Published:
Saturday, 26 April 2025

The President of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) Dr Patrice Motsepe will host a press conference in Accra, Ghana on Saturday from 13:30 local time / GMT.

The event will be streamed live on CAF’s YouTube channel, CAF TV.

Dr Motsepe will also meet with Ghana President, His Excellency John Mahama, on Saturday morning at Jubilee House in Accra.

He will hold a meet with CAF’s Vice-Presidents and later in the day there will be an Executive Committee meeting.

Dr Motsepe will also attend a mixed zone with participants from the Young Reporters Workshop that has taken place on the sidelines of the CAF African Schools Football Championship, Ghana 2025 before heading to the University of Ghana Stadium.

There he will attend the closing ceremony of the schools championship, and watch the Girls final between Ghana and Uganda, and the Boys decider between defending champions Tanzania and Senegal.

Interest rates for 365-day bill stands at 18.62%

The government plans to borrow GH¢6.145 billion in its treasury bill auction on April 25, 2025.

Interest rates on treasury bills declined to 15.4% in the government’s most recent auction on April 21, 2025.

Demand for short-term instruments has surged recently, with the government consistently rejecting bids.

In last week’s auction, the government received bids totalling GH¢6,444 billion but accepted only GH¢4.630 billion, away from its target of GH¢6.607 billion. A total of GH¢1.814 billion in bids was also rejected.

According to auction results released by the Bank of Ghana, the 91-day bills saw the most subscriptions.

However, while the 364-day bill received bids totalling GH¢481.09 billion, only GH¢324.56 billion was accepted.

The 91-day bill attracted bids amounting to GH¢5.058 billion, of which GH¢3.674 billion was accepted.

Additionally, the 182-day bill saw tenders worth GH¢905.07 million, with GH¢630.66 million accepted.

Meanwhile, interest rates have continued to decline over the past few weeks as the 91-day bill now stands at 15.4%.

The 182-day bill stands at 16.18%, as the 364-day bill stands at 18.62%.

The recent surge in demand for short-term instruments signals strong investor confidence. The government’s decision to reject excess bids suggests either a cautious borrowing approach or an effort to avoid high interest rates.

Treasury bills remain the government’s primary source of borrowing as it seeks to regain access to the international capital market.

SSD/AE

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Former CEO of YEA, Kofi Agyepong

Former Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Agyepong, has clarified that Zoomlion Ghana Limited held no active contract with the agency for the sanitation module at the time of his departure from office in January 2025.

In a statement titled “Setting the Records Straight – YEA Sanitation Module,” Agyepong responded to recent comments by current YEA CEO Malik Basintale, who described the sanitation contract with Zoomlion as exploitative and unjustifiable.

Agyepong revealed that, as of his departure on January 25, 2025, the YEA had not renewed its contract with Zoomlion, asserting that the module required a complete overhaul.

“Like you, I have always maintained that the sanitation module needed a complete overhaul — not only to ensure better welfare for our hardworking beneficiaries, but also because the functions being carried out overlapped with those of the local assemblies,” he stated.

He added that his position was supported by board meeting minutes and official documents, emphasizing that his decision was based on principle rather than politics. “We can’t be doing something that the assemblies are already doing,” he wrote.

The former CEO commended Basintale’s bold stance on the issue and called for a national dialogue on reforming the sanitation model.

“What we need now is not blame, but bold action guided by facts, respect for the workers, and a firm commitment to value for money,” he stressed.

Agyepong’s comments come amid heightened scrutiny of the YEA-Zoomlion sanitation arrangement, which has been criticized by civil society voices including journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni for allegedly shortchanging sanitation workers while enriching the contractor.

The statement signals a rare continuity of purpose across two administrations and adds weight to growing calls for a restructuring or complete cancellation of the controversial sanitation contract.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Ghana Dance Association to officially introduce itself

The Ghana Dance Association, in collaboration with BIDEC INC and The Bridge Zone Global, paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Maame Efua Houadjeto, on Thursday, 24 April 2025, in Accra, Ghana.

The meeting served as an opportunity for the Ghana Dance Association (GDA) to officially introduce itself and its core mandate to the GTA, while expressing its interest in supporting the efforts of the national tourism institution.

Additionally, the GDA used the occasion to inform the GTA of its upcoming tour in the USA, which will commence with the Ohio Black Expo 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, and continue with the Black History Festival 2026 in College Park, Georgia.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Ghana Dance Association and a member of the Ghana Cultural Forum, Nana Kwame Dadzie; the President of BIDEC INC and Founder of the Black History Festivals, Stephen Selasie Asuo; the Head of Africa Operations for BIDEC INC and CEO of 360 Group, Daniel Obeng Fianko; the President of The Bridge Zone Global, Prince Anthony Bart Appiah; as well as key members of the Ghana Dance Association who are expected to embark on the USA Dance Tour starting in May 2025.

The meeting also provided an avenue to discuss the viable and critical roles the Ghana Dance Association can play in establishing Ghana’s position as the Gateway to Africa by using dance as a tool to promote the Black Star Experience, diaspora engagement, heritage, and folklore.

The CEO took the opportunity to share initiatives of mutual benefit and assured the team of her unwavering support for the Ghana Dance Association and its partners.

After the exchange of pleasantries, the guests had a memorable photo session with the leadership of the Ghana Dance Association, BIDEC INC, The Bridge Zone Global, and members of the GDA.

AM/

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A group photograph of some of the health professionals at the event

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South in the Greater Accra region, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuje, has urged health professionals at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to forge a closer relationship with President John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, he believes the president has the commitment and capacity to address the hospital’s longstanding health system challenges.

Speaking at the 2024 Annual Performance Review of the hospital held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, Vanderpuje stated, “We have to support our professionals in the health delivery system. I know our President very well, I know where his heart is when it comes to health and development of this country.

“He has done it before, and I am urging our professionals to get closer to him.”

He added that the innovations and constraints shared at the review must be brought to the attention of key decision-makers.

“If the Minister of Health, Finance, and the President are able to see these things I am seeing today, I am sure they will make a commitment,” he noted.

The Annual Performance Review, themed “Comprehensive KBTH performance assessment towards value-based patient-centered care”, was marked by major announcements from the hospital’s leadership.

Acting CEO of the hospital Dr Frank Owusu-Sekyere described 2024 as a “year of milestones and momentum,” highlighting significant projects including the commissioning of a €38 million Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence, a digital OPD system, and the near-completion of renovations to the maternity block.

Despite these strides, Dr Owusu-Sekyere pointed out ongoing challenges including unstable electricity supply, delays in NHIS reimbursements, and the rising cost of key medical equipment.

“Only three of eight elevators are currently being replaced,” he said.

The hospital recorded over 506,000 patient visits in 2024 yet saw a slight decline in surgeries and deliveries.

Vascular surgeon Dr Lily Wu expressed pride in the hospital’s ability to perform advanced surgeries.

“We are able to do operations not done anywhere else in West Africa, reducing the need for patients to travel to Europe or America,” she said.

“Sometimes we don’t even need a blood transfusion or full anesthesia.”

Professor J.E. Mensah, Acting Director of the Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence, however, lamented the high cost of some procedures.

“A laser fibre used to break stones can cost as much as GH¢10,000, which most patients cannot afford,” he revealed.

AM/KA

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Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simmons

Policy analyst Bright Simons has delivered a blistering critique of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) limitations in holding Ghana’s government accountable, revealing three structural barriers that prevent effective oversight.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News, the IMANI Africa Vice President argued that expecting the IMF to be a strict fiscal disciplinarian is “fundamentally unrealistic” due to its very nature as an intergovernmental organization.

“The IMF is an intergovernmental organization. To expect the IMF to play the role of a serious critic of the government, a serious scrutinizer of government is unrealistic.

“There’s a limit to it because at the end of the day, Ghana will also go to the board of the IMF governor represented and then try and push its case. So there’s an extent to which it can be an effective check on the government,” he said.

Simons also identified some other critical flaws in the current arrangement. He pointed to the IMF’s conflicting roles as both program designer and evaluator, creating institutional pressure to declare success regardless of actual outcomes.

“The IMF itself designs the programs for recovery. So the IMF itself has a very strong incentive to say the program is doing well because the IMF is part of the design. So to expect the IMF to be too loud and negative is just really unrealistic,” he added.

Simmons also highlighted the Fund’s need to project stability to attract investment, making it reluctant to issue negative assessments that might scare away capital.

“Part of the IMF’s success formula is to get other parties to think that things are doing well enough for the economy to truly recover. So the IMF signals to the investor community, other MDBs, etc. That things are looking good. So come and put money in Ghana.

“So if the IMF is doing that at the same time, because that’s part of the success formula of the program, how can the IMF be too negative?” he said.

The analyst saved his sharpest critique for Ghana’s own approach, arguing that mature economies don’t rely on external validation.

“Anyone that relies entirely on IMF policy, surveillance or whatever is not mature enough,” he said.

ID/KA

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