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Mahama Breaks Ground For Airport Garden City

President John Dramani Mahama has cut sod for the Airport Garden City project in Accra, a major mixed-use development expected to create more than 3,000 jobs for Ghanaians.

The project, being developed by the Sentuo Group, is described as ‘The Garden Above Accra’ – an integrated community combining residential apartments, a hotel and conference centre, healthcare facilities, shopping centres, gardens and recreational spaces.

The sod-cutting ceremony also marked the opening of the project’s sales office.

Speaking as keynote speaker, President Mahama commended Sentuo Group for its continued investment in Ghana, describing such investments as essential to national development.

He assured investors of government’s continued support for projects that create jobs, stimulate economic activity and contribute to growth.

The Executive Chairman of Sentuo Group, Xu Ningquan, said the project will provide employment for artisans, technicians, engineers, hospitality professionals and managers.

He said the majority of the jobs will go to Ghanaians, with apprenticeships and practical training programmes to equip young people with employable skills.

International specialists working on the project, he added, will be required to transfer knowledge and skills to their Ghanaian counterparts to ensure long-term local benefit.

The Minister for Works and Housing, Ahmed Ibrahim, used the occasion to advocate for vertical development as a solution to Ghana’s housing deficit, especially in Accra where pressure on land remains high.

He said building upwards will maximise limited land resources and expand housing opportunities, stressing that Ghana remains an attractive investment destination and that public-private partnerships are key to increasing housing stock.

Sentuo Group also pledged affordability, transparent pricing and clear contractual terms for buyers, including full disclosure on property rights, payment obligations, delivery timelines and post-handover services.

The development will also showcase Ghanaian creativity through its landscaping, art, interior design, food and hospitality.

Mr. Xu said the Group’s confidence in Ghana has grown through its investments in steel, ceramics and oil refining, noting that the success of Airport Garden City will be measured by the Ghanaian jobs created, local business contracts secured, skills developed and homes delivered.

Ghana, Columbus Sign Deal To Recruit Nurses

The Government has secured a new pathway for qualified Ghanaian nurses to obtain employment opportunities in the United States following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the City of Columbus, Ohio.

The agreement, signed by the Ministries of Health and Labour, Jobs and Employment, provides a framework for further arrangements on the ethical recruitment and deployment of Ghanaian health professionals, particularly nurses, to the US.

The deal follows months of technical discussions between the Ministries and their counterparts in the United States.

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said the agreement went beyond creating employment opportunities, stressing that any deployment arrangement must protect the rights, welfare and professional interests of Ghanaian health workers.

He said the initiative formed part of the Ministry’s efforts to secure credible and decent international employment opportunities for Ghanaian health professionals in line with Ghana’s Migration Policy and international standards.

According to Mr. Akandoh, the partnership built on the existing Sister-City relationship between Accra and Columbus, as well as the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.

He said the government would continue to pursue partnerships that created decent employment opportunities for Ghanaian health professionals abroad while ensuring that the recruitment process met international best practices and global standards.

The Minister assured prospective beneficiaries that the government would prioritise their welfare and professional rights under any recruitment and deployment arrangements.

Prosecution, defense anticipating ex-SC justices’ take on threshold issue

Both sides in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial are anticipating how the retired Supreme Court (SC) justices will address the question of whether there is a need to lower the threshold needed for conviction, as it may be crucial to decide the fate of the country’s second-highest official.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, after the 25th day of Duterte’s trial, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said it would be good to hear the side of several former SC chief justices and an associate justice as to whether the Senate Impeachment Court should use a lower number to interpret the two-thirds vote needed to convict an impeached official.

The impeachment court has appointed retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno and Hilario Davide, Jr., as well as retired Associate Justice Rodolfo Azcuna, as friends of the court, based on their credentials and known expertise on constitutional issues.

‘Siyempre magandang malaman po natin, kasama po ng kabuuan po ng Senate Impeachment Court at ng publiko, ano ho ba ‘yong pagtingin nila dito sa usapin po ng threshold? Kasi ayan naman po ‘yong talagang major question for tomorrow, but kami naman po sa bahagi po ng prosecution, we will have our opportunity to lay our case as well next week,’ Ridon said.

(Of course it is good if we will know the number, along with the entire Senate Impeachment Court and the public, as to how they look at the issue of the threshold? Because that is the major question for tomorrow, but for us in the prosecution, we will have our opportunity to lay our case as well next week.)

‘So paghahandaan din po namin ‘yan, antabayan na lang po natin ‘yong formal na position kasi ‘yong defense at prosecution will have to submit their own official position on the matter,’ he added.

(So we will prepare for that; let us wait for the formal position because the defense and the prosecution will have to submit their own official position on the matter.)

Schools of thought

Prosecution spokesperson and impeachment advisor Robert Ace Barbers said that the former SC magistrates can give their insight on different schools of thought-like the insistence of some people that 16 votes are needed to convict Duterte, and the suggestion that this number should be lowered since several senator-judges have not been able to attend the trial.

‘Mahalaga na magkaroon tayo ng opinyon mula sa mga legal luminaries tungkol dito sa usapin ng threshold. Kasi marami ngang usap-usapan at mga haka-haka […] ang ibang schools of thought lumalabas, sinasabi tama ba na ang isang hukom ay mag-render ng decision kahit hindi niya nakita ang ebidensya, o hindi niya nadinig ang ebidensya, o hindi niya nakita ‘yong demeanor ng witness,’ he said.

(It’s important to hear the opinions of legal luminaries about the topic of threshold, because there have been many thoughts and suggestions […] different schools of thought come out, some ask whether it is proper for a judge to render a decision even if he or she failed to see and hear the evidence, and was not able to see the demeanor of the witness.)

‘So is this fair, can a judge or an ‘absentee judge’ for that matter […] render a fair and just decision against the respondent? So kaya itong mga tanong na ito ay mahalagang masagot at ang opinyon na manggagaling sa mga amicus curiae natin na mga legal luminaries, ay makakadagdag ng knowledge at na idea sa ating mga senator-judges,’ he added.

(So is this fair, can a judge or an ‘absentee judge’ for that matter […] render a fair and just decision against the respondent? So it is important that these questions be answered through the opinion coming from our amicus curiae, our legal luminaries, as this can provide additional knowledge and ideas to our senator-judges.)

Take advantage

Defense lawyer Michael Poa said that they may take advantage of the chance given by impeachment court Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero to ask questions of the amici curiae.

‘Tignan po natin, pinaghahandaan din namin dahil nga sabi nga ng ating Presiding Officer that we can ask questions through him, we will be listening intently at kung may pagkakataon na may gusto tayong mga bagay na malinawan, eh we will make use of that privilege extended to us by the Presiding Officer to ask questions through him,’ Poa said in a separate press briefing.

(Let us see, we have prepared for this also because as our Presiding Officer said, we can ask questions through him, we will be listening intently and if there is a chance that we want to clarify matters, we will make use of that privilege extended to us by the Presiding Officer to ask questions through him.)

‘Sa amin naman to be very fair to the impeachment court, very open naman sila to suggestions, medyo consultative naman talaga ‘yong nangyari, so we have no issues at all, at sino ba naman kami to question ‘no, dahil established naman po talaga ‘yong ating mga magiging amici curiae tomorrow,’ he added.

(For us, to be very fair to the impeachment court, they have been very open to suggestions; they have been consultative in their proceedings, so we have no issues at all; who are we to question the views when the members of our amici curiae are well-established.)

Under Article XI, Section 3(5), the Senate is given the ‘sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment.’

The same provision states that a person will only be convicted upon the ‘concurrence of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.’

Confusion

This phrase, however, has led to confusion from different sides. Some individuals supportive of the Vice President said that all members of the Senate refer even to senators who are beyond the coercive powers of the chamber, since their titles as Senators were not removed from them.

However-as Barbers said-some also question how judges can make a sound decision if they have not observed the proceedings and failed to study documents and witnesses’ testimonies.

The amici curiae is expected to help the court navigate these issues, with Senate officials assuring the public that the former SC justices will be fair.

As of now, four senators have missed a huge chunk of the trial: Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Rodante Marcoleta, and Ronald dela Rosa have not attended a single trial day, while Senator Loren Legarda left the country in early August.

Estrada and Marcoleta have been detained on separate plunder raps, while Dela Rosa who has evaded public eye amid an arrest order from the International Criminal Court.

Last June 15, lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said that the vote threshold for convicting Duterte in her impeachment trial should be reduced from 16 to 14 if more senators become unable to participate in the trial – as there are possible complaints against several members of the Senate.

Eventually, counsel for the prosecution Benjamin Tolosa said the goal of the prosecution team is to build a case with overwhelming evidence that can convict Duterte regardless of how the constitutional provision on the threshold is interpreted.

During a press briefing last June 22-on the sidelines of the pretrial proceedings-Tolosa was asked to elaborate on his earlier statement about the defense panel seeking an immediate discussion on the votes needed to convict Duterte.

Tolosa declined to give his opinion on whether there is a need to lower the number of votes needed to convict Duterte, but he said their intention is to ensure that there is a ‘compelling case’ that can sustain a conviction, whatever the number is.

Rhythms On Da Runway’s UNBOUND Edition Set For November 28

Fashion and music event, Rhythms On Da Runway (RODR) is set to return on November 28, 2026, with an edition focused on inclusion and unrestricted self-expression.

The 16th edition of the annual showcase will take place at the Palms Convention Centre on the theme ‘UNBOUND’, bringing together fashion, music and culture.

The organisers say this year’s theme is designed to challenge traditional ideas about who gets to be represented on the runway.

Rather than limiting fashion to particular body types, ages or abilities, RODR 2026 will feature models from diverse backgrounds, with different abilities, body shapes and personal experiences.

The organisers believe fashion should reflect everyone, insisting that people should be able to see themselves represented when they watch a fashion show.

The event will also place emphasis on the next generation of creatives, providing opportunities for young people to interact with established designers, gain practical experience and explore careers in fashion and the wider creative industry.

Discussions around adaptive fashion, accessibility, mentorship, talent development and employment are also expected to form part of the broader ‘UNBOUND’ initiative.

RODR organisers are also inviting sponsors, development organisations and donors to support initiatives aimed at disability inclusion, youth training, creative enterprise and accessible experiences.

The night will feature collections from leading designers, live musical performances and appearances by celebrity models from Ghana and the African diaspora.

The Black Star Awards will also return, honouring personalities whose leadership, development initiatives and creative contributions are helping shape Africa’s future and its Orange Economy.

Building permits issued up 21.1% in May according to CYSTAT

The number of building permits authorized during May 2026 stood at 735, registering an increase of 21.1% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, according to data published by the Statistical Service on Wednesday.

The total value of these permits reached pound 428.2 million and the total area 352.1 thousand square metres.

These building permits provide for the construction of 1,847 dwelling units: 232 single houses, 128 buildings with two housing units, 1,483 residential apartment blocks and 4 residential/commercial apartment blocks.

During the period January – May 2026, 3,650 building permits were issued compared to 2,764 in the corresponding period of the previous year, recording an increase of 32.1%.

The total value of these permits increased by 43.9% and the total area by 43.1%.

The number of dwelling units recorded an increase of 63.7%.

Cabinet appoints Presidential envoy on Cyprus issue for Asian and African countries

The Cabinet appointed on Wednesday Nicos Tornaritis, a former DISY parliamentary spokesperson as special political envoy of the President of the Republic for the Cyprus problem in Asian and African countries.

An official press release says that within the framework of his mission, Tornaritis will carry out, following instructions from the President and in coordination with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, targeted political contacts in Asian and African countries on issues related to the Cyprus Problem.

He will exercise his duties without salary, the press release reads, adding that the decision was based on his long political and parliamentary experience, his many years of involvement with the Cyprus problem and, in particular, on the extensive international presence and the network of institutional and political contacts that he has developed.

It is added that the former parliamentarian served for thirteen years as the head of the Cyprus House delegation to the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, where he was elected Vice-President.

He also served as head of the Cypriot delegation and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In a statement Tornaritis warmly thanked the President and the Cabinet, saying that he is assuming his duties with full understanding of responsibility and will work consistently and decisively to promote the positions of the Republic of Cyprus and strengthen international support in the struggle to end the occupation and reunify our homeland.

He notes that the Cyprus problem is a national and collective issue and that we all continue the effort for a just, sustainable and functional solution with consensus and credibility, based on the UNSC resolutions and the principles of international and European law.

Women’s Premier Super Cup Returns In September

The Women’s Premier Super Cup will return in 2026 as an off-season competition ahead of the new Women’s Premier League season.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed that the tournament will be held from September 23 to 29 at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence (GSCE) in Prampram.

The competition will feature the top four teams from both the Northern and Southern Zones of the Women’s Premier League, with eight clubs battling for the Super Cup title.

Dreamz Ladies are the reigning champions after making history in the 2024 edition as the first team from the Northern Zone to win the trophy.

They defeated Ampem Darkoa Ladies 2-1 in the final, with Sarah Nyarko and Stella Nyamekye scoring for Dreamz Ladies.

The 2026 edition is expected to provide the participating clubs with valuable competitive preparation ahead of the new league campaign, while giving players an opportunity to regain match fitness during the off-season.

Nairobi Beats London To Host 2029 World Athletics Championships

Nairobi has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, beating London to secure the rights to stage the event for the first time in Africa.

The decision was confirmed at a World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest, with President Sebastian Coe describing Nairobi’s bid as ‘compelling and emotional.’

‘With this decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide,’ Coe said.

‘Taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.’

London had proposed the London Stadium, home of West Ham United, as the main venue. The stadium hosted athletics during the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2017 World Championships, as well as the annual London Diamond League.

The UK bid was led by Athletic Ventures, a partnership between UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company.

UK Athletics CEO Jack Buckner expressed disappointment but congratulated Nairobi on its successful bid.

Nairobi had previously bid to host the 2025 World Championships but lost out to Tokyo. The city’s Kasarani Stadium is currently being renovated ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, strengthening Kenya’s case to host the global athletics event.

Nairobi’s selection means the World Championships will be staged in Africa for the first time.

World Athletics also confirmed Munich as the host city for the 2031 championships, with Rome missing out alongside London.

Kenya finished second on the medal table at the 2025 World Championships, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.

JAMAICA-ECONOMY-Government pleased with pace of economic recoery following Hurricane Melissa

Nearly a year after the Category 5 hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica resulting in 45 deaths and an estimated US$12.2 billion in total losses, the government is saying that the country’s economy is improving significantly.

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Fayval Williams, Wednesday told a news conference that based on what was projected right after the aftermath of Melissa relative to what’s happening now, ‘the recovery is on the way.

She told reporters 22 years ago, a storm like Melissa meant Jamaica would have had to enter into a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there would have been a run on the local currency and ‘a decade of austerity paid for by the people who had just lost their roofs. ‘This year, it means a deficit that’s J$2.5 billion (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) wider than planned. That is what the discipline of the last decade or more brought, is the ability to weather a storm. Yes, I’m going to say not everyone is back to where they were just yet, in terms of where they were before Melissa’

But she acknowledged that the numbers made public by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and the Independent Fiscal Commission (IFC) point to an economy improving at a steady rate.

‘We in government at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, we continue to ensure that we exercise that discipline that has worked so many times for us. And we will continue to manage the resources of the Jamaican people and to ensure that in their households, (18:12) that they begin to feel a recovery as well,’ Williams told the news conference.

She said following the passage of the storm per cent, Jamaica was recording quarterly periods that were becoming less negative, adding ‘that is a good sign.

‘And no, this is not a picture of a recession. The Planning Institute of Jamaica already debunked that motion. The shrinking year-on-year numbers are themselves proof that the economy is recovering.

‘An economy in decline produces deepening figures, not improving ones. So let me just hasten to add that the negative 2.9 per cent is not yet settled by STATIN, whose final number will be in around by the end of September 2026.

‘But the number I want you to take away is this one. In November of last year, right after the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, the Planning Institute of Jamaica expected that Jamaica would not get back to its pre-Melissa level of output until the last quarter of 2028, three years down the road’.

But Williams told reporters that the PIOJ now expects ‘that we will begin to see growth in the second quarter of 2027, six quarters earlier, a year and a half earlier’.

She said that the PIOJ has been able to revise their forecast because the outturn keeps getting better and that for this financial year 2025-26, which ended March 31, 2026, the three headline measures, all came in better than projected.

‘The fiscal deficit we projected right after Melissa, we projected that it would be a negative 3.8 per cent of GDP. It came in at negative 2.5 per cent, better by 1.3 percentage point. The primary surplus, which was projected to be 1.3 per cent, it came in at 2.3 per cent, a full percentage point better for fiscal year 2025-26, and the public debt, we had projected in the aftermath of Melissa that our debt to GDP would rise to 68.9 per cent, it came in at 65.6 per cent, 3.3 percentage points lower.’

Williams said that the numbers are not a one-off because they are based on improved numbers.

‘The economy itself is bigger than we assumed, and that is a kind of improvement that will persist. Just so you know, these figures were scrutinised by the Independent Fiscal Commission, an entity with the legislative right to scrutinise the figures and put out their own assessment to the Jamaican people’

Williams said that the three major international rating agencies, -Fitch, Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s – have all looked through the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, and have held positive ratings for Jamaica.

Williams acknowledge that while the national figures are encouraging, residents in the west of the cuntry who bore the brunt of the hurricane are not fully experiencing them.

‘I want to assure them that this government continues to work night and day to restore the West, to restore roads, water, housing, all the services, employment, schools, and so on,’ she said.

The Finance and Public Service Minister was also thankful to the Jamaican diaspora fr their financial contribution last year, emittances totalling US$296 million, the largest single month of remittances had been received according to the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) records.

‘In the three months after the storm, Jamaicans abroad sent home US$93 million more than they sent in the same three months a year earlier.

‘So, I want to tie this back to the parishes, the five parishes that got hardest hit by Melissa. Remittances held or grew in every single one,’ she said, adding that ‘Jamaicans abroad saw what happened at home, and they sent more.

‘And so…I want to say to the diaspora who sent something home, and to the families who received it and made it stretch, thank you.You are part of this recovery, and the numbers prove it,’ Williams said

’Over 53,000 Teenage Pregnancies Recorded In 7 Months’

More than 53,000 teenage pregnancies have been recorded in health facilities across Ghana in the first seven months of this year, averaging about 7,300 cases every month.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says out of the figure, 1,501 cases involved girls aged 10 to 14, raising serious child protection concerns.

The Programmes Head for Adolescent Health and Development Programme of the GHS, Sherifa Mohammed, disclosed this at a National Multisectoral Dialogue on the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy held in Accra.

The dialogue was organised by MSI Reproductive Choices Ghana (MSIG) with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) under the theme, ‘Strengthening Multisectoral Action and Accountability to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy and Protect Adolescent Futures in Ghana.’

According to Ms. Mohammed, adolescent pregnancy remains one of Ghana’s most pressing public health and development challenges, with over 100,000 cases recorded annually. The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey shows that 15.2 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 have ever been pregnant.

She said data shows older teenagers aged 18 to 19 carry a higher burden at 28.2 percent compared to 8.1 percent among girls aged 15 to 17, while education remains a key protective factor.

Girls with no formal education recorded a 34.3 percent pregnancy rate compared to 12.3 percent for those with secondary education or higher, she added.

Regional Disparities

On regional disparities, Savannah Region recorded the highest prevalence at 25.9 percent, followed by Ashanti at 23.9 percent, North East at 23.5 percent and Bono East at 22.3 percent.

Greater Accra recorded the lowest at 6.0 percent, but Ms. Mohammed cautioned that due to its large population, the low percentage could translate into a higher absolute number of cases.

‘People should not be misled into thinking Greater Accra is completely safe simply because it recorded the lowest percentage; due to its much larger population baseline, Greater Accra’s 6.0 percent rate can actually represent a larger absolute number of pregnant girls than Savannah’s higher percentage,’ she said.

At the district level, Bole District in the Savannah Region recorded 230 births per 1,000 among 18 to 19-year-olds. In the Upper East Region, over 2,400 teenage pregnancies were recorded in five months, with Bongo District alone accounting for 522 cases.

She noted that while Ghana’s national average of 58.2 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 compares favourably to Nigeria at 86.4, Cote d’Ivoire at 92.1 and Sub-Saharan Africa average of 104.0, some hotspot districts far exceed regional figures, showing that a uniform national approach is insufficient.

Ms. Mohammed said the GHS runs the ‘Adolescent Girls Programme and Safety Net Programme’ which provides clinical care, education, counselling and support, but there is a mismatch between high-prevalence areas and programme reach.

While Northern Region leads with 15,131 registered girls, Savannah, with the highest pregnancy rate, accounts for only 4.7 percent of registrations with 2,506 girls.

Programmes Director of MSIG, Clara Nyarkoah Anim, said teenage pregnancy is not just a health issue but connected to education, access to information, gender and social norms as well as community support, stressing that the challenge lies in coordinated implementation of existing policies.

‘Ghana already has policies, strategies, and programmes in place to address many of these teenage pregnancy issues,’ she said, and added, ‘the main challenge lies in ensuring that these efforts are collectively, efficiently, and sustainably implemented and coordinated.’

ýHead of Gender, Health and Inclusion at the National Youth Authority, Naomi Brago Opoku-Agyemang, said the consequences extend beyond individual girls to school dropouts, limited employment and long-term vulnerabilities.

Programme Manager of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, Isaac Nyampong, said access to accurate, age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and contraceptive services for sexually active youth remains critical to prevention.

The dialogue aimed to identify gaps in prevention, education, health services and accountability, and to produce a national communiqué with actionable commitments to protect adolescent futures.