Category: Daily Guide Network

The Head of Records Management Division at the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD), Josiah Gyimah, has disclosed that the Department is currently digitising its paper records to reduce physical contact with fragile originals and to allow online access.

‘We are using digitisation as one of the means of preserving because some of them are degenerating. We are also doing archival restoration, bringing newspapers from as old as the 1800s,’ he said.

Mr. Gyimah was speaking at the US-Ghana@70 exhibition on the theme: ‘Historical Ties and Shared Values between United States and Ghana Through the Lens of Archival Records’ in Accra.

He explained that once records are no longer needed for day-to-day government work, they are transferred to PRAAD for preservation and research.

However, he lamented the poor culture of record-keeping in Ghana, especially among families, churches, schools and private organisations.

Mr. Gyimah called on churches, mosques, shrines and schools to consciously keep archives, noting that for many ordinary Ghanaians, religious institutions are their only formal interaction with record-keeping.

He added that PRAAD is also working to retrieve private collections, including papers of prominent personalities, and to expand into audiovisual archives currently held by institutions like the Information Services Department and the former Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, now GTV.

Touching on the US-Ghana historical ties, Mr. Gyimah said archival records show that the relationship is less about problems than about people.

He cited a striking coincidence in names – St. James, Jamestown in Accra and Jamestown in Virginia – saying although the two locations do not have a direct historical lineage apart from the shared name, it leads to a reflection on a connected world.

He said the archives also reveal the painful history of the transatlantic slave trade, where Africans were sold and carried across the ocean, torn from their families and cultures, which explains why so many Americans trace their ancestry to the Ghanaian coast.

Mr. Gyimah said records on Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and his relationship with the United States through diplomacy, education, culture and sports show a friendship sustained by students, scholars, leaders and ordinary citizens across generations.

‘They show me that a painful past need not prevent a shared prosperous future,’ he said, adding that archives help recover forgotten voices and provide evidence rather than assumption.

Ghana and the European Union (EU) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation with countries in the Sahel to address terrorism, security threats and the humanitarian challenges affecting the sub-region.

The commitment was made at a meeting of EU Special Representatives for the Sahel in Accra on October 20, 2026.

Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES), Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, said the countries of the bloc had indicated their intention to continue cooperating with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) collectively, despite their withdrawal from the regional organisation.

‘When we visited, the AES made it clear to us that they had left ECOWAS but that they would continue to cooperate with ECOWAS as AES and not as individual countries,’ he said.

The EU Special Representative for the Sahel, Birgit Margussen, said they were adopting a renewed approach to their engagement with Sahel countries, placing dialogue and the identification of shared interests at the centre of its strategy.

She said the EU remained willing to engage with countries in the region where common interests could be identified, stressing that differences between partners did not mean abandoning their respective values and principles.

Ms. Margussen said the EU was working with the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), ECOWAS and other partners to find practical solutions to the security challenges facing the region.

The Irish Government’s Minister for International Development, Neale Richmond, said the meeting was taking place at a critical time for the Sahel and West Africa, and stressed that Europe could not afford to disengage from the region.

He said instability in the Sahel had serious humanitarian consequences for neighbouring West African countries, creating a shared responsibility among regional and international partners to respond.

‘This is an opportunity for the European Union but also our partner member states to show that we stand Full Square behind our own Special Representative, Birgit Margussen, who’s recently appointed to the role, but also to our partners and friends across the region,’ he said.

The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simão, described the meeting as a step towards normalising relations between Europe and countries in the Sahel.

He said the UN would encourage all parties to identify practical ways of working together for mutual benefit, adding that continued dialogue could help overcome existing obstacles and establish common ground.

Former Ghana international, Anthony Baffoe, has withdrawn from the committee tasked with finding a new head coach for the Black Stars, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed.

GFA Communications Director, Henry Asante Twum, said the committee chairman, Fred Pappoe, informed the association’s Executive Council (EXCO) of Baffoe’s decision at a meeting last Thursday.

‘The chairman of the search committee, Fred Pappoe, confirmed to the Executive Council that Anthony was not part of the committee. This is based on the last meeting they held, which was last week Thursday, which I was present for,’ Asante Twum said.

Baffoe was named as one of five members of the committee, which is chaired by Pappoe and also includes former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, legal practitioner Agbesi Dzakpasu and high-performance specialist, Faisal Chibsah.

The committee was established by the GFA and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation following the departure of Carlos Queiroz after Ghana’s disappointing start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.

Reports had earlier suggested that both Baffoe and Chibsah had declined to serve on the committee. However, Asante Twum confirmed Baffoe’s withdrawal without providing a specific reason for the decision.

‘There was no reason given. All he said was that Tony had withdrawn. He mentioned that the four of them have been doing the job since they were sworn into office,’ he said while speaking on Max FM.

In the interim, the GFA and the Sports Ministry have appointed a technical team led by Kim Lars Björkegren to oversee the team’s upcoming assignments.

Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram will serve as assistant coaches, while former Ghana goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda has been appointed goalkeeping coach.

The interim team is expected to take charge of the Black Stars for their November AFCON qualifying double-header against Somalia as Ghana attempt to get their campaign back on track.

The search committee is expected to recommend a candidate for the permanent position, with an appointment anticipated before Ghana’s final round of qualifying matches next year.

FOUR PUPILS have been killed in a road crash at Aboabo Extension Junction in the Asokore Mampong Municipality on Tuesday, October 20, around 3 p.m.

The deceased persons were said to be walking home from school when a speeding salon car ran over them.

According to reports, three other pupils and an elderly man also sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident.

Eyewitnesses report indicated that the private vehicle was from Aboabo Post Office area heading towards Airport roundabout.

The driver of the vehicle was said to be driving at a top speed when the car suddenly experienced break failure.

The speeding car then veered from its lane to the opposing lane where it ran over the pupils, killing four in the process.

‘The pupils had closed from school and they were walking home on the roadside when the speeding car killed them.

‘About three pupils and a certain man also sustained severe injuries during the accident,’ an eyewitness disclosed.

He also said an angry mob tried to lynch the driver but he was saved by the police.

The driver has since been apprehended and the accident vehicle has also been impounded at the police station.

Co-Founder and Executive Director of The OR Foundation Ghana, Liz Ricketts, has called for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies on textile waste to be made globally accountable to support communities like Kantamanto.

Speaking at the Freedom250 event on the theme ‘Rethinking Fashion: Lessons from The OR Foundation’ in Accra, Ms. Ricketts said while EPR is a necessary move to acknowledge the fashion industry’s textile waste crisis, current policies are flawed.

‘Concern now is that there is a gap in understanding. The idea is sound, but the way the policies are being constructed don’t take communities like Kantamanto into account,’ she said.

According to her, Kantamanto is one of the largest second-hand clothing markets in the world and where most of the clothing covered by EPR will eventually end up.

‘We are calling for EPR policies to become what we call globally accountable, meaning that the fees that are paid by brands should travel with the clothes to support the true end of life, and through that support, then that’s when we can actually understand if this policy is making impact,’ she explained.

‘If we don’t extend the policy to the true end of life, then unfortunately, all those policies will do is subsidise exports and not actually document or understand the impacts.’

Ms. Ricketts said The OR Foundation is ready to ensure EPR funds reach the informal workers who truly deal with textile waste at its end of life.

‘Most of the people who are doing the work are in what is considered the informal economy, and, unfortunately, sometimes there’s bias against supporting the informal economy because of questions around ‘how would the money flow?’,’ she said.

She said Kantamanto should not just be seen as a place of resale, but as a global leader in textile circularity that deserves investment.

‘Kantamanto should be fit for what it is, which is a global leader in textile circularity. So for us, Kantamanto shouldn’t just be a place of resale, but also a place where we are investing in upcycling as an industry,’ she stated.

She lamented the poor conditions in the market, noting that with over 26,000 individuals working there, there are only three bathrooms.

‘At the most basic level, people deserve better than that. They deserve to be comfortable in their workspace. They deserve also to be working in a space where they’re not going to have their health impacted,’ she stressed.

Ms. Ricketts also announced the 5th annual Obroni Wawu (OWO) October Festival scheduled for Sunday.

She said the all-day event from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature a fashion show, workshops, weaving with Tamatini recycled yarns, live screen printing, talks, exhibitions, and performances from artistes including Sister Derby.

She added that the highlight, the drip contest, will allow anyone to show up in their best upcycled or second-hand fit to win prizes.

Government’s ability to sustain economic growth and finance critical development projects is being constrained by low domestic revenue mobilisation, the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has warned.

According to the institute, the country’s tax revenue remains below the sub-Saharan African average, limiting the Government’s capacity to fund infrastructure, create jobs and support economic diversification without resorting to spending cuts.

The warning was contained in ISSER’s State of the Ghanaian Economy Report 2025, launched amid efforts by the Government to consolidate economic gains and accelerate growth.

Presenting the report, the Director of ISSER, Professor Robert Darko Osei, said the nation’s tax revenue stood at about 30 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025, significantly below the sub-Saharan African average.

‘Our revenue effort is a bit low. In fact, tax revenue is under 30% in 2025, was about 30% of GDP, and that was significantly lower than that which pertains in sub-Saharan Africa,’ he stressed.

Professor Osei said the country needed to broaden its tax base by bringing more individuals and businesses into the tax net rather than increasing the burden on existing taxpayers.

‘What it then points to is the need for bringing more into the tax net as it were, so that the revenue effort can be improved,’ he said.

He said a broader tax base would strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation and help the government generate the resources required to support its development priorities.

Professor Osei also cautioned that the planned economic rebasing could reduce the tax-to-GDP ratio if revenue collection failed to grow alongside the measured size of the economy.

He explained that economic rebasing involves updating the base year and data used to calculate national economic indicators, and added that although it can provide a more accurate picture of the size and structure of an economy, it can also change the relationship between tax revenue and GDP.

The ISSER director further observed that the nation’s improved fiscal position in 2025 was driven largely by expenditure reductions rather than a significant increase in revenue or grants relative to GDP.

He said revenue and grants remained broadly unchanged as a proportion of GDP, suggesting that spending restraint accounted for much of the improvement in the country’s fiscal position.

The findings raise questions about the sustainability of fiscal gains if the government cannot mobilise additional revenue to meet growing demands for public investment and essential services.

Professor Osei said the government needed to reconsider its spending priorities while intensifying efforts to raise more revenue domestically.

He also pointed to the average tariff rates, which he said were higher than those of neighbouring countries, as another reason to strengthen the domestic tax base rather than rely heavily on existing revenue sources.

The Savannah Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), has arrested a Nigerian national suspected of human trafficking.

The suspect, Prince James, was arrested in Kloth, a community near Damongo in the Savannah Region.

The Savannah Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, L. A. Agyapong, who confirmed the arrest to journalists, alleged that the suspect was part of a trafficking syndicate operating across Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

According to him, the suspect allegedly trafficked girls and sent them to remote communities in the Savannah Region where illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey, is ongoing, to engage in prostitution.

He said the suspect had lured a victim (name withheld) to a community near Damongo.

‘We were able to track the suspect to his hideout and arrest him. We have taken his statement, and he will be transferred to our headquarters for further investigations,’ Mr. Agyapong said.

He was optimistic that the arrest could help authorities identify and apprehend the suspect’s alleged accomplices.

‘We hope that the arrest of the suspect, who allegedly teamed up with others to lure girls into Ghana, particularly the Savannah Region against their will, will help us track down his accomplices and serve as a deterrent to others,’ he said.

The victim (name withheld), a nurse from Nigeria, told journalists that the suspect had promised to help her secure a well-paid nursing job in Ghana.

‘He told me he had someone in Ghana who could get me a well-paid nursing job. When I arrived, I realised it wasn’t a hospital job I had been promised, but prostitution,’ she said.

She alleged that several other girls had been trafficked to the Savannah Region and taken to a location near Damongo for prostitution.

‘Most of the girls there smoke and engage in sexual activities with men. That was when I realised this wasn’t the work I had been promised,’ she disclosed.

The victim said the suspect demanded that she repay the money spent on bringing her from Nigeria to Ghana.

She alleged that she was pressured to accompany a client to his home for the night.

According to the victim, she escaped around 4 a.m. and ran into the bush, where a farmer later found her and took her to the police.

‘When I followed the client to his home, I escaped into the bush around 4 a.m., I met a farmer, who rescued me and took me to the police to report the incident,’ she said.

Telecel Cash has disbursed more than GHS1 billion through its Ready Loan service, highlighting growing demand for digital credit in Ghana, according to management of the communication company.

The service, launched in partnership with CBG Ghana and Simbrella Ghana Limited, allows eligible Telecel Cash customers to access short-term loans directly through their mobile money wallets.

The loans, which range up to GHS2,500 depending on customers’ assigned credit limits, are disbursed within minutes to provide funds to meet urgent expenses and support small business operations.

Telecel Ghana said the ready loan is designed to address some of the barriers associated with traditional borrowing, including lengthy application processes, collateral requirements and limited access to banking services.

It noted that customers could use the facility to manage household expenses, bridge cash-flow gaps and meet short-term financial obligations without going through conventional loan application procedures.

The Managing Director of Simbrella Ghana Limited, Fui Fiadjoe, stated that the GHS1 billion disbursement milestone reflects the volume of credit channelled through the platform, as well as the role of mobile money services in extending access to digital lending.

He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding loan disbursements while maintaining safety, responsible lending and inclusivity.

The Managing Director of Telecel Mobile Financial Services, Philip Amoateng, said the company remained focused on developing digital financial solutions that were accessible and relevant to customers.

He said services such as Ready Loan were helping to deepen financial inclusion by giving customers greater financial flexibility and control over their finances.

Mr. Amoateng, however, urged customers to borrow responsibly and repay their loans on time to maintain access to the service and support their eligibility for future credit.

Veteran gospel musician, Bernice Ofeibea Offei, will be buried on Saturday, November 14, 2026, after a funeral service at the Legon Interdenominational Church (LIC) in Accra.

The funeral arrangements released by the family indicate that a remembrance night will be held at the same venue on Wednesday, November 11, at 7:00 p.m.

The filing past is scheduled for 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on the burial day, followed by the burial service from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Her remains will later be buried privately.

The final funeral rites will take place after the burial service, while a thanksgiving service will be held on Sunday, November 15, at 10:30 a.m.

Bernice Offei, 63, died at the University of Ghana Medical Centre on September 12, 2026.

She was a respected name in Ghana’s gospel music industry, known for songs including ‘Hold On’ and ‘Life Is So Short’.

Her death followed days of concern after she was reported missing in Accra, prompting a search by family, friends and members of the gospel music fraternity.

She is survived by her husband, Professor Samuel Kwame Offei, a former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and the former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of ASA, and their sons, Kevin Kwesi Offei and Daniel Kweku Offei.

Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) CEO, Maame Efua Houadjeto, has indicated that considering the programme outline for this year’s edition of ‘December in GH’, the annual event will be an exceptional success.

Speaking at the launch, Ms. Houadjeto indicated that the event has served as an opportunity for visitors to experience the country through its music, festivals, heritage sites, cuisine, fashion and community celebrations.

She revealed that more than 150 events had already been registered nationwide for the 2026 festive season, with Accra accounting for more than 100 planned activities.

‘Let the world discover our heritage, and let the world feel our welcome with the spirit of pride, partnership, and possibility. I am delighted that this year’s December in GH will be a blast and a wonderful experience,’ she assured.

The 2026 edition of ‘December in GH’ is scheduled to run from December 1, 2026, to January 3, 2027, as part of Ghana’s broader Black Star Experience tourism initiative.

Ms. Houadjeto made a heartfelt appeal to every event organiser, promoter, producer, and sponsor to tell the Ghanaian story.

‘Let Ghanaian talent form the greater share of your performing lineups. Give our artistes prominent billing, strong performance slots, and fair remuneration. Let’s establish stars that shine.

‘Let emerging artistes be discovered. Let our DJs bring Ghanaian music into the centre of the celebration, and let the audience experience the richness of our sound, from high life and hip life to gospel, contemporary sound, and the traditional music of our communities,’ she added.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, on her part, called on the stakeholders to focus on showcasing the country’s culture, heritage and hospitality rather than debating the name of the festive season.

This year’s celebration is being held under the theme ‘Ghana to the World,’ reflecting the country’s ambition to promote its cultural identity, creative industries and hospitality to international audiences.

Madam Gomashie described December as an important period for Ghana’s tourism industry and a homecoming for Ghanaians abroad, Africans in the diaspora, and friends of the country.

She stressed that the initiative’s success should be measured not only by visitor numbers and entertainment events but also by the economic opportunities it creates for local communities.

She called for the benefits of the festive season to reach a broad range of businesses and professionals, including tour operators, hoteliers, content creators, musicians, fashion designers, artisans and young entrepreneurs.