, the agency announced that 70 per cent of women benefited from the special fund setup to cushion small businesses from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GEA, Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, made this known at the second anniversary celebration of the AGI Women in Business (AGI-WIB) in Accra.
The event was on the theme: “Women-Led Businesses: Exploring Finance Channels and Market Access for Growth.”
AGI-Women in Business provided a platform to promote women-owned and women-managed businesses and to influence government policies that enhance their contribution to socio-economic development.
Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme Business Support Scheme (CAPBuSS), GEA provided 302,001 successful applicants with loans amounting to GH¢523.11 million.
The newspaper says that the police have placed a GH¢5000 bounty for information on a young man who fired an AK 47 rifle several times into the air to welcome year 2022 at the A&C Mall at East Legon in Accra on New Year’s eve.
The police say it is an offence to discharge a firearm in public “without lawful and necessary occasion under Section 209 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29).
The report added that the Police have intercepted a video in which a young man is seen firing several shots of a firearm suspected to be AK 47 at A&C Mall, East Legon, last night, December 31, 2021, purportedly to welcome the new year.
The Police have taken a serious stance against the actions of the young man since it is a crime to discharge a firearm in public without lawful and necessary occasion under Section 209 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29).
The Police Administration after reviewing the video footage has placed an amount of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5,000.00) as a bounty for anyone who can provide information leading to his arrest to face prosecution.
The Graphic also reports that the Resident Minister of Ebenezer Methodist Congregation in Breman, in the Ashanti Region, Very Reverend Benjamin Akwesi Ansong has commended Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his understanding of religious diversity and tolerance.
The Vice President, responded to the Church’s invitation to join them for its 31st Night Service, and he was accompanied by his wife, Samira Bawumia, and other senior government officials.
Welcoming Dr. Bawumia to the Church, Very Reverend Benjamin Akwesi Ansong told the Congregation of his admiration for the Vice President’s appreciation of religious tolerance.
“We have in our midst tonight Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and it is refreshing. This shows his understanding of religious tolerance,” the Methodist Pastor said, amidst cheers.
“This is a Christian gathering, but he has thought it wise to demonstrate his love and joy, which is in line with what the Bible preaches that, rejoice with those who are rejoicing.”
“So if today we Christians have gathered here to express our joy and the Vice President (a Muslim) has joined us, we have to be extremely grateful to God for what he has done for our country Ghana. It is something we must hold so firmly.”
“If God has touched his heart and he has joined us here, we are happy and we have to pray for him too as we pray, and also pray for His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo and the leadership of this country.”
“The Bible says give honour to whom honour is due, so let us all rise up and pray for our guest,” he said.
The newspaper also says that the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ghana, Mr. Alexander Mar Kekula, is urging society to help build safe environments for children to grow in, and by extension build a better nation.
He says this can be achieved by reaching out in diverse ways to teach and show children love, peace and compassion as well as assure them that we can be each other’s keeper.
Mr. Kekula was speaking in an interview with Graphic Online when SOS partnered with the child-focused NGO, Bread of Life International to fete about 1,000 children in the Ashaiman municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The children, giggling, cheerful or carefree as they were handed packs of a variety of foods and drinks, expressed gratitude to the organisers.
Mr. Kekula said while love and compassion could be taught by talking about them, a more pragmatic approach was by giving and supporting children in need, who, having been so loved, grow up as kind and compassionate members of the society and in turn spread the love.
He pointed out that safety-nets that in times past ensured that every child grew up in homes that managed and cared for their needs are no longer in existence.
“We have a population of 30.1 million people in Ghana and a large portion of our population are children. Sometimes there is an average of three to four children per family. The poverty gap is also increasing as a nation even as we try to reduce poverty, there are many people who are giving birth to children but are not prepared in terms of the right skills, to have jobs, and we have many teenagers giving birth too early. Because of that, the safety net for children may not be there. We wish that we are able to reach out to every deprived child to support them,” he said.
GIK/APA