Category: Daily Guide Network

Ghana’s inflation will average 12.8% in 2027, up from a projected 6.0% in 2026, Fitch Solutions said in its latest report, warning the rise will weigh on household purchasing power and private consumption.

The UK-based firm said a tighter-than-expected US Federal Reserve policy in response to elevated inflation would pressure global gold prices and Ghana’s export earnings.

‘This would put pressure on the cedi, resulting in higher inflation than we currently forecast and a corresponding drag on household consumption and broader economic activity in H2 2026 and 2027,’ the report stated.

Fitch said exceptionally low inflation in early 2026 was driven by year-on-year strength of the cedi, which contained imported price pressures. But as base effects from the cedi’s sharp revaluation in early 2025 fade, inflation will face upside pressure in the second half of 2026.

Ghana’s inflation rose to 3.7% in May 2026 from 3.4% in April 2025, driven by seasonal food supply constraints and unfavorable base effects.

Economic Growth

Fitch Solutions projects economic growth will moderate to 4.7% in 2027 from 5.7% in 2026 due to less favourable base effects and weaker agricultural output. Stagnant oil and cocoa production will constrain export growth, it said.

Fiscal pressures will also intensify as principal repayments under the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, (DDEP) launched in December 2022, fall due, while Eurobond debt-service obligations increase.

‘As a result, a larger share of government resources will be directed towards debt servicing at the expense of government consumption,’ the firm noted.

Risks to the 2026-2027 growth outlook are tilted to the downside, Fitch said. A tighter US Fed stance could hit gold prices and Ghana’s exports, pressuring the cedi and pushing inflation higher.

On the upside, the firm said domestic demand could prove more resilient than anticipated. ‘Should consumer and business sentiment remain strong – despite rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty – household spending and private investment would likely outperform our expectations. In this scenario, economic growth would exceed our current forecasts.’

Meanwhile, Fitch expects economic activity to remain robust in Q2 2026 despite disruptions in global energy markets from the US-Iran conflict. It said Ghana’s macro fundamentals are relatively insulated due to a broadly balanced oil trade position and elevated gold prices.

While domestic fuel prices have increased 8.8% since the start of the US-Iran conflict and diesel prices are up 19.7% in USD terms, increases remain below market levels as the government absorbed part of the cost, the report said.

‘As such, inflationary pressures have remained contained: headline inflation rose only modestly from 3.2% year-on-year in February to 3.7% in May, remaining well below the 2010-2025 average of 15.7%.

This suggests that household purchasing power remains intact, supporting private consumption growth,’ it added. Ghana’s economy expanded 6.4% year-on-year in Q1 2026, up from 5.8% in Q4 2025.

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sunyani East Constituency Communication Director, Abubakari Yakubu (Baba Amando), has confidently said that without a shadow of a doubt, they are determined to reclaim all the 11 parliamentary seats lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Bono Region in previous elections.

Speaking during an interview on GIFT FM at Dormaa Ahenkro, Baba Amando said the reclamation will be the result of a strategic and focused approach set for the elections in 2028.

According to him, the party will build stronger base when the communication and organisation department is robust enough, stressing that he believes in the strength of the party’s ideals and the unwavering support of the constituents and, therefore, with careful planning and concerted effort, they aim to reinvigorate their campaign strategies as well as engage effectively with the electorate to ensure their success in the upcoming elections.

He urged party executives, as well as those aspiring to become executives, to exercise restraint and refrain from disorderly conduct, thereby ensuring that unity prevails both before and after their elections, in order to present a united front in the pursuit of victory in the 2028 general election.

On 29 May 2026, Ghana’s Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on a voice vote. Thirty-two members were present. There are 276 seats. Ghana moved one of the most consequential pieces of social legislation in its recent history from introduction to passage without the deliberative record being available to the public it governs.

We are more than 100 civil society organisations working across Africa. We are asking President Mahama to send this bill back. #BackToSender.

The Exemptions That Leave Everyone Exposed

The bill’s supporters have pointed to carve-outs for healthcare workers, lawyers, and media professionals as evidence of proportionality. These exemptions protect professional conduct. They do not, and cannot, govern the environment those professionals operate within. A patient deciding whether to walk into a clinic does not consult a legal framework. They make a calculation in seconds, and the question is whether the risk of being identified, correctly or not, as LGBTQ+ outweighs their need for care.

Senegal enacted comparable legislation earlier this year. The effect on public health was not gradual. Within a single month, HIV treatment consultations fell by over 25% across treatment sites. Patients returned their antiretroviral medication boxes rather than risk collection. A country that had reduced HIV prevalence to 0.3% is watching that progress come undone, not because doctors began reporting patients, but because patients stopped coming. The professional exemption had nothing to say about that.

Ghana’s bill also does not answer the question of what a clinician may do with suspicion, as opposed to knowledge. In that silence, every frontline worker becomes a risk to be navigated rather than a resource to be trusted.

Family Values, Foreign Funding

This bill is framed as a defence of Ghanaian values. The 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family and Sovereignty, hosted in Accra last week in deliberate alignment with the bill’s passage, was sponsored significantly by Family Watch International, CitizenGO, and the Alliance Defending Freedom. These are US-based evangelical organisations with a documented record of funding

anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across Africa and beyond. Ghanaian family values did not require outside sponsorship. They have held across centuries without it.

Two months ago, Ghana led a historic United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade among the gravest crimes against humanity. That resolution named, with precision, what it means for the sovereignty of a people to be overridden by external actors with resources and reach. It would be a painful irony if the same Parliament that stood for that principle had, in the same season, allowed external actors with resources and reach to shape its domestic legislation. Ghana’s new standing in the international human rights arena was not built to be traded this way.

A Procedure Ghana Should Be Embarrassed to Export

Proponents of this bill have noted that no member of Parliament, including from the minority, formally raised a quorum objection on the floor. They present this as the matter being settled. It is not. The absence of an objection in the room does not constitute the presence of democratic legitimacy. Ghana’s Parliament exists to carry the weight of deliberation on behalf of 33 million people. That obligation does not dissolve because 244 elected members were absent and no one said anything at the time.

Ghana is a country that others on this continent look to. Its democratic credentials are not a domestic matter alone; they are part of what Ghana projects and what Africa has learned to rely on. The same Ghana that champions a pan-African human rights image at the United Nations cannot, without contradiction, shrug at a procedure in which landmark social legislation affecting millions of lives was passed in an emptied chamber. If that is the standard Ghana is prepared to defend, the rest of the continent deserves to know it.

Our Ask

We call on President Mahama to return this bill to Parliament, with instructions for a full sitting and a genuine public process before any further vote is taken. If this legislation truly carries the will of Ghanaians, it has nothing to fear from transparency. And if transparency is what is being avoided, Ghanaians are owed an explanation.

A 14-YEAR-old Junior High School (JHS) graduate is under mental health supervision after been defiled by an undertaker, Exekel Tabiri, at Dormaa Akwamu, in the Bono Region.

Suspected to be in his mid-30s, the undertaker, also known as ‘One Day’, allegedly lured the victim into his room under the guise of delivering a gift to her mother. Once inside, he placed a bangle-style charm on her wrist and forcefully raped her.

He later warned the victim never to tell anyone, else she will die, and gave her GHS50.

The mother of the victim narrated that since the incident on June 7, 2026, at about 8 p.m., the victim has remained mentally unstable.

‘I sent my child on an errand to buy water that fateful night, but she failed to return home early. She later came and slept after delivering the water. The next day, I noticed unusual change in her behaviour, and when she was questioned, she narrated her ordeal in the hands of Exekel Tabiri, who was my classmate and a church member of my husband,’ she disclosed.

ASP Irene Danso, the in charge of the Dormaa Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU), confirmed the alleged case explaining that the suspect has been in their custody but has since appeared before the Dormaa and Nkrankwanta courts, and has been granted bail to re-appear at a later date in July.

Meanwhile, the Dormaa Akwamu Methodist Child Development Centre, with support from Compassion International, which supports venerable children from poor communities, maintained that the issues of defilement are prevalent in communities in the region, stressing that perpetrators normally walk free because families don’t have the wherewithal to follow the cases when it ends up in court.

Celebrated family, the Brock Royal Family is set to host this year’s Duku Walk as well as sponsor the Osu Homowo.

The annual walk celebration, which draws patrons from far and near has become a permanent feature on the wealthy family’s calendar.

And according to the founder and father of the Brock Royal family, a native of Osu in the Greater Accra Region, this year’s does not only centre on the promotion of healthy lifestyle building networks among participants and families.

‘The Duku Walk has become a permanent feature on our calendar, and we looking forward to making it bigger due to its potential for building healthy networks among families and businesses,’ said the founder and father. Of the Brock royal family’

He added ‘It’s not going to be just a Walk, come in your numbers, strike business acquaintances, exercise and have fun to the fullest. ‘

Meanwhile, the father and founder of the renowned family has announced that one of its subsidiary companies will throw its weight by way of sponsorship behind this year’s Osu Homowo Festival Celebration.

The Brock Royal Family ranks among the wealthiest families in Ghana according to a Forbes research conducted recently.

Samuel Atta-Akyea, new counsel for Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) has filed an application praying the court to postpone the July 3, 2026 set to deliver a judgement in a case in which Wontumi has been accused of permitting others to mine on his company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

The application dated June 23, 2026, is asking a High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, to defer the judgement ‘for a reasonable period’ to enable him obtain and peruse the certified record of proceedings and all processes hitherto filed in the case.

This, he said, will pave the way for him to ‘lodge a credible and competent written submission’ on behalf of Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Company Limited.

Charges

Chairman Wontumi has been charged with one count of assignment of mineral rights without approval, and another count of purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation, contrary to Section 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Section 3 of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).

His company, Akonta Mining and another person identified as Kwame Antwi, who is on the run, have been charged with the same offences. They have both denied the charges.

Major Developments

The trial court, on June 3, set July 3, 2026, to deliver its judgement while giving the prosecution and the defence lawyers up to June 24 to file written addresses if they wished to do so.

Andy Appiah-Kubi, who had represented Chairman Wontumi and his company from the beginning of the trial, filed a motion to withdraw his services, citing certain decisions of the trail judge which he said has taken emotional and psychological toll on him.

The court dismissed the application which it said was alien to criminal proceedings in Ghana, adding that the lawyer did not need the court’s permission to withdraw his services if he wished to.

Moments after the court’s decision, information popped up that Chairman Wontumi had appointed Mr. Atta-Akyea as his new counsel.

Chairman Wontumi indicated in a statement that the decision was taken after careful consultation and in the exercise of my constitutional right to legal representation by counsel of my own choosing.

Deferment

Mr. Atta-Akyea has now filed an application asking the court to extend the date set for judgement to afford him more time to peruse the proceedings.

He attributes the request to the inability of the court’s registrar to furnish him with certified record of the proceedings he requested for regarding the trial.

‘In the absence of the complete record, I am unable to adequately acquaint myself with the proceedings and effectively discharge my professional obligations to the 1st and 3rd Accused persons/Applicants,’ he noted in the application.

He further indicated that as counsel presently on record for the accused persons, it is necessary that he should be afforded a reasonable opportunity to familiarise himself with the record and advise his client appropriately.

Mr. Atta-Akyea further noted that Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining face serious criminal charges, the outcome of which may have significant consequences for their liberty, reputation, rights and interests, adding that the constitutional guarantee of a fair hearing under Article 19 of the Constitution necessarily includes the right of an accused person to effective legal representation at every stage of criminal proceedings.

‘The grant of this application will facilitate the effective exercise of that constitutional right and secure fair trial,’ he said.

He also pointed out that the application is not intended to obstruct, delay or frustrate the administration of justice but intended to enable him obtain and peruse the record of proceedings before judgement is delivered.

He added that the state will suffer no irreparable damage if the application is granted, noting that ‘granting the application would enhance public confidence in the administration of justice’ by ensuring that the accused ‘enjoy the full benefit of legal representation.’

The Minority in Parliament has launched a scathing attack on the government over the latest electricity tariff increase announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), accusing President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of reneging on campaign promises to reduce the cost of living.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament yesterday, the Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako Mensah, described the 3.49 percent increase in electricity tariffs and 0.85 percent rise in water tariffs, effective July 1, 2026, as evidence of what he termed a ‘broken promise’ by the government.

According to him, Ghanaians are now paying significantly more for electricity than when the NDC assumed office in January 2025 despite repeated assurances that utility costs would be reduced.

‘Eighteen months into their tenure, Ghanaians are paying 26.82 percent more for electricity than they were when President Mahama took the oath of office. That is a broken promise,’ Mr. Adomako Mensah stated.

The Minority cited data showing a series of tariff increases since the beginning of 2025, including adjustments of 14.75 percent in the second quarter of 2025, 2.45 percent in the third quarter, 1.14 percent in the fourth quarter, and 9.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026.

Although tariffs were reduced by 4.81 percent in the second quarter of this year, the opposition argued that the latest increase had effectively wiped out that relief.

Mr. Adomako Mensah said government officials had celebrated the April tariff reduction as proof of an economic turnaround, but insisted the adjustment was merely a technical consequence of temporary gains in the value of the cedi and lower inflation.

‘With this latest increase, that so-called relief has been erased within a single quarter. The reduction lasted exactly 91 days,’ he said.

The lawmaker further argued that the continued rise in electricity costs was imposing an unbearable burden on households and businesses, particularly at a time when workers had received only a 10 percent wage increase.

He maintained that rising utility costs were undermining the government’s flagship 24-hour economy agenda and threatening the competitiveness of local industries.

‘The 24-hour economy cannot run on 26.82 percent more expensive electricity. Jobs cannot be created when the cost of powering a factory keeps climbing every quarter,’ he said.

Questioning the rationale behind the latest tariff adjustment, the Minority noted that the PURC had cited a cedi-dollar exchange rate of GHS11.2228 to one US dollar, representing only a 0.2 percent depreciation from the previous quarter.

The Minority also pointed out that natural gas costs had declined by 1.58 percent while the generation mix remained unchanged.

‘If the cedi depreciated by only 0.2 percent between quarters, how does this justify a 3.49 percent increase in electricity tariffs?’ Mr. Adomako Mensah asked, calling for greater transparency in the tariff-setting process.

The Minority also rejected suggestions that the increases were linked to conditions under Ghana’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

According to Mr. Adomako Mensah, Ghana had exited the IMF Extended Credit Facility programme and was no longer bound by conditions requiring cost-reflective utility tariffs.

‘The IMF excuse is gone. What Ghanaians are witnessing is a deliberate policy choice,’ he said.

The caucus called on the government and the PURC to publish the detailed mathematical basis for all tariff adjustments since January 2025, ensure future tariff increases are tied to measurable improvements in service delivery, and review the 2026-2030 Multi-Year Tariff Order in light of what it described as improving macroeconomic conditions.

Mr. Adomako Mensah further questioned why utility tariffs continued to rise despite the government claims that the cedi had appreciated significantly, inflation was declining and interest rates were easing.

‘This contradiction demands answers. If the strength of the cedi is real and inflation is falling, why are utility tariffs continuing to rise?’ he asked.

The Minority warned that Ghanaians would hold the government accountable for rising utility costs and urged civil society organisations, trade unions and industry groups to demand greater transparency and fairness in utility regulation.

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced that customers who issue dud cheques will face a three-year ban and one year restriction in accessing new credit facilities.

A notice issued on June 24, 2026, replaced earlier directives introduced in 2021 and 2025 and takes immediate effect said the BoG.

The Central Bank noted that the measures follows continued concerns over the high incidence of dud cheque which are issued despite previous regulatory interventions.

It said under the revised framework, customers who issue a dud cheque for the first time will be required to pay a penalty equivalent to 10 percent of the cheque’s face value while customers will also pay a penalty of 20% of the cheque value, and will be prohibited from issuing cheques in Ghana for a minimum period of three years.

‘The Bank of Ghana shall ban such a customer from issuing cheques within the country for a minimum period of three years. The customer may, however, be permitted to receive cheques and funds into the affected account and perform other electronic transactions on the account.’

‘The Bank of Ghana has observed with grave concern the high issuance of dud cheques by some customers of banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions. The Bank of Ghana shall ban such a customer from accessing new credit facilities from the banking system for one year. The Bank of Ghana shall notify all banks and SDIs of the ban,’ it stated.

According to the Central Bank, upon receiving notification, financial institutions will be required to inform affected customers within five working days, recall all unused cheque books and refrain from issuing new cheque books until the sanctions are lifted.

The Bank of Ghana has also hinted of plans to tighten oversight of persistent offenders through the creation of a Directory of High-Risk Cheque Issuers.

It further mentioned that customers who fail to return unused cheque books within ten working days after notification could face additional sanctions, including a possible ban from operating any current account.

Bank of Ghana further stated that such individuals may also be listed in the new high-risk directory which will serve as a reference database for the Central Bank and financial institutions when assessing customer risk profiles.

‘Financial institutions are required to continue submitting information on customers who issue dud cheques to Credit Reference Bureaus in accordance with the Credit Reporting Act, 2007 (Act 726).

They must also submit monthly returns on dud cheque incidents to the Bank of Ghana by the 10th day of the following month, including ‘nil returns’ where no cases are recorded,’ it added

Ghana will left Rhode Island for Philadelphia on Thursday as preparations intensify for a decisive FIFA World Cup Group L encounter against Croatia on Saturday.

The Black Stars returned to training on Wednesday at Bryant University, holding a recovery session less than 24 hours after their hard-fought 0-0 draw with England at Gillette Stadium.

Carlos Queiroz’s side currently share the top spot in Group L with England, with both teams collecting four points from their opening two matches. A win against Croatia would secure Ghana’s place in the Round of 32 and strengthen their chances of finishing as group winners.

The team was scheduled to travel to Philadelphia on Thursday before holding their final training session on Friday ahead of Saturday’s showdown at Lincoln Financial Field.

Ghana earned widespread praise for their disciplined defensive display against England, frustrating one of the tournament favourites despite facing sustained pressure.

Goalkeeper Benjamin Asare, defender Jerome Opoku and midfielder Kwasi Sibo were among the standout performers in the stalemate.

Speaking after the match, Queiroz hailed his players’ commitment and determination, noting that every point at the World Cup comes at a premium. He also dedicated the team’s performance to Ghanaian supporters.

Midfielder Sibo echoed his coach’s sentiments and stressed that the Black Stars are targeting all three points against Croatia as they seek to finish top of the group.

With qualification within reach, Ghana now turn their focus to what could be their most important match of the tournament so far.

Ghana’s Ambassador to China, H.E. Kojo Bonsu, has called on Ghanaian businesses to secure exhibition space at the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, to showcase industrial and value-added ‘Made in Ghana’ products to the global market.

Ambassador Bonsu made the call during a working visit to the China Foreign Trade Centre at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou on Thursday, June 25, 2026. He was received by Ms. Zhu Yong, Director General of the Centre, and was accompanied by Mr. Sidney Kwesi Ellis, Consul General of the Republic of Ghana in Guangzhou.

Ambassador Bonsu said the next phase of engagement must shift from raw commodity trade to finished goods. He urged the Centre to support Ghanaian manufacturers to exhibit at future editions, noting that many Ghanaian products could benefit from China’s zero-tariff policy for least developed countries.

‘Beyond raw materials, which are already traded between Ghana and China, we must exhibit processed minerals, processed foods, ceramics, textiles, auto components, and other manufactured Ghanaian products,’ Ambassador Bonsu said.