RMC is also offering 50% discount on breast scan.

The event, which was held at Night Market at Sabon Zongo in Accra, also educated participants on breast cancer, it’s effects and how it can be prevented.

The screening also formed part of events to mark the annual Maulid at Sabon Zongo, Accra, under the auspices of the chief of the Zongo community Alhaji Yahya Hamisu Baako.

Participants were offered medications after the screening with those with ailments that need prompt medical treatment told to seek immediate medical attention at hospitals of their choice.

Specialist obstetrician-gynecologist and social activist Dr. (Med) Faisal Sulley, who is the founder and head of Rayan Medical Centre located at Asore Danso, near Dansoman in the Greater Accra Region and founder of Dr Faisal Sulley Foundation said the free screening formed part of the clinic’s vision of always ensuring it serves the needs of the community and its people.

He encouraged members of the public to take advantage of the huge discount on breast scan to have their breasts checked since early detection of lump in the breast can help save lives.

“What the public needs to know is that a lump isn’t the only sign. So they should look out for dimpling, redness, nipple discharge, or skin thickening like orange peel and attend to them swiftly so we can all have an early detection of breast cancer…,” he advised.

For years, residents of Asafo have endured severe flooding during heavy rains, which has damaged homes and farmlands while disrupting daily activities. Repeated appeals for intervention had gone unanswered, making the project a much-anticipated solution.

In response, Dr. Agyemang initiated the culvert construction as part of his broader agenda to enhance local infrastructure and improve the community’s resilience to climate-related challenges.

Once completed, the project is expected to ensure smooth water flow and protect the community from future flooding incidents.

During the inspection, Dr. Agyemang reaffirmed his commitment to providing practical and lasting solutions for his constituents. He emphasized that infrastructure development is a key pillar of his vision for sustainable growth within Abuakwa South.

Residents, impressed with the progress, praised Dr. Agyemang for his proactive leadership.

“Great leadership in action! Dr. Kingsley Agyemang continues to demonstrate genuine commitment to the welfare of his people. Infrastructure like this makes a real difference,” one resident said.

Another added, “Impactful MP, be blessed.”

The culvert project is part of several community-focused development initiatives spearheaded by Dr. Agyemang, aimed at improving living conditions, boosting local productivity, and strengthening flood control mechanisms across the constituency.

Source: Adomonline

ALSO

I pray God forgives you – Ken Ashigbey tells Stan Dogbe…

Galamsey threatening Ghana’s energy security – Adomako-Mensah warns

Although Mr Ashigbey, who is currently the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, started the coalition against the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to pile pressure for a solution to the illegal mining menace, Mr Stan Dogbe, in a Facebook reply to a comment made by Mr Ashigbey, accused him of pursuing a political agenda.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, October 5, Mr Ashigbey, who was part of the civil society members who met with President Mahama last Friday on conversations on illegal mining, said, “Around the Simpa township on the Tarkwa to Takoradi road, there is galamsey happening in clear sight. Is the MCE not aware? HE, John Dramani Mahama, please, this MCE cannot be representing your interests. I can see it from the road today, Sunday, the 5th of October 2025. They are working and polluting the waters.”

In response to this comment, Mr Stan Dogbe replied, “If your government, in the 8 years of your ‘coloured’ fight, had demonstrated the political will and clear strategies deployed in the last 9 months, I guess we would not be here. Instead of gaining on negativity as a form of advocacy, you and your team, as advised by the president, should keep up the fight, but I add do it constructively and stop hiding behind political bias to gain a voice.”

Obviously disappointed and infuriated by Mr Dogbe’s comment, Mr Ashigbey replied to him with a long text disputing his claims and drawing his attention to the fact that he had been consistent in his advocacy against illegal mining, devoid of politics.

“My government,” really? Well, some in the NPP said the same. Thankfully, Ghanaians can judge my actions for themselves. My focus has NEVER been on those who, like you, see every national issue through partisan lenses. My commitment is to Ghana and to those who genuinely care about our nation’s future. They recognise the consistency of our message and the sincerity of our advocacy. When we began this fight in 2017, where were you? What was your contribution to the struggle against galamsey under the NPP? Was that when you also thought our advocacy was “negative”? History will judge us all.”

Mr Ashigbey added, “Some of us are focused on solutions, not noise. You may ask the Minister of Lands, the Hon Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah — whenever we engage, we present concrete proposals. We’ve even shared a comprehensive paper with H.E. John Dramani Mahama at the event on Friday, the 3rd of October 2025, detailing actionable solutions. This is a matter of public record.”

He noted, “Ghanaians can see that our work is not driven by money or politics. They know that our fight is against the imminent environmental crisis threatening all of us, not an exercise in negativity. Perhaps you are not as concerned about the poisoning of our water bodies or the destruction of our environment. Yes, you can now afford imported brands like Voss. I cannot. My children and family depend on the resources here in Ghana — the same ones being destroyed daily.

He reminded the Deputy Chief of Staff that he had no political bias and prayed for God’s forgiveness for him for lying against him.

“I hold NO POLITICAL BIAS — and you know that. Yet, for reasons best known to you, you now seek to misrepresent me. I pray that God forgives you for the falsehoods you spread about me. The truth, and the internet, will not forget. Why should I stay silent when I see wrongdoing? Even HE, the President himself, has called on all of us to support the fight against galamsey. The Minister of Lands urged citizens to speak up when they see something wrong. Would you rather we disobey that call?

The comment by the Deputy Chief of Staff received widespread disapproval on the page, with many condemning his posture.

Dr Ken Ashigbey is a trained engineer from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Dr Ashigbey has also worked in the media space for more than 15 years. He joined the Chamber of Telecommunications in 2017, after serving as the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd, and only recently left the telecoms Chamber to take up a new role as the CEO of the Chamber of Mines.

Source: Myjoyonline

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He described the situation as “an unacceptable labour practice” and pledged to ensure the matter receives immediate attention.

Speaking at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, September 30, after receiving a petition from the aggrieved teachers, Mr. Iddrisu said: “I’m here to receive your humble petition and to assure you that I will walk the talk on the issue of the unfair labour treatment that has been meted out to you.

“It is an unacceptable labour practice anywhere that you will work for 13 months without pay… Be assured that I’m on top of the matter.”

He disclosed that he had already met with the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, on September 23 to deliberate on the teachers’ concerns and that a joint cabinet memorandum, to be signed by himself and the Finance Minister, will soon be presented for consideration.

The Education Minister added that the government is planning to recruit 53,000 additional teachers into the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector

The Minister’s remarks come on the back of a protest by teachers from the 2022 batch of the Colleges of Education and university graduates, who marched from Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance before converging at the Jubilee House.

They are demanding payment of 13 and 9-month salary arrears, respectively.

Lead convener Simon Kofi Nartey explained that all efforts to resolve the issue had been ignored, forcing them to resort to the demonstration.

He stressed that their demands go beyond survival, warning that the quality of education suffers when newly recruited teachers cannot afford essentials like transportation and accommodation.

Source: Myjoyonline

ALSO 

This is not the NPP we know; things are getting worse…

Illegal miners have taken over Akonta Mining – Wontumi [Listen]

This follows the latest outlook report by the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), which guides the pricing decisions of oil marketing companies, as seen by JOYBUSINESS.

Projected Adjustments

Petrol prices are projected to be increased by up to 2.47% per litre, bringing the pump price to about GHC 14.52 per litre.

Diesel may rise between 1.36% and 3.41%, potentially selling at GHS 15.17 per litre.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) may also witness an increase of 2.01% to 4.01%.

Reasons

The rise is a result of climbing international product prices and the continued seasonal depreciation of the cedi, both of which play a major role in the projected price increases.

COMAC noted that the local currency continues to depreciate against the dollar during the period under review.

It weakened from GHS 12.07 to GHS 12.40 per dollar, a 2.74% drop, bringing total losses in the third quarter of 2025 to 15.09%, with no gains recorded.

The depreciation, the chamber says, is attributed to limited forex supply, while rising year-end imports place further pressure on the currency in Ghana’s import-dependent economy.

The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies also noted that crude oil prices “dipped, increasing by 1.57% from $67.39 to $68.45 per barrel. Brent crude is forecasted to rebound close to $70 per barrel, driven by heightened geopolitical risks and renewed supply concerns.”

Some of the major oil marketing companies, including GOIL, Shell and even Market Star Oil, have all increased prices at the pumps since September 23, 2025.

Some of the oil marketing companies have told JOYBUSINESS they were forced to adjust prices due to the recent pressure on the Ghana cedi.

One is not sure for now whether some of the major oil marketing firms will go ahead and increase prices at the pumps again from this week.

Source: Joy Business

The Offinso Circuit Court, presided over by Paul Oduro Esq., delivered the ruling on Thursday, September 26, 2025.

The convicts — Nasiru Abdul-Malik (22), Solomon Kwaku Annor Clinton (23), and Hakeem Ibrahim (20), all residents of Asempaneye — pleaded guilty to the charges.

Each was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for conspiracy to commit robbery and 15 years for robbery, with all sentences running concurrently. This means each will serve a total of 15 years in prison.

According to a press release issued on September 29, the robbery occurred in the early hours of September 23, 2025, at approximately 1:30 AM, when a DAF trailer truck (registration number ER 1703 X) transporting bags of fertiliser from Tema to Wa broke down near Asempaneye, a community along the Kumasi-Techiman Highway.

While the truck was parked at a roadside vulcanising shop for repairs, the three assailants, armed with an axe, machete, and a pair of scissors, attacked the truck’s driver and his mate, making off with the following items:

• Samsung A24 Ultra smartphone valued at GH¢1,400

• Itel smartphone worth GH¢400

• Itel keypad phone valued at GH¢100

• A black backpack and a red and blue bag containing personal items

• Cash amounting to GH¢140

Thanks to swift action by the youth of Asempaneye, all three suspects were apprehended the same day, and the stolen items were recovered. During police investigations, the suspects admitted to committing the crime.

The convicts have been transferred to Kumasi Central Prisons to begin serving their sentences.

The Ashanti North Police Command commended the residents and youth of Asempaneye for their vigilance and cooperation, which were instrumental in ensuring the prompt arrest and prosecution of the culprits.

The Command also reaffirmed its commitment to fighting crime in the region and maintaining public safety.

“We commend the people of Asempaneye for their swift response and cooperation. The Police remain resolute in our duty to protect lives and property and ensure that those who break the law are held accountable,” the statement read.

Source: Adomonline

The charges concern accusations that Kabila has been supporting the M23, a rebel group who have wreaked devastation across the country’s eastern region.

Kabila was convicted on Friday by a military court of treason, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection. He denied the charges, but did not appear in court to defend himself.

The ex-president rejected the case as “arbitrary” and said the courts were being used as an “instrument of oppression”. His current whereabouts are unknown.

The 54-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father, Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001.

Kabila handed power to President Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, but they later fell out and Kabila went into self-imposed exile in 2023.

In April this year, the former president said he wanted to help find a solution to the deadly fighting in the east and arrived in the M23-held city of Goma the following month.

President Tshisekedi accused Kabila of being the brains behind the M23, and senators stripped him of his legal immunity, paving the way for his prosecution.

Decades of conflict had escalated earlier this year when the M23 seized control of large parts of the mineral-rich east, including Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.

Pointing to overwhelming evidence, the UN and several Western countries have accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23 and sending thousands of its soldiers into DR Congo.

But Kigali denies the charges, saying it is acting to stop the conflict from spilling over onto its territory.

A ceasefire deal between the rebels and the government was agreed in July, but the bloodshed has continued.

Source: BBC

“This is not the NPP we know; things are getting worse. We have values, principles, and discipline. Today, we can’t say the NPP we formed so many years ago is what we are seeing today. A lot of things are not going well,” Mr. Agyarko said in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show.

Mr. Agyarko, who has announced his intention to contest for the position of National Chairmanship, noted that some of the problems started a long time ago but were ignored until they crossed a critical line.

“In 2024, when we went for elections, Ghanaians voted against us massively, and even among ourselves, we voted against ourselves. When you listen to what people were saying, they blamed us, saying that the NPP we knew years back had changed completely. They said it is better to go back to our old ways, where love and unity were around everyone,” he added.

He further criticized the party for failing to heed advice even after the 2024 elections.

“Every day you hear issues in the NPP because of internal squabbles. These issues should have been stopped, but they keep making noise and refuse to listen. Some utterances from party members are not good; they only destroy the party and make it unpopular,” Mr. Agyarko said.

His comments come after the Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, Kwame Baffoe Abronye, announced his readiness to appear before the party’s National Disciplinary Committee following an invitation from General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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• NPP refers Abronye DC to Disciplinary Committee over misconduct
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• Boakye Agyarko officially declares intention to contest NPP National chairmanship

The support package includes essential items such as chop boxes, trunks, and books for each beneficiary student.

So far, more than 600 students from the first and second zones of the constituency have received their share of the donation. The first session, held at Tebeso Zone, covered about 400 students, while today’s distribution in the Dunkura and Nsuaem No. 2 Zone is targeting another 400 students.

The event drew massive attendance from students, traditional authorities, parents, and officials from the education directorate.

Addressing the gathering, Nana Asafo Agyei Ayeh urged the students to prioritize their education above all else.

He reiterated his commitment to promoting quality and enviable education in the constituency, stressing that one of his core reasons for going to Parliament was to ensure Bosome Freho makes strides in the educational sector.

The lawmaker also called on parents to complement his efforts by contributing their quota towards securing a brighter future for their children.

Source: Kwame Kulenu

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Wontumi said reports reaching him confirmed that illegal miners had invaded Akonta Mining and were carrying out galamsey there.

“I heard reports that some illegal miners have invaded Akonta Mining and are mining there illegally. I told my people to report the matter to the police and even take pictures so that we can identify those behind it,” he said.

According to him, despite being the owner of the concession, he is wrongly blamed for galamsey activities.

“Right now, people are doing galamsey on my concession at Akonta Mining. If people are mining illegally there, is it fair to turn around and blame me? I am not the one behind it,” he stressed.

Wontumi further alleged that his concession in Samreboi has also been invaded by illegal miners, whom he claims are members of the opposition NDC.

“Even in Samreboi, on my legitimate concession, some NDC members have gone there to do galamsey, and yet people blame me. I have reported the matter to the police, informed my lawyer, and will act on his advice. I am not above or beneath the law,” he explained.

He stated that he has complied with all legal requirements and presented his documents to the relevant authorities.

“I have shown my lease and all my documents to the Minerals Commission. In fact, I am the only mining company owner in Ghana who has openly presented my lease to the government. So what is my crime if I have a legitimate lease?” he questioned.

Wontumi reiterated his call for authorities to investigate and hold accountable those carrying out galamsey on his concession, instead of pointing fingers at him.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

ALSO READ:

• Coalition against galamsey demands prosecution of Akonta Mining
• Akufo-Addo has exonerated us – Akonta Mining
• Akonta Mining saga: The inside story – Kwaku Baako writes

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Wontumi said they just have to ensure that people don’t go and engage in illegal mining.

“Let’s not make ourselves like the Pharisees, who impose the difficult laws on people while keeping the easy ones for themselves. If this is what the President has said, then we welcome it. We need to do the right thing and ensure the laws are enforced to help Ghana,” he said.

He added, “If he says he will declare all forests as military zones, then we support it and pray for him. He is our president until Bawumia becomes the president to continue.”

Wontumi also addressed his own involvement in mining concessions:

“I don’t work at the forest, but it’s true I applied for a concession, just like other companies. I did everything properly. When they were about to give me the lease, I realized illegal miners had invaded the area. I tried to stop them, but I was told not to intervene and that the Forestry Commission would take charge. Since then, I have left it to the Forestry Commission.”

He urged the military to enforce the new measures responsibly:

“We also call on the military to do the right thing and protect those zones, just as they have been directed. We all know the military are very responsible and disciplined people. We pray that every decision the President has made will be implemented properly to restore peace,” he said.

Wontumi’s comments come after the government declared all water bodies and forest reserves as security zones to intensify the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

The move aims to protect the country’s environment and critical natural resources, especially rivers and forest reserves, which are under severe threat from galamsey activities.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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• NPP election: Nobody can manipulate delegates’ register – Wontumi assures [Audio]
• We’ve achieved more on galamsey in 9 months than in 8…
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He explained in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, that Bawumia is effectively going unopposed in the primaries and that those who supported him in the last elections have not regretted their choice.

Wontumi said party members are united in their support for Dr. Bawumia and believe he will emerge the winner, noting that the NPP is a single party working together.

“I see that Bawumia is going for the primaries unopposed, although we are having elections. Those who voted for him in the last elections have not regretted their choice,” he said.

Wontumi stressed the importance of respectful campaigning, urging party members to avoid insulting or attacking other candidates.

He said all discussions and engagements should be encouraging and focused on the party’s unity.

“The only thing I won’t condone is insulting others. You can campaign for your candidate, but do not attack anyone. All talks should be encouraging, not insulting,” he noted.

He also praised the quality of the candidates contesting the primaries, stating that Dr. Bawumia is the most suitable choice given his experience as former Vice President and as a previous presidential candidate for the party.

Wontumi added that it is his wish for Dr. Bawumia to win both the primaries and the general elections so he can serve as president for all Ghanaians.

“I am happy the NPP has great people contesting, unlike other parties, but Bawumia is the best among them. He has served as Vice President and was our previous candidate. It is better we give him the chance. It is my wish he wins the primaries and the general elections so he can become president for all of us,” he said.

According to a recent poll by Global Info Analytics, Dr. Bawumia leads the NPP presidential primaries with 47% of delegate support.

The poll, published on September 29, 2025, shows him as the clear front-runner, although a significant number of delegates remain undecided, indicating that the race could still change in the coming weeks.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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At 15, I made a decision that worsened the pain of growing up without a father. I smoked weed for the first time.

I left Akatsi in 2000 as a calm “Granny’s boy” who had never seen weed before. Two years later, I returned as a full-blown “ghetto boy.” My grandmother was devastated. She wished she hadn’t let me move to Takoradi for SHS. But the damage was already done.

Lost at 15

The first 14 years of my life were spent under my grandmother’s care. Then, suddenly, I was in Takoradi, far from home, far from her. My uncle, who was supposed to look after me, got transferred to Accra. I didn’t even know my father was back in Ghana. With no phones at the time and Akatsi three regions away, I was left completely on my own.

During my first SHS midterm, I had nowhere to go. While other students travelled home, I wandered through Takoradi, discovering nightspots like Cobbypop, Brotherhood, and Harbour View Casino. Those places became my classroom.

My First Puff

One night, outside Harbour View Casino, I met a man called Paa Kwesi. He looked like a junkie but spoke fluent English with a diaspora accent. He asked if I had weed. I didn’t, but I promised to get some.

The next day, I bought two wraps from Cobbypop. I never saw him again, but now the weed was in my pocket. After fumbling with it in the bush behind campus, I eventually got someone to roll it properly. And that night, at just 15, I got high for the first time.

That choice gave my enemies, including my father, a weapon against me. I was no longer just the abandoned child. I was now the “spoilt wee smoker.”

The Reality of Teen Smoking

Smoking weed as a teenager isn’t just about getting high. It comes with stigma, stereotyping, and victimisation. People stop trusting you. Parents warn their kids to avoid you. You get labeled as a “problem child” or “criminal.”

Weed also exposes you to harder drugs because the ghettos where it’s sold are usually hubs for pills, crack, cocaine, and heroin. I lost more than 10 promising friends, bright, intelligent boys who ended up as junkies or criminals. I was lucky not to join them.

Yes, I know some people who smoke and still make money, but most are scammers or dealers. And none of them would ever want their own children to walk that path.

Some Hard Numbers

95% of those who start before age 14 often end up a mess.

80% of those who start between 15 and 18 years (SHS age) may face the same fate.

Even starting at university isn’t safe, half of them still get trapped.

Weed may be a powerful economic crop for Africa if legalised and industrialised. But for teenagers, smoking it is a dangerous gamble that closes doors and destroys futures.

My Reflection

If I hadn’t started smoking at 15, I believe I could have rebuilt my life after SHS, even without my father’s acceptance. I could have become someone he’d be proud to call a son. But I became a “fire starter” instead.

I still believe ganja should be legalised, decriminalised, and used as an export product. But for teenagers, it is poison.

A Word to Parents

Please pay attention to your children in SHS. In Ghana, unlike in the West, we send our kids away for high school at 14 to 18 years. These are the years they need their parents most.

My story isn’t about condemning weed. It’s about telling the truth. Teenagers should not smoke. I lived it. I know.

Source: Selorm Ameza

The industrious thrum of the heavy-duty sewing machines, along with the workers’ chatter, normally fills the plant with a reassuring rhythm.

But today, every sound is tinged with uncertainty as the future of the firm is uncertain because of the possible end of a key piece of US trade law.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which embeds in legislation a landmark trade agreement that has for 25 years given some African goods duty-free access to the US market, expires on Tuesday.

However, this policy is at odds with the Trump administration’s record of imposing tariffs.

Envoys from various African countries have gone to the US to try to negotiate an extension, but it is not clear if that will happen.

Considered the cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations, Agoa’s aim was to help industrialise the continent, create employment and lift dozens of countries out of poverty.

It was based on a philosophy of replacing aid with trade.

Agoa has proved very valuable for countries such as Kenya and Lesotho and the fate of thousands of workers, like 29-year-old Joan Wambui, is tied up with its future.

The end of the deal could spell the end of her job.

Ms Wambui has worked at Shona EPZ, helping to sew sportswear exclusively for the American market, for just six months. In that short time, her salary has become the mainstay of her household. She supports her four-year-old daughter, two sisters in college, along her mother.

Losing her job, she says, would affect more than just her own life.

“If Agoa expires, where shall we go?” Ms Wambui asks in a worried tone, her hands and feet moving in time on the sewing machine as she stitches together pieces of fabric.

For her, a regular wage has meant more than income. It has meant dignity and the ability to pay school fees, keep food on the table and enabled her to look forward to a better future.

“It’s going to hit me hard. Starting to look for a new job. In Kenya, it’s hard to find a job, very hard,” she says as she folds the piece of fabric she has just stitched.

Kenya’s apparel industry has thrived under AGOA.

In 2024 alone, the country exported $470m (£350m) worth of clothing to the US, supporting more than 66,000 direct jobs, three-quarters of them done by women, according to the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, an umbrella group of private businesses.

Factories like Shona EPZ have become important sources of employment, especially for young people who have struggled to find stable work in a tough economy.

“Most of the people here were taken from the streets,” Ms Wambui says. “They were drug addicts. If it expires, they might go back there, and here they are reformed.”

Shona EPZ does not require new employees to be skilled – the company is committed to training those it gives a job to.

The lack of clarity over the future of Agoa has already had an impact on Shona EPZ’s output.

Normally, the factory produces nearly half a million garments each month, but this year output has slumped to about a third, as buyers hold back on long-term orders.

Garment sales from Kenya have also been hit this year by the 10% tariff introduced by the Trump administration earlier this year. A renewal of AGOA would not get rid of that, but would mean no additional tariffs.

“If the extension isn’t granted, we may have to send people home and possibly shut down,” factory director Isaac Maluki tells the BBC.

“If we can’t get enough work to sustain the people here, we will have no choice.”

Over the past seven years, Shona EPZ, which employs 700 people, has invested $10m in building the firm.

“If the extension doesn’t happen, we are looking at the $10m investment going down the drain,” a worried Mr Maluki explains.

The uncertainty stretches far beyond Kenya.

Across Africa, more than 30 countries currently export over 6,000 products to the US under Agoa, ranging from textiles to agricultural goods.

The programme has been credited with creating jobs, boosting industries, and giving African economies a stronger foothold in global trade.

But looking at a future deal, African negotiators need to rethink their approach, according to trade policy expert Teniola Tayo.

“African countries really need to figure out what they want from the US and what they can offer, because you need to be offering something in exchange for market access,” she says.

African leaders have been lobbying Washington intensely.

At last week’s UN General Assembly, trade was high on the agenda.

Kenya’s Trade Minister Lee Kinyanjui revealed that Nairobi was pushing for at least a short extension.

“An ideal situation would be the extension of Agoa so transition mechanisms can be put in place,” he said.

At the same time, Kenya is trying to strike its own bilateral deal with the US.

Last week, President William Ruto said he expected to sign a trade deal with the US the end of the year while urging Washington to extend the continent’s duty-free access under Agoa for at least five more years.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa similarly warned that its lapse would carry serious consequences for his country.

At the same time, Kenya and others are looking for new markets to reduce overreliance on the US.

Trade expert Ms Tayo says this should include taking advantage of the African free-trade area.

“When Africans trade amongst themselves, they tend to produce higher-value goods, more manufactured goods, versus simply exporting raw materials,” she argues.

But this all takes time. For workers like Ms Wambui, the timelines of diplomacy and trade negotiations feel far removed from the daily urgency of feeding a family.

She has just one request for the Kenyan and US governments: give young people more opportunities.

“We have ideas and the drive to make a difference. We just need support to show our potential,” she says as she and her colleagues head outside the factory for their lunch break.

Source: BBC

The A-List couple share two children, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14.

The Oscar-winning actress and four-time Grammy-winning country singer have been married since June 2006.

TMZ first reported the news and cited sources who said the pair had been living apart since the summer, and Kidman does not want the separation. The BBC’s source confirmed that reporting.

The reasoning for their split is unclea

Kidman and Urban, who both grew up in Australia, have weathered ups and downs over their nearly two decades together.

They experienced highs with both stars winning and being nominated for top honours in their respective industries. Over the years, they have supported and cheered on one another, routinely appearing together at award shows and Hollywood premieres for each other.

And lows: months after their wedding, Urban checked himself into rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Both he and Kidman have said his struggles with addiction made their bond stronger.

Kidman and several of his close friends staged an intervention that Urban said changed his life.

“Everything was just designed, I believe, for that moment to fuse us together,” he said in a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

“I look back now and realise Nic has taught me so much and brought so much into my life and opened my eyes in so many ways,” he said. “[This is] the best place I’ve ever been.”

The pair were spotted together over the summer in June, watching a FIFA Club World Cup match in Nashville, Tennessee.

They also appeared together in May when Urban was honoured at the Academy of Country Music Awards with the ACM Triple Crown Award.

They were photographed in their seats, appearing happily in love, kissing and holding hands.

The Babygirl actress was previously married to actor Tom Cruise. The pair were together for more than 10 years and also have two children together. They ended their marriage in 2001.

Source: BBC

The settlement from the video streaming giant’s parent company Alphabet – which also owns Google, comes after social media sites X/Twitter and Facebook also agreed to pay Trump for suspending his accounts.

Trump had accused YouTube and other tech companies of political bias, claiming they had unfairly censored conservative voices after the Capitol riot in 2021.

At the time of his suspension, social media companies said that Trump risked inciting further violence in Washington DC.

As part of Monday’s settlement, YouTube will pay $22m to the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit group that is aiming to raise $200m to build a new ballroom at the White House.

Another $2.5m will be paid to other organisations and individuals who joined Trump’s lawsuit, including the American Conservative Union.

YouTube is the latest major platform to settle with the president.

In January, Facebook’s parent company Meta agreed to a $25m settlement, with $22m earmarked for Trump’s presidential library.

A month later, social media platform X – a company that was purchased by Trump ally Elon Musk in 2022 – settled for a reported $10m.

All of Mr Trump’s social media accounts have since been reinstated.

The settlements come as Silicon Valley has generally taken a more conciliatory tone towards the president. The CEOs of Alphabet, Meta and X all sat in the front row for his inauguration, signalling a shift in relations between the Republican Party and the tech sector.

The social media giants have also taken measures to loosen content moderation on their platforms, which Republicans had claimed amounted to a violation of free speech.

Last week, YouTube said it planned to restore several accounts that had been banned for repeatedly making false claims about Covid and the 2020 presidential election.

“YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognises that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse,” the company wrote to a Republican-controlled congressional committee, explaining the decision.

Source: BBC

The plan proposes an immediate end to military operations, with Hamas releasing 20 living Israeli hostages and the remains of the more than two dozen hostages who are believed to be dead within 72 hours, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.

A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told the BBC that Hamas officials have been given the White House’s 20-point proposal.

It demands that Hamas will have no role in governing Gaza, and leaves the door open for an eventual Palestinian state.

Speaking at a news conference following talks at the White House, Trump called the plan “a historic day for peace”.

But he said that Netanyahu will have US backing to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas” if Hamas does not agree to the plan.

Netanyahu then said Israel “will finish the job” if Hamas rejects the plan or does not follow through.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has called the US president’s efforts as “sincere and determined”.

In a statement published by its WAFA news agency, the authority said it “renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners” to end the war on Gaza, ensure sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the release of hostages and prisoners.

The proposal, if followed, would begin with the immediate cessation of military operations. It also says existing “battle lines” would be frozen in place until conditions are met for a staged withdrawal.

Under Trump’s plan, Hamas would lay down its arms and its tunnels and weapon production facilities would be destroyed.

For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 dead Gazans, the plan says.

The plan also stipulates that once both sides agree to the proposal, “full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip”.

The US also outlines its plan for the future governance of Gaza.

It says a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” will govern temporarily, “with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, called the Board of Peace, which will be headed” by Trump.

Former UK PM Sir Tony Blair will be part of the governing body alongside other leaders “to be announced”. Sir Tony called the plan “bold and intelligent”.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the plan, saying, “We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality.

“Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages,” Sir Keir added.

European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “encouraged by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s positive response” to the proposal.

He added, “all parties must seize this moment to give peace a genuine chance”.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the proposal, saying: “France stands ready to contribute” to the efforts to end the war and release hostages.

“These elements must pave the way for in-depth discussions with all relevant partners to build a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution,” said Macron.

The plan adds that Hamas must have no role in governance, “directly, indirectly, or in any form”.

Much of the plan is focused on what the US calls an “economic development plan” to rebuild Gaza. It also says “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza” and its forces will withdraw from the territory in stages over time.

In a shift from Trump’s earlier statements, Palestinians will not be forced to leave Gaza. Instead, the document said: “We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

The plan also leaves the door open to an eventual Palestinian state.

A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told the BBC “Qatari and Egyptian officials have handed over the White House plan to end the war in Gaza to Hamas officials in Doha”.

Earlier, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group remained open to studying any proposal that could end the war in Gaza, but stressed that any agreement must safeguard Palestinian interests, ensure a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and bring the war to an end.

Asked about the group’s weapons, the official said: “The weapons of the resistance are a red line as long as the occupation continues.

“The issue of arms can only be discussed within the framework of a political solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

The announcement of the plan comes just days after Netanyahu attacked the recognition of a Palestinian state by multiple Western countries during a combative speech at the UN General Assembly

Netanyahu labelled the recognition moves a “mark of shame” that sent the message that “murdering Jews pays off”.

Dozens of officials and diplomats staged a walkout as he took to the UN podium, leaving large parts of the conference hall empty.

While Trump has staunchly backed Netanyahu since returning to the White House for a second term, he has become increasingly frustrated with Israel’s moves in recent weeks.

Trump expressed annoyance at Israel’s recent strike on Hamas members in key US ally Qatar.

Before Monday’s news conference, Netanyahu called Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani of Qatar from the White House to express his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 66,055 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

A UN-backed body recently confirmed that famine was taking place in Gaza City. Earlier this month, a UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, which Israel strongly rejects.

Source: BBC

He is under investigation for suspected corruption and corruption-related offences linked to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), particularly in the management of its gold trade programme.

It is alleged that over USD94 million was lost to the State through Goldridge Refinery’s failure to honour trade settlements under the Gold for Forex and Gold for Oil initiatives.

Source: Myjoyonline

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In an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Abronye DC said, “Bawumia doesn’t need anyone to steal votes for him to become the presidential candidate. The fresh air around the NPP shows that delegates are ready to support him, and we are not ready to change him.”

He added that his assessment comes from firsthand engagement with delegates.

“I went to campaign, and I know what I am saying. I spoke with polling station executives who will come out and vote massively. When I support Bawumia, I meet those who vote, and they have told me they will endorse him,” he explained.

Addressing claims that he has threatened to remove names from the delegate register, Abronye DC clarified that a circulating video had been doctored.

“The original video clearly shows that I said Bawumia doesn’t need anyone to steal votes. I never said I was going to remove anyone’s name from the album. Those making noise should stop,” he insisted.

He further questioned the credibility of critics, including members of Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign team, who have demanded disciplinary action against him and Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi).

“How can someone who is not even listed in the album have a say in who endorses Bawumia? Their names are not even on the register, so why make so much noise?” Abronye DC said.

His comments follow calls from Mr. Agyapong’s team for immediate disciplinary measures against the two regional chairmen, accusing them of conduct that could undermine party unity.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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His comments come after NPP flagbearer, Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign team called for immediate disciplinary action against Wontumi and Abronye DC.

The campaign referenced videos circulating on social media, in which the two regional chairmen allegedly claimed that the party’s electoral roll and processes were being manipulated to favour a particular candidate ahead of the January 2026 presidential primaries.

But speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Frimpong said, “Personally, no one has brought this release or notice to my attention. I only saw it on social media, just like anyone else.”

He added that while he respects the reference made by Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign spokesperson, Kwasi Kwarteng, to the party constitution, he expects a proper understanding of party laws before demanding action.

 “I was expecting that when he made the reference, he should have read Article 4, which talks about discipline and grievance procedures. Our party is not one where you wake up and suspend anyone like that,” Mr. Frimpong explained.

He noted that there are correct procedures for handling internal disputes.

“If someone does something and you think it’s against the party laws, you first lodge a complaint. My question to Kwasi Kwarteng is: has he or anyone lodged a complaint against Wontumi or Abronye? That’s what some party people don’t understand. They are blaming me or asking me to suspend someone when no formal complaint has been made,” he added.

Mr. Frimpong stressed the importance of following the law.

 “If we are working with the laws, then you have to go according to what our laws say. As it stands now, no complaints have come to my table. If a petition comes and I don’t act on it, then you can blame me, but until then, I cannot do anything.”

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Frimpong explained that as the party’s spokesperson, it is his duty to respond whenever issues or statements about the NPP arise.

“If I keep quiet or refuse to speak on any matter, it means what the person said—whether true or not—would go unheard,” he stated.

Mr. Frimpong noted that following Wontumi’s comments, he issued a statement addressing concerns about both Wontumi and Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.

He said the statements from the chairmen did not reflect the party’s processes accurately.

Regarding a video that allegedly showed Wontumi claiming the date for the presidential primaries was selected to favour a particular candidate, Mr. Frimpong clarified,

“The decision for the date was taken by the National Council. The leaders we have are all bigger and respectable, and they can make such decisions. Even people were in favour of the date because they knew it would allow someone to lead the front when the flagbearer is selected.”

He further dismissed suggestions that the party’s register was being used to benefit any aspirant.

“I would be very surprised if anyone says the register is there to favour someone. This register is not new; it has been used before. The album had nothing to do with any presidential aspirant, and everyone supported its use,” he said.

The general scribe also addressed claims that Abronye DC intended to remove some executives from polling stations.

“Even with the system we operate, no regional party official has the right to omit anyone from the album,” he stated.

On the issue of whether the video was doctored, Mr. Frimpong stated, “Until I made the release, I had not seen any statement showing the video was doctored. Everything I addressed was based on what I had seen and the facts available to me.”

His remarks come after Wontumi rejected suggestions that he maligned the National Council in his engagements with the grassroots, describing the General Secretary’s comments as unfair.

Earlier, on Sunday, September 28, 2025, Frimpong had issued a statement urging party stakeholders to disregard pronouncements made by Wontumi and Abronye DC, stressing that no individual has unilateral control over party processes, including the compilation of polling station albums or the timing of the presidential primaries.

Source: Dorcas Abedu- Kennedy

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Officials said the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a town 60 miles (100km) northwest of Detroit, happened during a Sunday service attended by hundreds of people.

The suspect, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from Burton, Michigan, was later shot dead by police in the church car park.

Authorities are investigating the incident as an “act of targeted violence”, but say the motive remains unclear.

Two victims died from gunshot wounds, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told a news conference on Sunday.

He later said two more people had been found dead and “some” others remained unaccounted for, though he could not say how many. The church was still being “cleared” on Sunday night after suffering extensive fire damage, he said.

Chief Renye said “hundreds” of people were attending services at about 10:25 local time (15:25 GMT) when a gunman drove a vehicle into the building.

The attacker then opened fire with an assault-style rifle, “firing several rounds at individuals within the church,” he said.

The police responded immediately to the scene, he said, adding officers “engaged in gunfire with that particular individual, neutralising that suspect”. Sanford was killed at 10:33 local time, eight minutes after the shooting.

“We are still trying to determine exactly when and where the fire ended up coming from and how it got started,” the police chief said.

The suspect had used an accelerant – most likely gasoline – to start the blaze, authorities said.

Chief Renye also praised the “heroism” of churchgoers who he said had sheltered children in the church during the incident.

Investigators are conducting a search of the suspect’s property and examining his cell-phone records as they work to establish a motive.

Records show Sanford was a Marine Corps veteran, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported.

The FBI is leading the investigation and has deployed crisis response teams, bomb technicians and others to the scene, according to Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office.

Michigan State Police spokeswoman Kim Vetter told reporters that officers have been responding to additional bomb threats at multiple other locations.

“We’ve responded and cleared those locations,” she said.

In a statement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed a gunman opened fire during worship services, and “multiple individuals were injured”.

“We pray for peace and healing for all involved,” it said.

Grand Blanc police said that 100 FBI agents have been deployed to assist with the investigation.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting, and confirmed the FBI will be leading the federal investigation.

Writing on Truth Social, he described it as “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America”.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that she had received briefings on “what appears to be a horrific shooting and fire” at the church.

“Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling,” Bondi said.

“Please join me in praying for the victims of this terrible tragedy.”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the incident, saying: “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” adding that she was monitoring the situation.

Mitt Romney, former US senator for Utah and one of the most prominent Mormon politicians, called the shooting a “tragedy”, adding: “My brothers and sisters and their church are targets of violence. Praying for healing and comforting.”

Source: BBC

Tang took bribes including cash and property worth over 268 million yuan ($37.6 million) in various positions held from 2007 to 2024, Xinhua said.

The Changchun Intermediate People’s Court suspended his death sentence for two years, noting he had confessed to his crimes, it added.

China’s Communist Party expelled Tang in November 2024, six months after he was placed under investigation by the anti-graft watchdog and removed from his post.

Tang’s investigation was unusually swift and followed similar investigations into defence minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe.

President Xi Jinping started a campaign of purges of China’s domestic security apparatus in 2020, seeking to ensure police, prosecutors and judges are “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure and absolutely reliable”.

Tang was governor of the western province of Gansu from 2017 to 2020 before being named minister of agriculture and rural affairs, according to official biographies.

Source: Reuters

Published on the organisation’s official social media platforms on Monday, September 29, the results position Dr. Bawumia as the clear front-runner in the party’s internal contest.

The poll also revealed that a significant share of delegates remain undecided, suggesting potential shifts in the race as aspirants intensify their campaigns.

While Dr. Bawumia continues to enjoy the confidence of nearly half of the delegates surveyed, the findings indicate there is room for movement in the contest.

Businessman and former Assin Central legislator Kennedy Agyapong emerged as the Vice President’s closest challenger, but the data shows he has not been able to fully capitalise on Dr. Bawumia’s dip in support.

Analysts note that unless Mr. Agyapong can win over undecided delegates, Dr. Bawumia’s lead is likely to remain strong.

Global Info Analytics stated that the figures underscore both Dr. Bawumia’s dominance and the fluidity of the primaries as delegates weigh their options.

Observers say the outcome of the NPP flagbearership contest will be crucial in shaping the party’s strategy ahead of the 2028 general election.

Source: Ernest Arhinful

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Released on the organisation’s official social media platforms on Monday, September 29, the findings suggest Dr. Bawumia remains the most favoured candidate among the general voting population.

According to the survey, he maintains a clear nationwide lead, reflecting broad-based appeal among ordinary voters.

However, the poll indicates that while Dr. Bawumia enjoys strong public support, his performance among NPP delegates has weakened in recent weeks, with some shifting into the undecided category.

Despite this slip in the internal party race, his closest contender, Kennedy Agyapong, has not capitalised on the situation.

The former Assin Central legislator has yet to translate Dr. Bawumia’s delegate losses into tangible gains for his own campaign, leaving the contest still tilted in favour of the former Vice President.

Global Info Analytics noted that the results underscore both Dr. Bawumia’s resilience among the wider public and the uncertainty within the party’s electoral college.

Analysts say the findings highlight a potential gap between the mood of grassroots NPP members and the broader electorate as the party prepares to choose its flagbearer for the 2028 polls.

Source: Ernest Arhinful

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Multiply that by a family’s worth of footwear, stack them on a rack, and you have a domestic design problem that’s as pungent as it is universal.

Two Indian researchers decided this wasn’t just about stink – it was about science.

They set out to study how foul-smelling shoes shape our experience of using a shoe rack, and in doing so, stepped into the hallowed – and hilarious – halls of the Ig Nobel Prize, a tongue-in-cheek award for silly but inventive scientific endeavour.

Vikash Kumar, 42, assistant professor of design at Shiv Nadar University outside Delhi, taught Sarthak Mittal, 29, during his undergraduate years. It was at the university that the two first hit upon the idea of studying smelly shoes.

Mr Mittal says he often noticed his hostel corridors were lined with shoes, often left outside twin-sharing rooms. The initial idea was simple: why not design a sleek, aesthetic shoe rack for students? But as they dug deeper, the real culprit emerged – it wasn’t clutter but the foul smell that was driving the footwear outdoors.

“It wasn’t about space or a lack of shoe racks – there was plenty of room. The problem was frequent sweating and the constant use of shoes that made them smelly,” says Mr Mittal, who now works for a software company.

So the two embarked on a survey in the university hostels asking a truly human question: if our sneakers reek, doesn’t that ruin the entire experience of using a shoe rack?

Their survey of 149 university students – 80% of them male – confirmed what most of us already know but rarely admit: more than half had felt embarrassed by their own shoes or someone else’s stink, nearly all kept their footwear in racks at home, and hardly anyone had heard of existing deodorising products. Homegrown hacks – tea bags in shoes, sprinkling baking soda, spraying deodorant – weren’t cutting it.

The two researchers then turned to science. The culprit, they knew from existing research, was Kytococcus sedentarius, a bacterium that thrives in sweaty shoes. Their experiments showed that a short blast of ultraviolet light killed the microbes and banished the stink.

“In India, almost every household has a shoe rack of one type or the other, and having a rack which keeps the shoes smell free would give a great experience,” the authors noted in their paper.

They saw “smelly shoes as an opportunity for re-designing the traditional shoe rack for a better user experience”.

The result? Not your average ergonomics paper – and just the kind of delightfully oddball idea: a prototype for a UVC light-equipped shoe rack that doesn’t just store shoes but sterilises them. (UV covers a spectrum, but only the C band has germicidal properties.)

For the experiment, the researchers used shoes worn by university athletes, which had a pronounced odour. Because bacterial build-up is greatest near the toe, the UVC light was focused there.

The study measured odour levels against exposure time, and found that just 2–3 minutes of UVC treatment was sufficient to kill the bacteria and eliminate the foul smell. It was not simple: too much light meant too much heat which ended up burning the shoe rubber.

The researchers didn’t just point a UVC tube light at the shoes and hope for the best – they measured every whiff.

At the start, the odour was described as “strong, pungent, rotten-cheese-like”. Two minutes in, it had dropped to “extremely low, mild burnt-rubber smell”. By four minutes, the foul stench was gone, replaced by an “average burnt rubber” scent.

Six minutes later, the shoes remained odour-free and comfortably cool. But push it too far – 10 to 15 minutes – and the odour gave way to “strong burnt rubber” while the shoes got hot, proving that even in science, timing is everything.

In the end, the two proposed a shoe-rack fitted with a UVC tube light. Nothing came of it until the US-based Ig Nobel Prize took notice and got in touch.

Organised by the journal Annals of Improbable Research and co-sponsored by Harvard-Radcliffe groups, the 34-year-old Ig Nobel awards 10 prizes annually, aiming to ”make people laugh, then think… celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative”.

“We had no idea about the prize,” said Mr Kumar. “It was an old 2022 paper – we never sent it anywhere. The Ig Nobel team just found us, called us up, and that in itself makes you laugh and think.”

“The award isn’t about certifying research but celebrating it – the fun side of science. Most research is a thankless job done out of passion, and this is also a way of popularising it.”

Keeping the two Indians company this year is a delightfully eclectic cast of winners.

There are Japanese biologists who painted cows to ward off flies, rainbow lizards in Togo with a fondness for four-cheese pizza, US paediatricians who found garlic makes breast milk more appealing to babies, and Dutch researchers who discovered alcohol sharpens foreign-language skills – though it leaves fruit bats bumbling in flight. There’s also a historian who tracked his thumbnail growth for 35 years, and physics researchers exploring the mysteries of pasta sauce.

Winning for stinky shoes, it seems, has only raised the bar for the Indian researchers.

“Beyond recognition, it’s put a burden on us – we now have to do more research on things people don’t usually think about. Ask questions,” says Mr Kumar. In other words, today’s smelly sneakers could be tomorrow’s groundbreaking science.

Source: BBC

Founded on the principles of financial inclusion and community development, Maroon Capital has redefined microfinance by focusing on youth, women, and marginalized groups in rural and peri-urban communities.

Its grassroots approach—built on trust, group lending, and deep community engagement—has enabled thousands of micro-entrepreneurs to access credit, build businesses, and uplift their households.

Group lending has been central to this success, fostering peer accountability and social cohesion in areas where traditional collateral is scarce but community bonds are strong.

Through strategic partnerships, the institution has expanded its reach, playing a pivotal role in initiatives such as the USAID Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture Project, the Mastercard Foundation-supported Absa Young Africa Works programme, and the Financial Inclusion for Last Mile Actors (FILMA) project.

Maroon Capital has also championed disability-inclusive finance through its partnership with the Ghana Chamber for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (GCED).

By designing accessible loan products, offering financial literacy training, and creating inclusive service delivery channels, it has empowered Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to start businesses, save, and participate more fully in economic life.

In August 2025, the institution received global recognition when it was honoured with the Opportunity International Seeds of Empowerment Award in Uganda for its pioneering work in advancing financial outcomes for women.

The CIMG award, coming just weeks later, further affirms its impact, innovation, and leadership in inclusive finance.

The CIMG’s rigorous evaluation considered marketing strategy, customer engagement, innovation, financial performance, and social impact.

For Maroon Capital, the recognition goes beyond visibility—it validates years of transformative work. Customers describe the institution not just as a lender, but as a partner in progress, enabling market women, farmers, and school proprietors to achieve sustainable growth.

As it celebrates this milestone, Maroon Capital says it remains committed to expanding opportunities for the underserved, supporting its staff and clients, and scaling its impact across Ghana and beyond.

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Bawumia congratulates UDS on historic World University Football Championship victory

According to IMCD, a total of 34,736 delegates across all sixteen regions were sampled. Out of this number, 10,901 delegates (31%) pledged support for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, 8,091 delegates (23%) for Dr. Bryan Acheampong, and 5,569 delegates (16%) for Kennedy Agyapong.

The survey further indicated that 390 delegates (1.1%) would vote for Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, while 128 delegates (0.3%) expressed support for Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum. Meanwhile, 9,657 delegates remain undecided.

IMCD noted that with none of the candidates crossing the 50 percent threshold in the first round, the election is likely to head for a runoff.

Click to see survey details

Source: Kofi Adjei

]]> https://www.adomonline.com/bawumia-congratulates-uds-on-historic-world-university-football-championship-victory/ Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:39:07 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2583313 Former Vice President and 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has congratulated the University for Development Studies (UDS) for emerging champions of the 2025 World University Football Championship.

The Tamale-based university achieved the feat on Sunday, November 28, bringing international recognition to Ghana and Africa.

In a message shared on his social media platforms, Dr Bawumia described the victory as “a truly historic feat that has brought pride to Ghana and Africa.”

He lauded the dedication and resilience of the team, emphasising that their triumph was a testament to Ghanaian talent and determination on the global stage.

The former Vice President also noted that UDS’s achievement would serve as an inspiration for other Ghanaian universities to invest in sports and nurture young talents.

According to him, the victory highlights the potential of Ghanaian youth to excel not only in academics but also in global sporting competitions.

UDS’s triumph marks Ghana’s first-ever win at the World University Football Championship, positioning the university and the country prominently in international university sports.

The win has been widely celebrated across social media, with many Ghanaians and Africans commending the team for making history.

Source: Ernest K. Arhinful 

The solemn ceremony was held at the Aggrey Road School Park in Tema Community 2, after which he was interred at the Prampram Cemetery.

The funeral drew management and staff of Multimedia Group Limited, prominent figures from the creative arts industry, and sympathizers from different walks of life.

DJ Awana, aged 47, passed away on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the 37 Military Hospital after a short illness.

He began his distinguished media career more than two decades ago with Adom FM, when the station was based in Tema, and quickly rose to prominence.

Known for his gentle demeanor, soft-spoken nature, and exceptional song selection, DJ Awana became a cherished figure in Ghana’s media and live event industries.

He is survived by three children: Beatrice Nartey, El-Nathan Duodu Nartey, and Nelson Nartey.

This video is a tribute to DJ Awana, a beloved Ghanaian radio personality remembered for his humility, passion, and dedication to music. He hosted memorable Saturday morning gospel sessions on Adom FM.

Despite health challenges, he remained committed to his craft and supportive of colleagues. His legacy has left a deep impact on Ghanaian radio and the Multimedia Group.

The video below tells the life story of the late Samuel Teye Mensah Nartey, affectionately known as DJ Awana.

He was the third of four siblings. His father, a well-known taxi driver in the municipality, was popularly called “By Collect,” while his mother was a successful early childhood development worker.

DJ Awana began his elementary education at a community school and later attended Good Shepherd Secondary Technical School from 1996 to 1999, where he excelled as a bright and diligent student.

After high school, he nurtured his passion for music by working part-time as a DJ with Solar Sound.

He later joined FM2 as a DJ, where his talent quickly gained recognition and his music reached many homes across Ghana. After a brief stint at Japon station, where he struggled to settle, he returned to Mid-Mix on Friday, where he continued his work until his passing.

This video is also a heartfelt tribute to a cherished father, expressing deep sorrow over his absence.

It reflects on his unwavering love, support, and wisdom, with memories of his smile, voice, and guidance still vividly alive.

The family pledges to live in a way that honors his legacy and keeps his spirit alive.

Source: Adomonline

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Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, September 27, 2025, Mr Aheto-Tsegah described protocol — the pressure on headmasters from parents to admit students outside the official placement system — as the “small elephant in the room” that continues to undermine the process.

“The protocol has actually been expanding, and that is what we have to deal with. If we want to be very fair and equitable, we need to kill that small elephant in the room called protocol,” he said.

He further argued that the CSSPS was fundamentally flawed from the outset, describing it as “dead on arrival.”

“We didn’t even know how to manage protocol in the system, even though we knew it was an ever-present issue. So we simply lived with it from the beginning without putting in proper measures to deal with it,” he noted.

Source: Adomonline

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Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, September 27, 2025, Mr Asare explained that while the government has adequate capacity to absorb all qualified students, competition arises because most parents and candidates target a small number of elite schools.

“The problems are not entirely new apart from one which is new, a problem that was resolved in the past, I don’t know how it resurfaced this year. But generally, the issues relating to parents’ resentment toward schools that the computer placed them are normal, and they will continue as long as we have inadequate resources as a lower-middle-income country,” he said.

According to him, all 590,000 students who qualified for Senior High School placement this year can be admitted, but the real difficulty lies in parental preferences.

“The government of Ghana has adequate spaces to accommodate all 590,000 candidates who have qualified for placement. What the government does not have is the taste of all the 590,000 students. So there will definitely be some imbalance between the expectations of candidates and parents on one hand, and government’s ability to provide education to their taste on the other,” he noted.

He added that, despite Ghana having more than 700 Senior High Schools, the majority of parents and candidates compete for placement in fewer than 100 Category A and B schools, which creates unnecessary pressure.

“Everybody wants to attend a good Category A or B school. You have over 700 Senior High Schools, but people are chasing about 100 schools. So these issues will continue to emerge so far as there are resource deficits,” he emphasised.

Mr Asare concluded that unless the infrastructure gap is bridged, placement-related tensions will remain a recurring feature of Ghana’s education system.

Source: Adomonline

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Galamsey contamination: Scientist explains dangers of heavy metals in our food

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Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 27, Mr Mensah said his research has confirmed dangerous levels of metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in areas affected by illegal mining.

These, he warned, are entering crops, water sources, and even medicinal plants, posing serious health risks.

According to him, while some metals like copper, zinc, iron, and manganese are essential in small amounts, others, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury, are not needed by humans or plants.

“Even a minute fraction of these non-essential metals becomes concerning,” he said.

Citing a study he carried out in Amansie West in the Ashanti Region, he revealed shocking findings.

“The total element content of metals in the soils there was about 1.73 times higher than the world average. Cadmium alone was 180 times higher, mercury was 1.74 times higher, and lead was 1.16 times higher,” Mr Mensah stated.

Mr Mensah further demonstrated how food crops absorb these metals. In one experiment using contaminated soil to grow lettuce, he found that “The mercury in the lettuce was more than 3,600 times higher than the reference limit. Lead was more than 83 times higher, and chromium over 27 times higher.”

He also discovered similar dangers in medicinal plants such as achampre (used widely for herbal treatments).

“Arsenic concentration in the shoots was about 1,200 milligrams per kilogram, while copper accumulation in the same plant was 750 milligrams per kilogram. These are very high,” he warned.

The scientist explained that rice, a staple food in Ghana, is especially vulnerable. “You may be eating rice, but unfortunately, you may be eating arsenic as well. Because rice is grown in waterlogged fields, it easily takes up arsenic,” he said.

He added that children and pregnant women are most at risk.

“Lead in young children, adults and pregnant women can lodge in the blood, brain, liver, and kidney, leading to serious consequences such as neurological disorders, deformities in unborn babies, kidney damage, and cognitive malfunctions,” he cautioned.

“We have to be very serious about this. If we continue like this, we risk chronic diseases, deformities in babies, and generations growing up with neurological problems. Galamsey is not just destroying land and rivers; it is poisoning the food we eat and the water we drink.”

Source: Myjoyonline

This year’s edition promises to be one of the most inspiring yet, celebrating individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to national development and community transformation.

Over 400 nominees have been unveiled, including well-known personalities such as Ameyaw Debrah, ZionFelix, Killer Ntua, Kyekyeku, and many others.

The wide range of nominees reflects the fact that changemaking is not limited to a single sector but represents a collective force for progress.

Winners will be determined through a combination of public voting and assessments by a research committee. Public voting has already commenced, with FastVote serving as the official voting partner. Supporters can cast their votes via USSD 92032# or by visiting www.fastvotegh.com.

The full list of nominees can be accessed here: FastVote Nominees.

According to the organizers, the awards are not just about recognition but about amplifying voices that often go unheard.
“The Ghana Change Makers Awards is a movement of hope, resilience, and transformation. Our nominees embody the values of leadership and service, and we are proud to celebrate them as true agents of change,” they stated.

The date and venue for the 2025 edition will be announced in the coming days, heightening anticipation for a night dedicated to honoring and inspiring changemakers.

The Ghana Change Makers Awards, organized by Apex Africa Concept—the team behind the Ghana Youth Excellence Awards and the Ghana Medical & Health Awards—has established itself as one of the country’s most respected award schemes, celebrating innovation, resilience, and leadership.

As preparations build toward the grand celebration, one thing is certain: Ghana’s future is being shaped by bold, visionary individuals and organizations who continue to make a lasting difference.

Source: Adomonline

]]> https://www.adomonline.com/see-what-happened-when-kumawood-actor-sumsum-met-sharaf-mahama/ Sat, 27 Sep 2025 17:54:33 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2583150 Popular Kumawood actor Yaw Adu, widely known as Sumsum Ahuofe, had a lively encounter with Sharaf Mahama, son of President John Dramani Mahama, during the maiden edition of the Ashanti Festival.

In a TikTok video, the comic actor was visibly excited as he met Sharaf during a trophy presentation ceremony following a football match at a community park on the opening day of AshantiFest, Saturday, April 12, 2025.

In the footage, Sumsum warmly referred to Sharaf as his “brother” and described him as a “future president,” drawing hearty laughter from Sharaf as the two shook hands and shared a cheerful exchange.

The actor was joined by several of his Kumawood colleagues, including Michael Afranie, Papa Kumasi, Asare Bediako, Shifo, Dr Likee, Wayoosi, 39/40, as well as blogger Papa J of Poleeno Multimedia and content creator Gunshot.

They participated in a friendly football match between Kumawood stars and leading media personalities from the Ashanti Region.

The Ashanti Festival, spearheaded by Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene, aims to revive the region’s once vibrant entertainment industry while showcasing and celebrating the rich culture and heritage of the Ashanti people.

Launched on Saturday, April 12, 2025, the festival will run until Saturday, April 26, 2025, featuring activities such as a Jama festival, food fair, free health screening, blood donation exercise, the Ashanti Konnect concert, a movie night honouring late Kumawood legends, a fundraising drive with the Heal Komfo Anokye team, and a thanksgiving service marking 26 years of the reign of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Watch the video of Sumsum Ahuofe meeting Sharaf Mahama in Kumasi below:

@sarpcessghdotcom #fypシ゚viral #ghanatiktok #fyp #sarpcessghdotcom #ghanatiktokers🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭 #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #tiktokghana #fypviraltiktok🖤シ゚☆♡ #fypシ ♬ original sound – sarpcessghdotcom

Source: Adomonline

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Fishermen dipped their calabashes into it like mugs at a street-side cocoa beverage seller, while children asked if it came with sugar. Even the catfish swam about in confusion, wondering who had turned their home into a breakfast beverage gone wrong.

On the farms, the story is no less absurd. Cassava now sprouts with a side of mercury, kontomire leaves come seasoned with arsenic, and tomatoes carry the faint crunch of cadmium. The EPA, usually as quiet as a church mouse in harmattan, has broken into a funeral hymn: Ghana’s farm produce in mining zones is laced with heavy metals, fish in major rivers are unsafe for human consumption, and soils once rich with cocoa promise are poisoned beyond redemption. We are no longer eating food; we are nibbling away at slow-motion suicide.

Yet when Oliver Barker-Vormawor led the #StopGalamseyNow vigil in Accra, his cry was not about technical reports or laboratory data. He shouted, “Nine months is enough to give birth!” Nine months, indeed. Goats manage it on schedule, but our government midwives still sit in the labour ward arguing whether the contractions are genuine or just indigestion after too much fufu.
Citizens marched with placards, rivers groaned in silence, and the midwives leafed through their grammar books for another round of “robust frameworks” and “renewed onslaughts.”

The demand for a state of emergency keeps echoing like a church bell, but government insists it is “a last resort.” Last resort to what? Too much clean water? Too many healthy farms? Perhaps they fear the excess of responsibility.

Meanwhile, reclaimed lands are seized back by miners like shirts snatched from the drying line, and every announcement of reclamation sounds less like victory and more like rehearsal for the next invasion.

Both parties take turns blaming each other. NDC insists NPP is the godfather of the pits; NPP insists NDC’s promises were emptier than a broken calabash. And in the middle, the rivers laugh bitterly: “It matters little which colour your T-shirt is when you’re drinking poison from the same pot.” Even the Concerned Drivers Association calls out the hypocrisy, warning that politicians treat galamsey like trotro fares—changing their tune depending on who is at the wheel.

And through it all, the EPA’s data hangs like a dark cloud: poisoned fish, toxic cocoa, contaminated vegetables. The very things that sustain us have turned executioners. We are dining at our own funeral banquet, with a menu written in mercury and arsenic.

The rivers have given their verdict. They no longer flow as gifts of life but as grim reminders of neglect. The forests stand stripped, the farms yield poison, and the people trade health for gold dust. In the Republic of Uncommon Sense, we have perfected the art of eating death with a smile.

As the elders say, “He who sells the forest will soon drink poison in the shade.”

But in the Republic of Uncommon Sense, satire is not only for laughter; it must also proffer solutions. So here are the Republic’s prescriptions for the galamsey plague:

1. Declare a State of Emergency, but make it real. Not the PowerPoint type. Deploy boots to rivers, not just suits to conferences.
2. Measure success in rivers turned clear, not press statements. Until the Ankobra runs blue again, don’t tell us about “robust frameworks.”
3. Put every political promise on probation. If cocoa still tastes like mercury after your tenure, your pension should be paid in poisoned tilapia.
4. Reclaim and guard, not reclaim and forget. Lands taken back must be monitored with the same zeal used in monitoring election collation centers.
5. Offer livelihoods that beat galamsey. Give the youth decent work, so they don’t have to choose between dying of poverty and dying of mercury.

So yes, the Republic has solutions. Whether they are taken up or tossed into the nearest polluted river is another story.

As the elders say: “The one who refuses advice will bathe in poisoned water.”

Gong. Curtain.

Jimmy Aglah
Republicofuncommonsense.com

The initiative, currently at the feasibility study stage, is aimed at making Akosombo more viable in the face of a global transition from hydro to thermal and renewable energy generation.

Briefing Parliament’s Energy Committee during a monitoring visit to the facility on Saturday, September 27, in Akosombo, VRA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Ing. Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, explained that the project would enable the dam to store renewable energy for later use.

“As we are transitioning to renewables and renewables are interruptible power, when you run them during the daytime, in the evenings, they are off. So, what we want to do is use Akosombo as a battery because, when you use a normal battery for a renewable, the cost goes very, very high.

“So during the daytime when the solar is running, we’ll preserve the water in our Akosombo, and in the evening we’ll bring our Akosombo on board so that it acts as a battery and saves the country,” he said.

Ing. Obeng-Kenzo added that “when we’re able to do that once, we can do it for the whole West Africa because we have a huge water resource and at least, we always have a maximum amount of water to support generation, and to also regularise the price, as I said last time. So it’s a study we are carrying out.”

Dam Integrity and Lifespan Extended

Ing. Obeng-Kenzo assured the committee that Ghana’s key hydro facilities are in good condition. He revealed that the Akosombo and Akuse dams have undergone retrofitting and rigorous international assessments to ensure their long-term viability.

“We carry out five-year dam assessments with experts from across the world. They last visited three years ago and will return in two years. Based on their recommendations, we’ve extended Akosombo’s lifespan by almost 40 years and Akuse by 30 years,” he disclosed.

Energy Committee’s Monitoring Tour

The Energy Committee, led by Chairman Hon. Emmanuel Bedzrah, is on a three-day nationwide tour of critical power sector agencies, including GRIDCo, PURC, ECG, the Energy Commission, and VRA.

According to Hon. Bedzrah, the visit aims to “assess the state of Ghana’s power sector and make critical recommendations to Parliament on legislation and policies to strengthen the sector.”

The tour will conclude with inspections of the Akosombo, Akuse, and Bui dams.

Source: Myjoyonline

It follows an intelligence-led raid on a residential apartment on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, where officers seized recruitment materials, travel documents, and job offer letters.

One suspect, accused of coordinating the victims’ travel to Russia in September and October, has been arrested.

He was taken to court, which allowed him to be detained for 10 days while the police complete their investigations.

There have been growing concerns over the rising number of Kenyans being trafficked abroad under false job promises.

A young Kenyan athlete was recently captured in Ukraine, saying he was tricked into joining the Russian army.

Authorities said Wednesday’s arrest followed a coordinated multi-agency security operation targeting the criminal network, which has been extorting huge sums from desperate Kenyan job seekers.

A total of 22 Kenyans were found in an apartment in Athi River area, “awaiting processing to Russia”.

Police said the “mysterious trafficking syndicate” was luring Kenyans with job offers in Moscow, only to send them to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine.

Detectives said the victims revealed they had signed contracts with an unnamed overseas employment agency, committing to pay up to $18,000 (£13,000) for visas, travel, accommodation, and other logistics.

Some of the victims also indicated that they had already paid deposits of $1,500.

Once recruited, police said many return home injured, traumatised, or in some cases, never make it back.

Two Kenyans are reported to have recently returned, with one currently admitted to a city hospital.

A senior foreign ministry official recently said the Kenyan government was following up reports of several Kenyan nationals who had allegedly been trafficked to Russia and were now being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.

Citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka , among others, are currently held in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps, Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine’s spokesperson on the treatment of prisoners of war, recently told the BBC.

However, speaking about other prisoners-of-war, he added that “most African states show little interest in the return of such citizens and do not wish to take them back”

Source: BBC

Speaking on Prime Insight on Joy Prime on Saturday, September 27, Mr Mohammed said: “There is no way in our laws that says that if I insult you, I can be arrested by the police, handcuffed, and sent to court. It is not in our statutes like that.”

He insisted that while he does not support insults in politics, free speech must not be criminalised. “I am against insults in any form or shape to anyone, not even a public officer. And I have never done that in my political life. But decriminalisation of free speech is important, and our constitution is clear on that,” he stressed.

Mr Mohammed compared recent arrests to practices from the 1990s when journalists were jailed for their writings. “The high-handedness with which the police are treating some people within the NPP fraternity belongs to the ’90s. The last time I saw that was in 1998 when Malik Kwaku Baako and Alhaji Haruna Atta were jailed for 30 days. That was why President Kufuor, after he won the endorsement, repealed the criminal libel law,” he recalled.

Citing recent cases, he described the arrest of Central Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe Abronye as harassment. “Abronye’s crime is that he spoke against the IGP. Shamelessly, look at what the judge said that we are not equal before the law. A judge who was due for retirement even attacked the constitution, using dictators as justification to incarcerate Abronye just for free speech,” he said.

He added that the charge sheet itself showed that Mr Abronye was targeted for his words. “The charge sheet said he made some incendiary comments against the IGP. Why was he arrested? Because he said the IGP is the dumbest he has ever seen. There is nothing in the law that criminalises this,” he said.

Mr Mohammed also pointed to the arrests of social media personalities Yayra and Fantic Comedy, claiming they were unfairly humiliated.

“They used their platform for people to make comments. The police arrested them, put them in handcuffs, took videos, and gave them to NDC communicators before publishing them on their Facebook page,” he alleged.

He further accused the police of selective justice, contrasting the treatment of NPP members with that of NDC figures.

“Over 200 police officers were deployed to guard Abronye in court for a misdemeanour charge. Yet when we called for the arrest of Chief Azoka after he threatened to cause a by-election, the police issued a press statement without publishing his face. NPP communicators are humiliated publicly, NDC people are shielded,” he claimed.

Mr Mohammed said that the police must apply the law fairly to win public confidence. “If you want to engender trust, publish the faces of convicted people, just as you do with NPP members. Otherwise, it looks like selective justice,” he said.

Source: Myjoyonline

The respected cleric and author of “Investment In Islam and Spending In Allah’s Way” gave the advice on Friday when he led the dedication of a newly constructed mosque and resource centre at Abeka, Accra.

The imposing edifice, located behind the Abeka Market, was built by the Kuwaiti humanitarian organisation, DirectAid, at a cost of GH¢3 million.

Sheikh Umar, who was the guest of honour, cut the ribbon to open the mosque alongside Mr Sami Henedak Ahmed, Country Director of DirectAid, in the presence of a large gathering of worshippers, elders, and youth.

In his address, the cleric counselled Muslims to invest in their faith and in their wellbeing, stressing that irresponsible marriages and unchecked childbirth were contributing to rising crime and insecurity across West Africa.

“We Muslims must wake up. Don’t marry by heart and give birth by heart”, he said, urging Muslims to marry one and give birth to at most three children so they can take care of them.

According to Sheikh Umar, the Qur’an says you can marry two, three, or four, but only if you are capable, explaining that if not, marry one instead of bringing forth children one cannot look after, for when they grow up with no knowledge, no skills, and no schooling, they become criminals.

He said what we are seeing in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in the name of Islam is not Islam – they are criminals with no faith.

DirectAid’s support

According to Mr Ali Abdul Salam Ali, a director of DirectAid, the one-storey project took nearly two years to complete and will serve as both a house of prayer and a resource centre for the Abeka Zongo community.

The chairman of the building committee, Mr Dawuda Zakaria, described the mosque as a “fortress against poverty, addiction, ignorance and division.”

He emphasised that it would also serve as a hub for learning, healing, and community renewal.

“This mosque is more than a place of prayer. It is a centre for rebuilding the moral fabric of our society,” he said.

“To the youth of our community – you are the heartbeat of this project. You did not wait for change; you became the change.”

Mr Zakaria also reminded congregants of the Prophet Muhammad’s teaching that “cleanliness is half of faith,” urging worshippers to keep their homes, streets and hearts clean as part of their devotion.

He, on behalf of the community, expressed gratitude to DirectAid for its generosity, and also thanked community leaders for their wisdom and support, while praising the youth whose labour and prayers he said contributed to the completion of the project.

Source: Myjoyonline

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Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 27, Prof. Sampene warned that galamsey is poisoning unborn babies and putting mothers’ lives at risk.

“I have about 500 cases where women go to the hospital and abort their babies because of the concentration of these heavy metals in their placenta,” he disclosed.

According to him, his study involved the examination of more than 4,000 placentas from across Ghana, with results showing alarming levels of heavy metal contamination on both the maternal and foetal sides.

“The placentas are all contaminated, polluted with heavy metals,” he stressed.

Rising Cases of Kidney Disease and Birth Defects

Prof. Sampene cautioned that the effects of galamsey go beyond pregnancy complications, pointing to a surge in kidney-related diseases and birth deformities.

“Do we have what it takes to even solve the kidney diseases that are coming out now? Dialysis is very expensive, and nobody gets it for free. Children are also being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. These are the realities we have to face,” he stated.

He added that doctors in mining areas have confided in him about an increase in birth deformities, though many are reluctant to speak publicly.

“Ever since I drew attention to this, doctors in mining areas tell me they are recording a lot of deformities in babies. Most of them fear coming out, but it is happening,” he revealed.

Galamsey’s Wider Public Health Threat

Prof. Sampene, who has been studying the effects of galamsey since 2019, expressed frustration over the lack of urgency from leaders, accusing politicians of politicising a matter that should be treated as a national emergency.

“Sometimes I feel very sad indeed when politicians come to sit on air and try to tell us who did what and who is doing what. It saddens my heart. Galamsey is really killing us,” he lamented.

He also highlighted other dangers, citing KATH data showing that between 2019 and 2021, drowning accounted for 40% of unnatural deaths in the Ashanti Region, with 25% of these linked to abandoned galamsey pits.

Polluted Water and Long-Term Risks

The pathologist further warned about the dangers of using alum (aluminium hydroxide) to treat water polluted by galamsey activities.

“It is going to cause kidney problems, mutations in the respiratory tract, and Alzheimer’s disease. These are proven health risks,” he explained.

Call for a United National Response

Prof. Sampene urged Ghana’s two main political parties to rise above partisanship and confront the crisis collectively.

“I would have wished that the two main political parties, NDC and NPP, come together and say enough is enough. Otherwise, if care is not taken, we will soon see people walking but with very high cognitive impairment. Mercury inhalation alone can damage the brain. We are seriously in trouble,” he warned.

His findings underscore the devastating public health impact of illegal mining and the urgent need for decisive, unified action to safeguard the lives of present and future generations.

Source: Myjoyonline

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The Ghana Education Service (GES) has set up Placement Resolution Centres in all District and Regional Education Offices to assist students, parents, and guardians facing challenges with Senior High School (SHS) placements.

Mr. Gyetuah, however, noted that the national centre continues to overshadow these local offices, creating unnecessary congestion whenever placements are released. His remarks come in the wake of chaotic scenes at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, where hundreds of parents and students gathered to resolve placement difficulties.

Speaking on Channel One TV, on Saturday, September 27, he argued that regional and district officers have the expertise to resolve most placement concerns but remain under-resourced.

“We should collapse the national centre because the GES offices already exist. The problem is not beyond the capacity of regional and district offices; the challenge is that resources have not been fairly distributed to empower them to function effectively,” he said.

He further explained that local officers often have a deeper understanding of the situation than their national counterparts.

“When you go to the national centres — I’ve been there — those working there don’t have superior knowledge compared to district officers. In terms of experience and familiarity with the terrain, district education officers know the issues better because they live and work among the communities,” Mr. Gyetuah emphasized.

Source: Adomonline

The State Department described Petro’s remarks at a pro-Palestinian street protest on Friday as “reckless and incendiary”.

The Colombian leader was in the US for the UN General Assembly, where earlier this week he called for a criminal inquiry into the Trump administration’s airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.

He was already on his way back to Bogota when the US announced it would cancel his visa, Colombian media reports.

Petro shared a video on social media of him addressing a large crowd through a megaphone in Spanish on Friday.

He called for the formation of a “world salvation army, whose first task is to liberate Palestine”.

“That is why, from here in New York, I ask all soldiers in the United States Army not to point their rifles at humanity,” he said. “Disobey Trump’s order! Obey the order of humanity!”

Petro added: “As happened in the First World War, I want the young people, sons and daughters of workers and farmers, of both Israel and the United States, to point their rifles not toward humanity, but toward the tyrants and toward the fascists.”

The US State Department strongly criticised the remarks, saying he had “urged US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence”.

It wrote on social media that the revocation of his visa was “due to his reckless and incendiary actions”.

Colombia’s Interior Minister, Armando Benedetti, wrote on X on Friday night that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visa should have been annulled, rather than Petro’s.

“But since the empire protects him, it’s taking it out on the only president who was capable enough to tell him the truth to his face,” he said.

Relations between Petro, who leads Colombia’s first-ever left-wing government, and the Trump administration have worsened in recent months.

The Colombian leader used his speech at the UN to launch an excoriating rebuke of US strikes on boats suspected of being used to transport drugs, arguing they were not about controlling the drug trade but serving a need to use “violence to dominate Colombia and Latin America”.

He said some of those killed by the strikes may have been from Colombia, which is the world’s biggest cocaine producer, and claimed US officials were allied to drug gangs while his government was persuading farmers not to grow coca.

Petro likened the air strikes to an “act of tyranny” in an interview with the BBC.

Washington contends the actions are part of a US anti-drug operation off the coast of Venezuela, whose president it accuses of running a cartel.

The US also denied visas for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and 80 Palestinian officials, blocking them from attending the UN General Assembly, despite world leaders conventionally being permitted to attend the body’s headquarters regardless of their relations with the US.

Source: BBC

In a social media post on Saturday, September 27, the Assin South MP criticised President Mahama for what he described as an insensitive endorsement of illegal gold mining.

He referenced remarks by the President during a press briefing, where Mr Mahama reportedly stated: “gold, whether from illegal or legal sources, at least since it is our environment that is being destroyed, we must enjoy the benefits rather than foreigners enjoying it.”

Rev. Ntim Fordjour argued that under Mr Mahama’s leadership, rivers such as the Ankobra and others treated by the Ghana Water Company have worsened.

He accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of scrambling for forests and rivers to exploit for profit, despite previously promising to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining while in opposition.

The Assin South legislator further challenged President Mahama to honour his own pledge by immediately declaring a state of emergency on illegal mining.

He urged the government to publish daily turbidity levels of all rivers, ban the importation of water, and take decisive action against the menace in line with promises made by members of Mr Mahama’s cabinet.

“It is unconscionable to destroy our river bodies and forests just to make money for your government and party apparatchiks,” he warned, stressing that prioritising gold over livelihoods and the environment would have devastating consequences for ordinary Ghanaians.

ALSO: Myjoyonline

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According to the Bretton Woods institution, with comprehensive reforms that enhance productivity, improve the quality of infrastructure services, and elevate human capital and workforce skills, sustained growth could reach 6.5%.

Ghana’s per capita income currently hovers around US$2,353, whilst growth averages 4.0% since the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the World Bank wants Ghana to transform its economic growth model from one based on factor accumulation and natural resource depletion to one driven by productivity and human capital.

On macroeconomic stability, it urged enhanced domestic revenue mobilisation, improving expenditure management, and addressing State Owned Enterprises liabilities, describing them as essentials to create a virtuous cycle of growth and macro stability.

To maintain fiscal consolidation, the report called for fiscal rules, the maintenance of International Monetary Fund targets, avoiding large forex interventions, and avoiding an early return to the Eurobond market.

Regrading jobs and productivity for Ghana’s youth, it proposed fostering robust and broad-based economic growth, which it describes as crucial not only for generating jobs and boosting productivity but also for ensuring fiscal resilience and debt sustainability.

The focal areas are better business climate, access to finance, trade facilitation and improved trade logistics (roads and port).

Source: Joy Business

Frimpong’s plea was not taken, as an investigation was still being conducted to ascertain whether he was an ex-police officer.

Inspector Henry Nartey Tetteh, prosecuting, said the complainants were police officers of the Zenu-Attadeka Motor Transport and traffic Directorate (MTTD) who arrested and sent to the accused person to the police station.

They reported that on September 17, 2025, at about 09:00 hours, while at their duty point at the Zenu Star Fuel Station, they stopped Frimpong fully dressed in a tactical black long-sleeved police uniform with a chief inspector’s rank badge.

The prosecution added that the officers, suspecting that he might not be a police officer engaged him briefly in a conversation, indicating that during the interaction, Frimpong suddenly jumped onto a motorbike and instructed the rider to speed off.

This, the prosecution noted, heightened their suspicion, and after a chase, he was arrested and sent to the police station.

The facts stated that upon interrogation it was established that Frimpong was a dismissed chief inspector who had relocated to Ashaiman and was still wearing a police uniform and holding himself out as a police officer.

The accused person was subsequently charged with the offence while the investigation continued.

Source: GNA

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Family, colleagues, and well-wishers have gathered at the Aggrey Road School Park in Tema Community 2 to pay their last respects.

He was laid in state from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., followed by a burial service at the same venue. Interment will take place at the Prampram Cemetery.

In a tribute read by the Multimedia Group Ltd., DJ Awana was remembered for making many gospel songs a hit.

Sax Borsah, also described him as a true gem of the industry, also performed a saxophone eulogy in his honour.

DJ Awana, aged 47, passed away on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the 37 Military Hospital after a short illness.

He began his media career over two decades ago with Adom FM in Tema, where he gained prominence for his soft-spoken nature, excellent song choices, and impact on Ghana’s media and live event space.

He is survived by three children: Beatrice Nartey, El-Nathan Duodu Nartey, and Nelson Nartey.

 

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Source: Adomonline

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The files turned over to the House Oversight Committee by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate appear to show that Musk had been invited to Epstein’s island in December 2014.

Separately a manifest for a flight from New Jersey to Florida in May 2000 names Prince Andrew among the passengers.

Musk and Prince Andrew have been approached for comment.

Prince Andrew has previously strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Musk has previously been quoted as saying that Epstein had invited him to the island but he had declined.

The partial records are from the third batch of documents produced by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say they include phone message logs, copies of flight logs and manifests for aircrafts, copies of financial ledgers and Epstein’s daily schedule.

In addition to Musk and Prince Andrew, the files released publicly also contain the names of other prominent figures including internet entrepreneur Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon, a former advisor to Donald Trump

One line in the records dated 6 December 2014 reads: “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”

A flight manifest records that Prince Andrew was on a flight with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell from Teterboro, New Jersey, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on 12 May 2000. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex.

One heavily redacted ledger records two references of payments for massages for an ‘Andrew’ in February and May 2000. While Palace records, photographs and press reports from the time indicate Prince Andrew had travelled to the US around the time of the dates recorded in the newly released document, it is not clear who the ‘Andrew’ referred to in the ledger is.

On 11 May 2000, Buckingham Palace said on its website that Prince Andrew had flown to New York to attend a reception in New York for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Andrew returned to the UK on 15 May, a later entry said.

In the files, there is also an entry referring to a planned lunch with Peter Thiel in November 2017.

There is also an entry referring to a planned breakfast with Steve Bannon 17 February 2019.

The files also mention tentative plans for a breakfast party with Microsoft founder Bill Gates in December 2014. In 2022 Gates told the BBC that meeting Jeffrey Epstein had been a “mistake”.

It is not suggested that those mentioned in the files were aware of the alleged criminal activity for which Epstein was later arrested.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In 2008, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

He was arrested again in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges.

Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for the Democrats on the committee, urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release more files related to Epstein.

“It should be clear to every American that Jeffrey Epstein was friends with some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world. Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims,” she said.

Republicans on the committee accused the Democrats of “putting politics over victims” and said they would release the full set of documents soon.

Source: BBC

He made the declaration at the closing ceremony of a week-long intensive training programme for personnel of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) in Sunyani.

The Minister commended the task force for their achievements since its establishment in June this year, including the arrest of more than 1,000 illegal miners, the repossession of nine previously restricted forest reserves, and the confiscation of over 900 water pumps, which have been handed to the Ministry of Agriculture for irrigation support.

“These are not mere statistics. They are victories; victories for our land, for our water, and for our people,” he said.

Mr Buah reminded the task force that the battle was far from over, describing the training as a convergence of purpose — sharpening skills, building cohesion, and harmonizing efforts among the Ghana Army, Police Service, Immigration Service, NIB, and NACOC officers.

Outlining the Ministry’s five-pronged strategy — strict enforcement, engagement and education, provision of alternative livelihoods, technological innovation, and institutional coordination — he explained that the training modules, covering weapons handling, field craft, IED awareness, and intelligence coordination, were designed to prepare personnel to counter evolving threats.

“You are the sharpened tip of the spear. Any recalcitrant entrant into these declared Security Zones is not merely a trespasser; they are an enemy of the state and are to be treated as such. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless against those who seek to profit from the destruction of our common heritage at our expense,” he charged.

He emphasized that NAIMOS personnel will be permanently deployed in forest reserves and along river bodies to ensure sustained protection.

He urged them to embody vigilance, integrity, and courage, assuring them that the President and Ghanaians are relying on them to secure the environment for future generations.

“We cannot fail, and we will not fail,” he stressed.

The Field Task Force training marks a pivotal moment in government’s anti-galamsey strategy, scaling up enforcement and driving reforms to ensure responsible and sustainable mining practices nationwide.

Source: Adomonline

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The development restores eligibility for Ghanaians to secure five-year multiple-entry visas, along with other enhanced consular privileges.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the news on his Facebook page on Friday, September 26, after receiving official confirmation from US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker.

The update was communicated during a bilateral meeting with Ghana’s delegation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Big win for Ghana!

The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana has been reversed.

Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges.

This good news was directly communicated to me by US Under Secretary of State for… pic.twitter.com/uYNQCcw5L9

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) September 26, 2025

“Big win for Ghana! The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana have been reversed. Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges. This good news was directly communicated to me by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, at a bilateral meeting earlier today, in the margins of the UN General Assembly,” Mr Ablakwa revealed.

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the maximum validity periods for all categories of nonimmigrant visas for Ghanaians have been restored to their previous lengths. The maximum validity allowed for the B1/B2 visitor visa is again five years, multiple entry. The maximum… pic.twitter.com/coIKMcjJwG

— U.S. Embassy Ghana (@USEmbassyGhana) September 27, 2025

He explained that the decision follows months of high-level diplomatic negotiations between Accra and Washington.

It will be recalled that in July 2025, the US government restricted Ghanaians to a maximum three-month single-entry visa, citing concerns about visa overstays, particularly among students.

The reversal has since been hailed as a positive sign of stronger Ghana–US relations going forward.

Source: Adomonline

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