Category: Daily Guide Network

Musician, Wiyaala, has been crowned Fugu Queen and Tourism Ambassador for Ghana at a ceremony held in Funsi, the capital of Wa East.

The event brought together government officials, traditional leaders, and residents to celebrate the artist’s contribution to promoting Ghanaian culture.

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, praised Wiyaala for using music, fashion, and performance to promote Ghanaian traditions across the world.

She said Wiyaala had proudly worn Fugu for many years and had remained committed to supporting young people, women, and local communities.

The minister also encouraged Ghanaians to support made-in-Ghana products, especially local textiles like Fugu, to help create jobs and grow the economy.

Speaking after receiving the honour, Wiyaala thanked the minister and the people of Wa East for the recognition.

‘I have accepted this honour and I will not disappoint you. I will make the town proud,’ she said.

Wa East District Chief Executive, Adamu Shayibu, described the district as rich in culture and talent and called for more opportunities for young people in the area.

The ceremony ended with cultural performances and celebrations, marking a new role for Wiyaala as a cultural ambassador for Ghana.

Social media is buzzing following Dancehall Artiste Shatta Wale’s victory at the just ended 43rd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), winning the Best African Dancehall Entertainer award and also securing the Concert of the Year for ‘ShattaFest’.

Shatta Wale secured three major nominations and successfully won two prestigious awards at the ceremony held in Florida, USA, missing out on the Best Music Video (for ‘Street Crown’).

For the Best African Entertainer, Shatta Wale beats the likes of Cindy Sanyu (Uganda), Redsan (Kenya), Sosey Boy (Congo-Brazzaville), Timaya (Nigeria) and Winky D (Zimbabwe).

And for the Best Concert of the Year, Shatta Wale’s ‘ShattaFest’ beats; Best of the Best – Miami, Intimate Jamaica Concert – Jamaica, Zimfest – UK and Beyond Kontrol – Ghana.

A statement issued by his management on May 18, 2026, read, ‘The management of Shatta Wale proudly confirms that the African Dancehall King emerged as a double award winner at the 43rd International Reggae and World Music Awards held over the weekend in Florida, USA.’

Management also expressed appreciation to the organisers of the awards scheme ‘for the recognition and continuous support for African music on the global stage.’

The statement further thanked fans worldwide, especially members of the Shatta Movement fraternity, for their ‘unwavering support, votes, and dedication throughout the years.’

According to management, the latest achievement reinforces Shatta Wale’s position as ‘one of Africa’s leading musical exports and a major force in global dancehall culture.’

Hasaacas Ladies were crowned champions of the 2025/26 Women’s FA Cup after defeating Army Ladies 5-3 on penalties in a dramatic final.

The fiercely contested encounter ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, forcing the match into a tense penalty shootout where the Takoradi-based side held their nerve to secure the trophy.

Hasaacas Ladies entered the final determined to finish the season strongly following their defeat to Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the Women’s Premier League final a month earlier. Army Ladies were equally eager to end their campaign with silverware after missing out on a place in the league final.

Both sides created promising chances in an entertaining first half, but neither could find the breakthrough before the interval.

The deadlock was finally broken late in the second half when substitute Linda Epo gave Hasaacas the lead in the 87th minute, sparking celebrations among their supporters. However, Army Ladies responded almost immediately as Esther Asamoah Yiadom struck two minutes later to restore parity with her seventh goal of the tournament.

With the scores level at the end of regulation time, the final proceeded to extra time, but neither side managed to find the winning goal.

In the penalty shootout, Hasaacas Ladies converted all five of their spot kicks, while Army Ladies scored three and missed one, handing Hasaacas a memorable victory.

The triumph marks Hasaacas Ladies’ second Women’s FA Cup title, having previously lifted the trophy during the historic 2020/21 campaign. Head coach, Raymond Fenny, also etched his name into the history books by becoming the first coach to win the competition twice.

The sanctity of the judiciary is being compromised by assortment of acts of omissions and commissions, a worrying situation which should not be overlooked.

Indeed, when the journey to remove the former Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo as part of a judicial reset package began, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) had cause to comment against the project, as did many in Ghana save those who saw no evil in the political manoeuvre.

The concerns raised by the group and others were ignored, and the infraction was effectively put on the dark chapters of the constraints of the separation of powers with the intention of achieving a goal which is anything but in the interest of good governance when the lady was forced out.

President John Mahama did not conceal his intention to change the state of the judiciary even when he was opposition leader.

His ‘unanimous Supreme Court’ allusion sought not only to subject this arm of government to public opprobrium but to prepare the stage for a vindictive agenda dubbed ‘resetting’, which has already claimed its first casualty – the image of the judiciary.

The Machiavellian ploy successfully swept away the former Chief Justice in a manner which can only be rivalled by the Sir Arku Korsah ouster in 1963.

Those who crossed the dots and ‘ts’ painted unambiguously a worrying picture of a tendentious reversal of a digitised supported system to reduce the human interface in the assignment of cases.

Cynics called the directive to have the Acting Chief Justice direct which cases go to which judges a reset order fraught with many obstacles to the rule of law.

Our judiciary has been turned through the deliberate and sustained efforts of politicians at the helm into an arm of government in an unholy alliance with the executive, as observed by the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

This critical arm of government is effectively in the vitriolic mint of social media, unfortunately and effectively drawing comments not inuring to its image and which should be reserved to politicians already in the gutters of local abrasive politics.

The worrying trend taking place at a time when government’s tolerance for criticism is an all-time low and free speech criminalised has seen the number of persons being hauled before judges for such ‘infractions’ rising.

Some of the comments of the Minority Leader when he addressed a press conference last week on the subject, indicted the judge who ordered the remand of the Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP over verbal infractions. This is not good for the image of the judiciary and call for reflection and redress.

We particularly find the portion which touches on the reason behind the remand request by the prosecution rather interesting and disturbing. According to the Minority Leader, remanding the regional chairman because he could repeat the offence for which he was hauled before the judge as being basis for the remand order according to the court, he said, is tantamount to ‘the judiciary serving silence and not justice’. This we find worrying in a country where this proclivity should not have a place. A subtle gagging process as it were is the impression of the interpretation of the order by the Minority Leader.

Unfortunately, the Minority Leader, a learned gentleman of the legal fraternity, has questioned the basis for the action of the bench in this regard and unequivocally so.

The stage for such muddying of the judiciary was set by President John Mahama when he labeled the Supreme Court ‘Unanimous SC’. How else could he describe his mistrust of this arm of government and his readiness to reset it to conform to his whims? Now that he is President, are the infractions as noticed by the Minority Leader the outcome of the executive’s intervention to, as it were, reset the judiciary to fit the reset project?

When tomorrow comes and another reset agenda is undertaken to reverse the aberrations of today, the sanctity of the judiciary would have suffered another nose-bruising development.

Former Chief Executive Officer of National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, were yesterday granted a total of GHS63.5 million bail for allegedly stealing and causing about GHS62.6 million financial loss to the state.

Hanan was granted a bail of GHS60 million with two sureties who must be justified, while Faiza Seidu Wuni was granted a bail of GHS3.5 million with two sureties who must be justified.

The two were ordered to deposit their passports at the registry of the court. They were placed on the Stop List at all exit points of the country.

The Attorney General (AG) filed new charges against the couple last Friday after they were initially discharged by the court following the AG’s decision to drop the charges against them.

Dropped Figures

Although they have been charged with 20 counts, the quantum of funds allegedly lost in the previous charge sheet has dropped, with the Attorney General introducing a new GHS734,400 which Hanan allegedly took as rent allowance but did not use same for that purpose.

Godfred Yeboah Dame, counsel for the ex-NAFCO boss, had prayed the court to keep the accused persons on the old terms of the bail initially granted them, while drawing the attention of the court to the fact that the money involved in the allegations had significantly dropped.

Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, did not oppose the request, telling the court that both the prosecution and the defence had agreed that the old bail terms be maintained subject to the decision of the court.

Justice Francis Achibonga, after noticing that the amount involved in the charges had dropped from what was initially filed, reduced the bail from what was previously imposed on the accused persons.

Allegations

Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni are facing a total of 20 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, stealing, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.

Court documents indicate that Mr. Abdul-Wahab operating under the name Sawtina Enterprise allegedly stole GHS50,879,210 from NAFCO by transferring it to James Tieku-Apawu, a Regional Manager of NAFCO, between February 2017 and February 2025 under the guise of making payment from the NAFCO account.

He is further accused of defrauding by false pretences by receiving GHS734,400 from NAFCO for rent covering the period of May 2017 and May 2019 at Chain Homes at Tseado in Accra.

The Attorney General alleges that at the time Hanan took the rent allowance, the apartments were not built and he was living somewhere else.

Faiza Seidu Wuni, on the other hand, is accused of defrauding by false pretences in her capacity as the proprietor of Alqarni Enterprise by making a false representation that she had supplied foodstuff to NAFCO, causing the state agency to pay her GHS3,342,759.08 between September 2018 and August 2019.

She is also accused of laundering the said amount by taking possession of it, knowing at the time of taking possession that the money was acquired through stealing from NAFCO.

The prosecution’s brief facts indicate that in 2025, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Office of the Attorney General received information that Hanan has, over the eight years that he was the CEO of NAFCO, embezzled hundreds of millions of Ghana Cedis from NAFCO.

It says EOCO’s preliminary investigations revealed that about GHS70 million had moved from NAFCO’s bank accounts to Sawtina.

The brief fact alleges that further investigations revealed that these funds were transferred in a series of 86 transactions between October 2019 and September 2023.

Parents, teachers, and policymakers have been urged to prioritise the development of the boy child to help build stronger families and peaceful communities for sustainable national development.

Speaking at an event to mark the celebration of the International Day for the Boy Child in Accra, Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University, Apostle Prof. Kobena Agyapong-Kodua said that neglecting boys in conversations about education, leadership, and moral formation could have serious consequences for society.

International Day of the Boy Child is celebrated on May 16 each year. The day recognises the importance of boys’ well-being and the challenges they face, while also celebrating the positive aspects they bring to their communities and families.

Apostle Prof. Kodua, who described the boy child as a future leader whose development shapes the destiny of the nation, said boys who are properly nurtured flourish for families to thrive.

He said, ‘The boy child is a future father, husband, teacher, minister, president, scientist, engineer, doctor, farmer, and leader. If we deny them opportunities, we are denying ourselves our future.’

He further warned against the implications of social media addiction, and challenged schools to shift young people from merely consuming technology to developing innovative digital tools, while calling on parents to spend quality time with their sons, involve them in family responsibilities, and intentionally build their skills

‘Let us become living examples to these young men because if we do, we will be building them up for a brighter future,’ he stated.

National Coordinator of the Schools Outreach Ministry of the Church of Pentecost, Pastor Frank Tandoh, for his part, noted that although significant efforts have been made to empower the girl child, growing concerns remained about the declining educational outcomes of boys.

He said though society support the empowerment of the girl child, people must also address the imbalance affecting boys, given how many boys are dropping out of school in recent times.

‘If we neglect the welfare of the boy child, society will become tilted and unable to function at its optimum level,’ he pointed out.

Director for Girls Education at the Ghana Education Service, Madam Gifty Asiedu, said emerging global evidence indicates that boys in many countries are increasingly vulnerable to school disengagement, poor literacy outcomes, suspensions, and lower participation in higher education.

She noted that the Ghana Education Service was adopting inclusive approaches that support all vulnerable learners rather than creating competing narratives between boys and girls.

‘Educational vulnerability is evolving, and it affects boys and girls differently depending on context, poverty levels, and family circumstances,’ she stressed.

‘Our focus is to build an education system that identifies and supports every vulnerable learner,’ she added.

The International Day for the Boy Child was held under the theme ‘Flousrish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’

The Bank of Ghana (BoG), the country’s apex financial institution, has never been so much on the spot.

Embroiled in partisan political propaganda and operational challenges, the bank has failed to meet the standards of transparency expected of an institution of its standing.

Relying on both bloggers and serial callers to change the negative image it has attracted for itself, all to no avail anyway, it continues to sink in the opinion of the public.

Its operations have become a subject of public scrutiny prompting pertinent enquiries, especially about its management of the most precious minerals in its vaults. Such enquiries have yielded largely ‘request declined’ responses, the wry smiles following these speaking volumes about the negative impressions these have registered in the minds of the public.

In the light of this, we are compelled to conclude that the volume of opaqueness overshadows the transparency in the operations of the apex bank.

There are a lot we would not know, at least for now, about the Bank of Ghana under the stewardship of Dr. Johnson Asiama and the board overseeing its operations.

It has turned out that some interested Ghanaians invoking the powers of the Right to Information (RTI) have presented a series of questions about the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s interventionist policy of stocking up the depleted gold in the bank’s vaults, which were sold by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and bought again under circumstances which left many Ghanaians perplexed.

The bank turned away the most critical of the questions, invasive as they sounded. The subtlety with which the questions went unanswered left the enquirers unsurprisingly disappointed.

‘Request Declined’ for questions about how the accumulated precious minerals were sold and bought back at a time the world recorded the highest cost of gold should prompt curiosity.

While partaking in a political discussion programme last Saturday on Movement Television in Accra, Wisdom Gomashie, a mining engineer/consultant, narrated how he sought answers to questions he posed to the Bank of Ghana under the RTI about how the controversial sale of gold purchased under the erstwhile NPP administration Gold Purchasing Initiative was carried out and the disappointing ‘Request Declined.’

Some of the questions, there is no doubt, must in the interest of transparency expected in a public entity such as the Bank of Ghana be answered and not covered under an unacceptable tag of ‘Request Declined.’ And the government wants Ghanaians to think it is serious about transparency when we set up a so-called Value for Money Office to rival an already established Public Procurement Authority?

Who bought the said gold and how was same moved out of the vaults of the apex bank? Request Declined.

What was the total volume sold and did the gold stay in the vaults of the bank even after the purchase? Request Declined.

What is the identity of the buyer? Request Declined.

The requests would not be declined indefinitely; one day these would be divulged and those responsible for shortchanging the state would account for their misdeeds.

The Bank of Ghana (BoG), the country’s apex financial institution, has never been so much on the spot.

Embroiled in partisan political propaganda and operational challenges, the bank has failed to meet the standards of transparency expected of an institution of its standing.

Relying on both bloggers and serial callers to change the negative image it has attracted for itself, all to no avail anyway, it continues to sink in the opinion of the public.

Its operations have become a subject of public scrutiny prompting pertinent enquiries, especially about its management of the most precious minerals in its vaults. Such enquiries have yielded largely ‘request declined’ responses, the wry smiles following these speaking volumes about the negative impressions these have registered in the minds of the public.

In the light of this, we are compelled to conclude that the volume of opaqueness overshadows the transparency in the operations of the apex bank.

There are a lot we would not know, at least for now, about the Bank of Ghana under the stewardship of Dr. Johnson Asiama and the board overseeing its operations.

It has turned out that some interested Ghanaians invoking the powers of the Right to Information (RTI) have presented a series of questions about the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s interventionist policy of stocking up the depleted gold in the bank’s vaults, which were sold by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and bought again under circumstances which left many Ghanaians perplexed.

The bank turned away the most critical of the questions, invasive as they sounded. The subtlety with which the questions went unanswered left the enquirers unsurprisingly disappointed.

‘Request Declined’ for questions about how the accumulated precious minerals were sold and bought back at a time the world recorded the highest cost of gold should prompt curiosity.

While partaking in a political discussion programme last Saturday on Movement Television in Accra, Wisdom Gomashie, a mining engineer/consultant, narrated how he sought answers to questions he posed to the Bank of Ghana under the RTI about how the controversial sale of gold purchased under the erstwhile NPP administration Gold Purchasing Initiative was carried out and the disappointing ‘Request Declined.’

Some of the questions, there is no doubt, must in the interest of transparency expected in a public entity such as the Bank of Ghana be answered and not covered under an unacceptable tag of ‘Request Declined.’ And the government wants Ghanaians to think it is serious about transparency when we set up a so-called Value for Money Office to rival an already established Public Procurement Authority?

Who bought the said gold and how was same moved out of the vaults of the apex bank? Request Declined.

What was the total volume sold and did the gold stay in the vaults of the bank even after the purchase? Request Declined.

What is the identity of the buyer? Request Declined.

The requests would not be declined indefinitely; one day these would be divulged and those responsible for shortchanging the state would account for their misdeeds.

The US Embassy in Ghana engaged the Ghanaian community on screening and discussion of the documentary, ‘The Paradox of Seabrook Farms,’ in Accra on Thursday, May 14, 2026, facilitated by Matthew Asada, Acting Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy Ghana.

The documentary film is about the workers at Seabrook Farms, the biggest industrial vegetables plant in the US in the 1950s who belonged to different nationalities and cultures, and who all had to build up a new life for their families in very difficult circumstances in Seabrook.

Following World War II, nearly 1,000 Estonians escaping Soviet occupation settled in Seabrook, finding employment and housing at the massive Seabrook Farms frozen food plant.

Workers were exploited, including over 2,500 Japanese Americans released from internment camps, European refugees, African Americans fleeing the Jim Crow South, and German POWs—endured grueling 12-hour shifts, 7 days a week, often for pennies an hour, and lived in cramped, industrial barracks.

Despite the harsh, hardscrabble conditions, the farm offered these displaced and oppressed people a tangible starting point in the United States. It served as a rare, unintended multicultural haven where different ethnic groups maintained cultural traditions, coexisted, and built new lives.

During the screening of the documentary, Matthew Asada recounted his memory of ‘The Paradox of Seabrook Farms,’ saying it was striking how the film showed Estonians reaching all these different groups of people now living in one very rural village.

‘I think that’s interesting because we often associate diversity and cosmopolitanism with big cities, but it doesn’t have to be that way. This was a small village, and those people lived side by side. I was always impressed growing up as a kid. When we attended the Japanese traditional festival in the summer—the Obon festival—everyone came out for it. It wasn’t just Japanese Americans. As a biracial person with a white mother, I noticed it was often people who were simply interested in the culture, the food, the dance, and all the other aspects,’ he stated.

The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has underlined the need for the Christian community to resist doctrines and practices which are alien to the core values of Christianity.

He also called on Christians to defend the sound principles which define the true Church of Jesus Christ.

Rev. Wengam was speaking at the Biennial National Ministers’ Wives Conference of the Assemblies of God, Ghana at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) Kumasi on the theme, ‘The Faith of Our Fathers In Action (John 14:12).’

The General Superintendent called on the pastors’ wives to rise up and exhibit ‘audacious faith ‘while playing a frontal role in defending the doctrines of the church.

Rev. Wengam further asked Christians, ‘to pass on our authentic faith to the next generation through evangelism and aggressive church planting in unreached communities.

He cited the example of the three Hebrew children in the Bible who refused to worship the false god of King Nebuchadnezzar in spite of the consequences.

‘This uncommon faith should inspire the present generation of Christians not to compromise their faith, even in most challenging circumstances,’ he said.

The Minister of Gender, Women and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, who was the Special Guest of Honour, admonished the participants ‘to grow in the faith and preserve the structures of the church which make this possible.’

The National President of the Ministers’ Wives Association, Lady Mrs. Monica Wengam, challenged wives of pastors to exemplify the foremost faith of Sarah and patiently wait for the promises of God.

She announced that the Association has sponsored the construction of a legacy temple in the Afram Plains at the cost of almost GHS 400,000.

Lady Mrs. Wengam announced that the next project of the Association is to plant a church and additionally built a legacy temple for them.

Various speakers addressed topics like mental health, food and body health, building a strong family, and the pastors’ wife and social skills necessary for church growth. Others were cultivating executive presence and emulating the unequalled faith of our fathers.

About 3,000 pastors’ wives attended the conference.