The plan to establish the National Development Bank to accelerate the country’s socio-economic development of the country and the signing of the MoU by the National Board for Small Scale Industries with four organisations for collaboration on the “NBSSI/Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works” project are some of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Times reports that the processes to establish a National Development Bank to accelerate the country’s socio-economic development are on course, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said.
The President, who said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo during the launch of the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprise Support (CARES) Programme in Accra yesterday, did not state the processes, but said some development partners have pledged to release funding for the start of the bank.
He explained that the establishment of the bank would engender long-term financing to critical sectors of the economy.
The three-year national economic blue-print dubbed “Obaatan Pa” is meant to revive the economy and support businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing and industry, pharmaceutical and technology.
The programme attended by Ministers of State, development partners, civil society organisations, representatives of financial institutions and the private sector was on the theme “Seizing the Opportunity for Economic Transformation, Post COVID.”
The newspaper says that the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with four organisations to seal their collaboration on the “NBSSI/Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works” project.
The organisations comprising Shehub, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Tech Lab and Intelligent Capital , have for months been supporting the execution of the GH¢70 million project which aims to provide employment and income opportunities for 39,000 youth including 70 per cent women.
Signed in Accra on Wednesday, the MoU are expected to boost the collaboration between the partners to help achieve the overall goal of the three- year project which was launched in June this year.
The Executive Director of the NBSSI, Mrs. Kosi Yankey-Ayeh; Director of Intelligent Capital, Leticia Browne ; Chief Executive Officer of AGI, Seth Twum-Akwaboah and Erica Kyere of (Shehub) and Daniel Owusu of Ghana Tech Lab) signed the pact on behalf of their institutions.
According to Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh, the collaboration was key in realising the development agenda of the country through entrepreneurship and job creation opportunities.
”At this point, the quality of the work, respect for timelines and value for money and commitment to work are just few things I want to bring to the attention of the partners. The success of the project does depend largely upon the quality of their support. We will expect nothing but the best,” she said.
The Times also reports that Ghana has recorded 81 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
It noted that the new cases have increased the country’s active cases to 1,424 with the country’s confirmed cases totalling 50,457 as of November 14.
The Service also indicated on its website that four people were in critical condition while 13 were in severe state.
It added that 48,710 people had recovered from the virus, but unfortunately three more persons died from the disease raising the death toll to 323.
The service said it had so far conducted 567, 211tests since the outbreak of the disease in March this year with a positivity rate of 8.9 percent.
The Graphic says that the National House of Chiefs (NHC) has called on all Ghanaians to work towards making this year’s general election peaceful in honour of the late former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.
That, the chiefs said, would be a befitting send-off for the former President who ushered in the Fourth Republic, the longest lasting republican period currently being enjoyed by Ghanaians.
The President of the NHC, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, said this during an interaction with journalists when he led a delegation of chiefs to sign the book of condolence opened in memory of the late former President Rawlings at the Accra International Conference Centre yesterday.
Yesterday, heads of institutions and members of the public were given the opportunity to sign the book of condolence.
The newspaper reports that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has announced that come Thursday, 26th November, 2020, it will together with other political parties, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and all progressive forces embark on a Probity and Accountability March, in honour of the memory and legacy of the Founder of the party and Ghana’s 4th Republic, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
According to the party, the march in Accra “is intended to rekindle the principles of probity and accountability which were zealously championed by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, but have come under serious threats, as evident by recent developments in the country.”
The party believes that it is imperative at this time to rally Ghanaians to uphold and respect the principles of probity and accountability as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, even as the nation prepares for the December 7 Polls.
A statement issued by the party and signed by NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, invited all teeming NDC supporters, political parties, including the ruling New Patriotic Party, CSOs and the general public to join in the march, which the party said is a befitting tribute to the memory of “Ghana’s foremost anti-corruption giant.”
The statement said other details of the march, including the time and converging point would be communicated to the general public in due course.
GIK./APA