Category: Daily Guide Network

A fresh leadership dispute has erupted within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region following a disagreement over the appointment of 10 officers to various positions within the party’s regional structure.

The controversy follows an announcement by the Regional Chairman, Makafui Kofi Woanyah, who named the 10 persons in a statement dated August 26. Mr. Woanyah said the appointments were made in consultation with the National Executive Committee (NEC) and in accordance with Article 9(2) of the NPP Constitution, as amended in 2025.

However, the elected Regional Executives have rejected the appointments, arguing that they were neither considered nor approved at a duly constituted meeting of the Regional Executive Committee.

In a statement signed by the Regional Secretary, Shabanton Moses Kwesi Dutsrogbé, the Secretariat said the appointments could not be regarded as decisions of the elected Regional Executives because the constitutionally prescribed process had not been followed.

The Secretariat cited Article 9(10) of the NPP Constitution, which provides that elected Regional Officers shall, within 14 days of their election and in consultation with the NEC, appoint Regional Officers required under the relevant provisions of the party’s constitution.

According to Mr. Dutsrogbé, no official meeting of the newly elected Regional Executives had been convened since their election to deliberate on, consider or approve the appointments announced by the Chairman. He therefore maintained that the appointments did not represent the collective decision of the elected Regional Executives.

The 10 persons named by Mr. Woanyah are Enyonam Morve, Regional Financial Secretary; Alhassan Samadu, Deputy Regional Organiser; Mercy Kpodo, Deputy Regional Women’s Organiser; Innocent Richard Dzamabi, Deputy Regional Youth Organiser; and Karim Raifu, Deputy Nasara Organiser.

The others are Richard Kwadekpo, Electoral Affairs Officer; Ruben Dorcoo, Research Officer; Eric Kwame Akatsi Dumenu, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Coordinator; Bless Kofi Dunyo Esq., Legal Representative; and Wisdom Jid Gakpo, Regional Special Duties Officer.

The Regional Secretariat has described the appointments as ‘null and void’ and called on party members and the public to disregard them. It said the appointments did not emanate from a duly constituted meeting or collective decision of the elected Regional Executives, and could therefore not be presented as the official position of the regional leadership.

The development has placed the two opposing positions within the Volta NPP leadership in the public domain, with the Regional Chairman maintaining that the appointments were properly made in consultation with the national leadership, while the elected Regional Executives are challenging their validity on constitutional grounds. The dispute could further fuel debate over the interpretation of the party’s constitutional provisions governing the appointment of regional officers and the respective roles of the Chairman, Regional Executive Committee and NEC.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has refused to rule out seeking a third term in office, insisting that his immediate priority is to continue leading Ghana football rather than make an early decision about the 2027 elections.

Okraku, who has served as GFA president since 2019, became eligible for another term after delegates approved a constitutional amendment in 2025 allowing the association’s president to serve a maximum of three terms.

The amendment was overwhelmingly approved, with 114 of the 124 delegates present voting in favour, potentially clearing the path for Okraku to seek another four-year mandate in 2027.

However, when asked by 3Sports if he intends to contest the next election, Okraku remained non-committal. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.

He explained that there is still considerable time before the next elective General Assembly and that his attention is currently on his responsibilities as GFA president.

‘We have close to 18 months before an elective General Assembly. There is a lot of work to be done. I want to concentrate on my tenure as the president and see how best we can reposition our football.’

Okraku added that he would make his position known when the appropriate time arrives.

‘When the time comes, I will speak. When the time comes, the football family will speak.’

The GFA president also stressed that he does not intend to remain in office indefinitely.

‘At the end, I can never stay here forever, and I do not intend to stay here forever. When the time is due, Kurt will fly away.’

Okraku was first elected in 2019 after the GFA’s previous administration was dissolved and replaced by a Normalisation Committee.

He secured a second term in 2023 after former GFA vice-president George Afriyie was disqualified from the presidential contest, leaving Okraku to run unopposed.

Strategic Communications Africa Ltd. (Stratcomm Africa) has announced the 14th edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show (GGFS) to be held from Friday, September 11 to Monday, September 21, 2026, at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra.

The 2026 edition is on the theme, ‘Green Means Business, Beauty and More’ and will highlight the economic, environmental and social value of greening Ghana.

According to the organizers, the theme reflects the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement’s view that gardens, flowers, landscaping, horticulture and green spaces go beyond aesthetics to create businesses and jobs, support livelihoods, enhance wellbeing, strengthen communities, contribute to tourism and hospitality, and help build cleaner, healthier and more livable environments.

The 11-day show is expected to bring together local and international exhibitors, floriculture and horticulture industry players, entrepreneurs, real estate developers, policymakers, students, families and the public to explore products and services, acquire practical skills and discover green business opportunities.

Activities lined up include daily exhibitions of floriculture, horticulture, landscaping and eco-friendly products and garden ornaments, a Horticulture Roundtable on leveraging opportunities and managing challenges along the horticulture value chain, and the Green to Riches Conference focused on green entrepreneurship with emphasis on youth opportunities.

Other activities are masterclasses and demonstrations in gardening, horticulture and landscaping, and evening experiences including awards night for stewards of the earth, music night, drama night and the fashion in bloom show.

Speaking on the significance of the 14th edition, the CEO of Stratcomm Africa and Convener of the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, Esther A. N. Cobbah, said green is about opportunity.

‘Green means much more than planting a tree. Green means opportunity – business, livelihoods, beauty, wellness, creativity and a better quality of life. Through this year’s theme, we want to broaden the conversation around greening and demonstrate the value that can be created when we intentionally integrate nature into our homes, businesses, communities and cities,’ she said.

She noted that since 2013, the Show has provided a platform to inspire Ghanaians to appreciate, protect and invest in the green environment and called on businesses, young people, families and development partners to find their place in the green economy.

Former Ghanaian boxer Michael Ayitey Okai, popularly known as Ayitey Powers, has been discharged by the Dansoman Circuit Court after the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, withdrew the case against him.

Ayitey Powers was facing charges after a social media video in which he allegedly threatened to shoot Mr. Ankrah over disputes related to the cancellation of boxing events that he claimed caused him financial losses.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded into custody pending trial. On Tuesday, the court discharged him following the withdrawal of the case by the NSA boss.

Speaking after his discharge, an emotional Ayitey Powers expressed gratitude to the court and apologized publicly for his conduct. He said the experience in custody strengthened his faith and taught him valuable lessons.

‘As a God-fearing person, if you trust God and anything happens to you, you have to trust God,’ he said.

Powers vowed to focus on his boxing promotions and avoid further public disputes

After nearly three decades, the long-running murder case involving rap icon, Tupac Shakur, has reached a major turning point, with Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis found guilty of first-degree murder.

Davis, 63, was accused of helping orchestrate the 1996 shooting that claimed the life of the rapper, who was 25 at the time of his death.

Prosecutors argued that Davis played a key role in planning the attack as retaliation for a fight involving Shakur earlier that night. Although he was not accused of being the person who fired the fatal shots, prosecutors maintained that he was involved in organising the deadly confrontation.

Shakur was shot several times while riding in a car along the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. He died from his injuries six days later, on September 13.

The case remained unsolved for years and became one of the most enduring mysteries in hip-hop history, generating numerous theories about who was responsible for the rapper’s death.

Davis was eventually arrested in connection with the case, bringing renewed attention to an investigation that had remained unresolved for nearly 30 years.

Fidelity Bank Ghana has convened a landmark Debt Capital Markets Conference to explore how Ghana can convert its hard-won macroeconomic stability into efficiently priced, long-term capital for productive investment.

The conference, held under the theme, ‘Lower Rates, Higher Opportunity: Unlocking Growth Through the Debt Capital Markets,’ brought together the Bank of Ghana, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Stock Exchange/Ghana Fixed Income Market, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Pensions Regulatory Authority, institutional investors, issuers and market leaders.

It marked a shift in the national conversation from strengthening economic fundamentals to building foundations for durable growth in the debt capital markets.

Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, Julian Opuni, said improving conditions now present a genuine opportunity after three years focused on stabilisation.

‘For capital-market participants, improving macroeconomic conditions are not an end in themselves. The practical question is how we convert macroeconomic stability into efficiently priced, long-term capital for productive investment,’ Mr. Opuni said.

He argued that a growing economy cannot rely on a single funding channel and disclosed that Fidelity Bank has supported debt capital-market transactions with an aggregate value exceeding GHS30 billion.

‘A deep debt capital market is built transaction by transaction, but it develops institution by institution,’ he said.

Delivering the keynote, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, said real GDP growth reached 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026, headline inflation had fallen from a peak of 54.1 percent in December 2022 to 4.6 percent in July 2026, and gross international reserves stood at US$12.9 billion.

He described the reopening of the domestic bond market in March after the expiry of the three-year restriction imposed under the Debt Exchange as the most significant development of the year.

‘This is a milestone, a transition from crisis management to active, orderly debt management,’ Dr. Asiama said.

He said the true measure of a deeper market would be seen in ‘that power project that was completed, that factory that expanded, the housing development that was financed, and the SME that finds room on a bank’s balance sheet because the right capital reached the right use.

‘Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Abena Amoah, said markets are ultimately institutions of trust built through cooperation, reflecting on the decade-long journey since the founding of the Ghana Fixed Income Market in 2015.

She noted that Ghana’s debt capital market remains heavily concentrated around sovereign issuance, with corporate securities representing only a small fraction of activity.

‘A market built predominantly around one issuer cannot achieve its full potential without broader private-sector participation,’ she said, calling on banks like Fidelity Bank to lead as issuers and as originators for their corporate clients.

Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Theophilus Acheampong, assured that recent reforms, including legislated fiscal rules, an independent fiscal council and a resourced sinking fund, were designed to institutionalise stability and prevent a relapse.

Ghana recorded a trade surplus of $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven largely by strong gold exports, data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has shown.

According to the First Quarter Trade Newsletter released by the GSS, the country exported goods worth US$10.2 billion during the period, while imports amounted to US$5.9 billion.

The Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrissu, said the figures meant that ‘for every 100 cedis that Ghana earned from exports, 58 percent went back out on imports.

He, however, cautioned that the headline surplus largely reflects the value of goods at prevailing prices.

‘Once we strip out rising prices, Ghana actually received more goods than it shipped; that is, exports of US$2.6 billion against imports of $3.2 billion,’ Dr. Iddrissu explained.

Gold remained Ghana’s biggest export during the quarter, generating US$5.9 billion in export earnings.

Cocoa exports also improved, but Dr. Iddrissu warned that Ghana’s export earnings remain concentrated in a narrow range of commodities.

He noted that much of the increase in export prices during the quarter was driven by gold, further highlighting the commodity’s dominant role in Ghana’s external trade.

The Government Statistician also raised concern about the concentration of Ghana’s export markets.

‘India and Switzerland together took more than a third of what Ghana sold,’ he revealed.

The party is also demanding details of the prices, discounts, financing arrangements and other commercial conditions under which the gold is being sold, arguing that Ghanaians have a right to know how the country’s mineral wealth is being traded.

The call was made by a member of the NPP’s Policy Coordinating Committee on Finance and Economy and former Finance Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, at a press conference yesterday.

Dr. Amin Adam said the disclosure of the information would enable the public to assess whether the transactions were commercially beneficial to Ghana and whether the country was obtaining adequate value from its gold.

‘We want to know the names of the foreign buyers of Ghana’s gold and the discounts and commercial terms they were given. Those contracts must be published,’ he said.

He alleged that discounts granted to buyers had been a factor in the financial losses associated with the gold purchasing programme and questioned why the relevant agreements had not been made available for public scrutiny.

The former Finance Minister also criticised moves to enable foreign buyers to pre-finance gold purchases. He argued that such an arrangement could strengthen the bargaining position of the buyers and potentially affect the prices at which Ghana’s gold was ultimately sold.

‘Allowing foreign buyers to pre-finance purchases of gold would deepen the very discounts that have been draining value from the programme,’ he alleged.

Dr. Amin Adam further raised concerns about the cost of replacing Bank of Ghana financing with commercial bank funding.

He said commercial lenders would impose interest and guarantee charges, unlike the central bank, which he said had previously provided interest-free financing for the gold purchases.

‘Financing through commercial banks, as we now know they are doing, brings interest and guarantee costs because commercial banks will charge them. The Bank of Ghana pre-financed them interest-free. It is not going to be the same,’ he stated.

The NPP has consequently asked Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to explain whether the government intends to guarantee the proposed financing arrangement.

The party also wants the Minister to state the specific legal authority that would permit such a guarantee.

‘We are asking the Finance Minister whether the Ministry will guarantee this new financing and under what legal authority,’ Dr. Amin Adam said.

Beyond the identity of the foreign buyers, the NPP is demanding details of the financial relationship between Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and the Bank of Ghana.

Dr. Amin Adam specifically called for the publication of the agreement covering the reported transfer of about GHS133 billion in central bank funds through GoldBod.

‘We have not seen that agreement. What are the terms between GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana?’ he asked.

He said the documents being requested were already in existence and maintained that some were subject to statutory disclosure requirements.

The NPP has also proposed a joint reconciliation of the financial figures by GoldBod, the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance to resolve what it described as inconsistencies in the accounts relating to the gold transactions.

Dr. Amin Adam said the reconciliation should provide a clear picture of the funds committed to the programme, the income generated and the losses incurred.

The former Finance Minister maintained that publishing the relevant contracts and financial information would promote transparency and allow Ghanaians to independently determine whether the country was receiving fair value for its gold.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, says the relegation of African culture to mere entertainment is a grave mistake that undermines development, governance and the future of society.

Speaking on the theme ‘Governance, Culture and Diaspora,’ the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool told faculty and students at the Howard University that culture is far more than ceremonial display.

‘This brings me to culture. Culture is frequently treated as entertainment: appearing at festivals, tourism events, diplomatic ceremonies, and national celebrations, while being too often absent from serious conversations about development, governance, and the future of society. This is a mistake,’ the Asantehene stated.

According to him, culture is not merely about dance, clothing, food and ceremony, though those are important. ‘Culture includes language, morality, historical memory, family organisation, spirituality, political philosophy, customary law, artistic expression, methods of conflict resolution, environmental understanding, and ideas about what constitutes a good human life,’ he explained.

He noted that culture defines the identity of a group of people and provides the intellectual and moral vocabulary through which they understand life’s key moments – birth and death, childhood and adulthood, marriage and family, authority and responsibility, suffering and hope.

‘A society that loses confidence in its culture eventually loses confidence in itself,’ Otumfuo warned.

He stressed, however, that cultural preservation does not mean freezing society in the past. ‘Culture is not a dead object to be placed behind glass; it is a living heritage that must be understood, practiced, questioned, renewed, and transmitted. Modernity must not be confused with imitation,’ he said.

On the diaspora, Otumfuo said the relationship must be built on mutual respect and strategic cooperation. ‘The relationship between Africa and its diaspora must therefore be built on mutual respect, shared history, and practical cooperation. It must not be reduced to nostalgia or romanticism, but developed as a strategic partnership for intellectual, economic, cultural, and social renewal,’ he stated.

Tracing the history of forced migration through the transatlantic slave trade, he said its consequences remain visible in inequality and cultural displacement, but stressed that the diaspora story is also one of resilience.

‘The history of the African diaspora cannot be written only as a story of victimisation, because it is also a story of survival, intellectual courage, scientific innovation, and cultural creativity,’ Otumfuo said.

‘Those who crossed the Atlantic under conditions of extreme violence carried more than their bodies: they carried memory, spirituality, rhythm… and an unyielding desire for freedom.’

He added that Africa needs the skills, capital and global reach of its diaspora, while the diaspora benefits from a deep reconnection to its historical roots and spiritual home.

Veteran Ghanaian gospel musician Bernice Offei, 63, has been reported missing after she was last seen on September 1 around Nyaho-Tamakloe Street, Agbogba in Accra.

Her family says they have not heard from her since and are appealing to the public for assistance.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact 024 878 1971 / 024 755 3431 or report to the nearest police station.

Bernice Offei, born in Accra on February 25, 1969, is one of Ghana’s most celebrated gospel musicians, popularly known for timeless hits like ‘Hold On’ and ‘Life Is So Short.’

Her music career began in 1979 and she released her debut album ‘We Are Victors’ in 1991, followed by her breakthrough album ‘Hold On’ the same year. She has six albums to her credit, including ‘Me Kosu’ (2003), ‘Grateful’ (2004) and ‘Life’ (2007).

Her 2007 album ‘Life’ won her Best Female Vocal Performance and Songwriter of the Year at the 2009 Ghana Music Awards.

She is married to Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei, a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and is a mother of two