Madam Vivian Obuobisa-Darko, Headmistress, Trinity Presby Model School, Adweso-Koforidua, has emphasised the importance of continuity in educational policies for the nation's future prosperity. She said Ghana's education had suffered over the years because there was no continuity in educational policies. In an interview with the GNA, in Koforidua on the eve of Ghana's 67th Idependence Day celebrations, she stressed the need for successive governments to continue educational policies initiated by their predecessors. The euphoric scenes at Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital town, barely 24 hours to the climax of Ghana's 67th Independence Day Anniversary ignited the enthusiasm for a memorable celebration. For many of the residents, the occasion presents an opportunity to showcase the rich cultural diversity, history of the people and socio-economic potential of one of Ghana's most serene urban areas. The stakes are high given the crucial role of the Region in the attainment of Ghana's independence in 1 957. Founded in 1875, Koforidua is noted for its tropical forests and cascading waterfalls, tourist attraction sites and beautiful landscape. Ahead of the anniversary celebration, the town is adorned with the nation's red, gold and green flags with black star on the gold at every visible corner, billowing the bustling streets proudly. Madam Obuobisa-Darko said a consistent and coherent educational framework was essential for fostering long-term development and ensuring Ghana's competitiveness in education on the global stage. 'Going forward, the government should let us have a permanent educational system that people will not come and change here and there. 'As we have our current education now, no government should be able to change, so we can have a stable educational policy for a long time,' Madam Obuobisa-Darko said. She said the 67th Idependence Anniversary of Ghana required some stock taking of what the country had achieved and looking into the future with renewed hope. Source: Ghana News Agency

WINDHOEK: Swapo Party parliamentarian Patience Masua said that young Namibians want to engage in entrepreneurship but lack the necessary startup funds. Despite the financial challenges faced by young people, Masua said in the National Assembly on Tuesday that efforts are being made to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 'Many young people have an appetite for business, they have the talent, skills, ideas, and brilliance - all ingredients to build a successful business. They simply do not have the funding or the degree,' she said while contributing to a debate on SME financing and its importance to the economy. 'SMEs are important for the growth and diversification of the economy. They create job opportunities, stimulate innovation, and contribute to the overall economic growth of our country,' said the youthful lawmaker. However, Masua said the government has taken steps to make it simpler for SMEs to obtain finance. This includes the skills-based lending facility offered by the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN). 'The DBN has provided crucial financial support to young entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. Additionally, the government has also introduced various training programmes and mentorship initiatives to help SMEs grow and succeed in a competitive market.' Masua also said that the allocation of funds toward small businesses in the 2024/25 budget towards the youth loan scheme is a step in the right direction to empower young entrepreneurs. The budget of the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade this new financial year was increased by 31.7 per cent to N.dollars 365.5 million and a total of N$1.2 billion over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework. Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi said that funding has been allocated to the Equipment Aid Scheme, Start-Up Namibia, and EMPRETEC Namibia to facilitate domestic trade activities and build domestic entrepreneurship capacity, especially for SMEs. When tabling the budget, Shiimi announced the lifting of the mand atory registration threshold for value-added tax (VAT) from N.dollars 500 000 to N.dollars 1 000 000. He said this will relieve approximately 23 000 SMEs from VAT administration to focus on their core activities while simultaneously freeing capacity at the Namibia Revenue Agency to focus on large taxpayers. Source: The Namibia Press Agency