Category: Daily Guide Network

The Northern Regional Correspondent of the DAILY GUIDE, Eric Kombat, has won the Northern Region Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) 2025 Best Reporter for Disability award.

This is the second time the multiple award-wining journalist has won the disability reporter award in the Northern sector.

His story: ‘Silent Suffering: The Struggles of Persons with Disabilities in Conflict’ was adjudged the winner in the disability category.

The story brings an often overlooked dimension of conflict into public focus and combines depth, humanity and clear policy recommendations to highlight the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in conflict situations.

The 6th Northern Region GJA Awards was on the theme, ‘Empowering the next generation: The role of the media in digital skills, innovation and youth opportunities.’

The Northern Regional Chairman, GJA, Yakubu Abdul-Majeed, congratulated all award winners and urged them to continue to work hard to positively impact the world.

He noted that the regional executives of the GJA have vowed to work assiduously to empower and protect the media to carry out their duties without fear or favour.

‘We are therefore charging journalists in the region to, at all times, offer constructive criticism. Let us ask critical questions with the sole aim of ensuring judicious use of resources. We need to assist the citizenry to hold duty bearers more accountable and responsible,’ he said.

Mr. Abdul-Majeed encouraged journalists to highlight the challenges confronting communities and offer their platforms to the voiceless to air their concerns.

Abdul Wahab Yumzaa Yakubu of Zaa TV was adjudged as the Northern Region Journalist of the Year 2025.

Other winners are Shawana Yussif, Channel One TV, Best Gender Reporter; Nadra Mohammed, TV3, Best Road Safety Reporter; Abdul Wahab Yumzaa Yakubu, Zaa TV, Best Health Reporter; Christopher Amoako, TV3, Best Energy and Electricity Reporter; Abukari Alhassan Baba, Daily Graphic, Best Tourism Reporter; and Sulemana Alhassan Tarimbia, Best Agriculture Reporter.

The rest are Solomon Gumah, Ghana News Agency, Best Climate Change and Environment Reporter; Nadra Mohammed, TV3, Best Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Reporter; Ibrahim Tahid Puumaya, Channel One TV, Best Videographer; Nadra Mohammed, TV3, Best Female Journalist of the Year; and Mohammed Kamil Baba, Asaase Radio, Best Peace and Conflict Sensitive Reporter.

The Minority in Parliament has alleged that GHS6.27 million meant for the reintegration and transportation of Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa has not been properly accounted for in records provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Minority, only 824 of the 1,964 evacuees could be confirmed from the payment registers as having received both the GHS5,000 reintegration grant and the GHS500 transport allowance, contrary to the ministry’s stated position that all evacuees received the two packages.

Addressing the media in Parliament yesterday, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, said the discrepancy leaves 1,140 evacuees whose payments could not be properly reconciled, requiring the ministry to explain the whereabouts of the funds.

The press conference followed the Minority’s review of documents supplied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in response to a request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The Minority stated that its analysis involved matching names on the signed registers for the GHS5,000 reintegration package against those on the GHS500 transport allowance register to establish the number of evacuees who could be confirmed as having received both payments.

It said the findings formed part of broader discrepancies identified in the records relating to the evacuation exercise, which the minister has valued at GHS49.72 million.

According to the Minority, the amount comprises GHS33.72 million in government-funded expenditure and GHS16 million attributed to Engineers and Planners for air tickets and reintegration support.

The caucus intimated that the minister also indicated that 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated following xenophobic violence in South Africa, with each person receiving a GHS5,000 reintegration grant and a GHS500 transport allowance.

However, the Minority said its examination of the documents raised questions about whether the reported number of evacuees and the expenditure incurred could be fully supported by the records supplied.

It also cited differences in the number of people who signed for the two payment packages.

The Minority said 1,708 people signed for the reintegration grant, while 1,001 signed for the transport allowance, leaving a difference of 707.

The Minority argued that the figures required an explanation, given the minister’s assertion that all 1,964 evacuees received both packages.

Beyond the payment discrepancies, the Minority questioned the records supporting the cost of commercial flights and related layover expenses.

It said the ministry reported spending GHS9.42 million on flight tickets and layover expenses for the 1,038 people presumed to have travelled by commercial flights, after 926 evacuees were transported on chartered flights.

The Minority, however, claimed that the documents provided could establish the evacuation of only 247 people by commercial flights.

Together with the 926 people recorded as having travelled on chartered flights, it said the records accounted for 1,173 evacuees, leaving 791 people whose evacuation it could not verify from the documents.

Using its estimated average flight and layover cost per person, the Minority put the amount requiring further explanation at GHS7.18 million.

It further identified alleged duplicate names in the reintegration and transport registers and flight manifests, raising questions about whether some individuals had been counted more than once in the reported figures.

Mr. Ayeh also raised concerns over 442 minors listed in the reintegration register, questioning whether the ministry had established specific safeguards for payments involving children and whether the money was received directly by them or through parents or guardians.

The Minority estimated the combined value of the reintegration and transport packages associated with the 442 minors at GHS2.431 million and said the ministry needed to clarify how the payments were handled.

Combining the discrepancies it identified in the payment registers, flight records and other documents, the Minority put the total amount requiring satisfactory explanation at GHS16.42 million, representing about 33 per cent of the reported cost of the evacuation exercise.

Mr. Ayeh said the discrepancies could mean that the ministry had not provided the complete details of the exercise or that the number of people evacuated and the expenditure incurred had been overstated.

The Minority called for a full and independent audit of the exercise, proposing that it be conducted by Deloitte Ghana, KPMG Ghana, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana or Ernst and Young Ghana, or another firm of comparable standing.

It also demanded that the audit’s terms of reference and findings be made public to enable Ghanaians to scrutinise the use of public funds.

While acknowledging that the minister had responded to its RTI request and invited the Auditor-General to audit the exercise, the Minority maintained that the response did not fully address its concerns over payment reconciliation, duplicate and unsigned entries, and supporting documentation for flight and logistics costs.

It urged the minister to provide a comprehensive account of the expenditure, insisting that public funds used to evacuate and support Ghanaians fleeing xenophobic violence must be subjected to transparent and verifiable accounting.

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is set to issue a new Credit Risk Management Directive to strengthen lending practices, improve loan recovery and address rising non-performing loans (NPLs) in the financial sector.

The Second Deputy Governor, Matilda Asante-Asiedu, announced this at the commissioning of Advans Ghana Savings and Loans’ new head office at Dzorwulu in Accra.

She said the directive will require Regulated Financial Institutions (RFIs) to establish robust credit risk management frameworks covering credit underwriting, loan administration, risk measurement, monitoring and recovery.

‘This directive aims to ensure that Regulated Financial Institutions (RFIs) develop and implement appropriate frameworks for managing their credit risk by establishing a robust credit risk environment; a sound credit-underwriting process; and maintaining appropriate credit administration, measurement, monitoring, and recovery processes and functions,’ she stated.

The directive will also set clear requirements for how institutions assess borrowers, manage credit risk and monitor loans to reduce the accumulation of bad debts.

Savings and Loans NPLs Rising

The announcement comes as the savings and loans sub-sector faces growing pressure to improve its loan portfolios.

The BoG expects RFIs to bring their NPL ratios down to no more than 10 per cent by the end of December 2026. While the industry-wide ratio has improved, the sub-sector’s has deteriorated.

‘The banking industry’s ratio stood at 16.1 per cent at end-June 2026, down from over 23 per cent a year earlier. However, for the Savings and Loans sub-sector, the NPL deteriorated from 15.35% in June 2025 to 19.44% for the same period in 2026. So, there is real work ahead of us in this last quarter to bring this in line with the regulatory expectation,’ Mrs. Asante-Asiedu said.

She noted that the BoG’s 2025 Notice on Non-Performing Loans had already set supervisory expectations for credit risk governance, prudential limits for NPL ratios and remedial measures for willful defaulters.

The new directive, she said, reinforces these measures by requiring stronger credit risk management systems and more effective oversight of lending across the loan cycle, complementing existing regulatory measures to improve asset quality and strengthen the financial system.

Ghanaian beauty entrepreneur and founder of The Prikels Hair Company, Priscilla Serwah Akoto, popularly known as Serwaa Prikels, has urged young women to prioritise financial independence and self-development over marriage.

The CEO of Prikels Hair Lounge and Spa and Prikels Training Academy in Accra made the call in a TikTok video which has since gone viral.

In the video, Serwaa Prikels advised ladies to chase financial stability before chasing marriage, clarifying that her message was not to encourage money consciousness but self-building.

‘Ladies, chase money before you chase marriage, and before you think I’m telling you to become money hungry, hear me out. I mean, build yourself first. In your 20s, don’t make finding a man your biggest achievement,’ she stated.

According to her, young women should focus on learning how to make and manage money, building their careers and businesses, as well as investing in themselves.

‘Learn how to make money. Learn how to manage money. Build your career. Build your business. Invest in yourself. Train the life that you actually love. Because love is beautiful, but love without options can make you tolerate things you shouldn’t,’ she pointed out.

The entrepreneur further stressed that financial independence gives women options and the power to walk away from abusive and unhealthy relationships.

‘And I’m not just talking about a little disagreement. If you’re being abused, disrespected, controlled, or made to feel like you have nowhere to go, you deserve to know that you have the plans. Your safety should never depend on whether you have enough money to walk away,’ she added.

‘But when you have your own money, your own life, your own purpose, it gives you something incredibly powerful. Options. You’re not choosing a man because you need him to save you. You’re choosing him because you genuinely want him.’

Serwaa Prikels also encouraged women to build themselves so that marriage becomes an addition to their lives and not a trap.

‘Honestly, I wish more ladies understood this earlier. Build yourself, ladies, because marriage should add to your life and not become the reason you’re afraid to leave one that is hurting you,’ she stated.

has stated that the party should not organise parliamentary primaries in the constituency.

Chief Akilu Sayibu, who expressed interest in parliamentary primaries in the Tolon Constituency in the last primaries, explained that the strategy of the party amongst other strategies should be to discourage primaries in the Tolon Constituency at this time.

According to the former deputy CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the party’s Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Habib Iddrisu, should be supported to retain the seat in the 2028 elections.

‘I have no intention at all of contesting parliamentary primaries in the Tolon Constituency at this time,’ Chief Akilu Sayibu disclosed.

‘My view is that all logistics and other resources that should be used for acrimonious parliamentary primaries should rather be channelled towards branding the party and the MP as ones ready for battle in 2028,’ he stressed.

The former Tamale North Parliamentary Candidate of the NPP has, therefore, called on his fans, family, and loved ones to ignore any social or traditional media publications to this effect.

According to him, Mr. Habib Iddrisu should rather be supported to continue with his good works to retain the seat for the party, and to help make Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia President in 2028.

Chief Akilu Sayibu revealed that he would embark on a media tour to drum home this position.

Black Starlets midfielder David Kwarteng made history at the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship after scoring the tournament’s first goal in Ghana’s 1-0 victory over Togo on Saturday, October 10, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Kwarteng struck in the seventh minute of the Group A encounter at the August 4 Sports Stadium to give Ghana a winning start to their campaign.

The historic goal followed a set-piece routine initiated by Abdul Latif Wunzalgu. After the initial free-kick was blocked, captain Abdul Rafiu Issah attempted a follow-up before Kwarteng seized the opportunity to find the net.

His early strike proved decisive as the Black Starlets held on to secure all three points and record the first victory of this year’s tournament.

Ghana’s win also sent them to the top of Group A after hosts Burkina Faso and Benin played out a goalless draw in the other group fixture.

Kwarteng’s contribution gives Ghana a strong foundation as they pursue qualification for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations through the regional competition.

The Black Starlets will face Benin on Tuesday, October 13, in their second group match as they seek to maintain their winning momentum and strengthen their qualification hopes.

BY Wletsu Ransford

Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge says ‘his body is still peaking’ after winning the Melbourne Marathon in a course record time at the age of 41.

The Kenyan crossed the line in two hours nine minutes 10 seconds for his 17th career win over the distance and first since the Berlin Marathon in 2023.

‘I believe that my body is still peaking – still able to compete with the next generation,’ Kipchoge said.

‘The oldest athlete is still competing but I am happy to run with the Gen Zs.’

The course was partly raced along the Australian Formula One track at Albert Park and finished inside the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

‘On the course, it was really wonderful, I enjoyed seeing people standing, cheering, and shouting my name,’ added Kipchoge, who slowed down inside the MCG to wave to the fans.

‘It was actually different – running on a beautiful course, but also running on the Formula One track, and above all else, finishing on a cricket ground.

‘It makes me proud to run with the younger generation and inspire the running community in Melbourne.’

MTN Ghana is intensifying its digital financial inclusion drive with a campaign to transition customers from traditional Mobile Money (MoMo) transactions to the MoMo App, which the company says offers a wider range of convenient financial services.

Isaac Agyenim Boateng, Manager for Brands and Communication at MTN Ghana, speaking at MomoFest in Ho said the event was part of the company’s broader digital agenda to encourage customers to transact digitally and take advantage of the expanded services available on the MoMo platform.

He said while many customers continued to rely on the *170# short code for basic transactions, the MoMo App had evolved into a one-stop financial tool offering customers convenience and access to services beyond money transfers, including savings, investments, loans and pension products.

According to him, MTN had, over the past two weeks, undertaken a number of activations in the Volta Region, including in Ho and other locations, moving into communities, homes and offices to assist customers to download and use the app. ‘For us as a business now, we are moving from wallet to financial well-being,’ he said.

Mr. Boateng said the objective was to help customers move beyond simply sending and receiving money to using their MoMo wallets to improve their financial stability and grow their finances.

He also encouraged customers to embrace the digital era and make the MoMo App their preferred channel for accessing MTN’s financial services.

On security, he assured customers that the MoMo platform was ISO-certified and designed with robust security measures to protect users.

He, however, cautioned customers to take responsibility for protecting their accounts, stressing that their PINs and one-time passwords must never be disclosed to other persons.

He said MTN was complementing its technological security measures with continuous customer education through social media campaigns, SMS messages, weekly fraud-prevention tips and a fraud education series on its YouTube channels. ‘Your PIN is your key. It is a key to your wallet,’ he cautioned.

Some vendors participating in the MomoFest also praised the cashless payment system, saying it had made transactions safer and more convenient.

Abandoned Grace Oma, a vendor, said the system reduced the risks associated with carrying cash after sales, while Millicent, popularly known as MG of MG Scoreset, said cashless transactions had become an integral part of her online business.

The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has directed all prospective parliamentary aspirants, their agents and supporters to immediately cease all campaign activities pending the announcement of the official timetable and guidelines for the party’s parliamentary processes.

A statement issued by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the directive follows numerous complaints received by the party over reports that some members with parliamentary ambitions have begun campaigning in various constituencies.

This, the statement said, violates the party’s regulations and Code of Conduct.

The directive comes barely a week after the NPP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, Dr. Mahamamudu Bawumia, said the party has begun a nationwide search for winnable parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2028 general election.

The leadership of the party warned that premature campaigning creates an uneven playing field among prospective aspirants and undermines the unity and discipline necessary for the party’s success.

The party has, therefore, instructed all prospective candidates and their associates to halt every form of campaign activity with immediate effect.

‘The Party accordingly directs, with immediate effect, that all prospective parliamentary aspirants, their agents and supporters cease all forms of campaign activities,’ it said in a statement.

The NPP further indicated that the prohibition applies to all forms of campaigns, inculding but not limited to the mounting of posters, billboards, banners and other branded campaign materials, as well as the organisation of rallies, meetings with polling station executives and constituency tours intended to solicit support.

The directive also prohibits the distribution of items or other inducements to delegates and party members, alongside paid media and social media advertisements promoting individual candidacies.

‘Party officers at the polling station, electoral area, constituency, regional and national levels, TESCON, are forbidden entirely from posting any parliamentary aspirant on any social media platform (Facebook, X, Instagram etc.) or enabling such pre-mature Parliamentary aspirants’ activities,’ the statement warned.

The leadership of the NPP warned that any person who disregards the directive will face disciplinary action in accordance with the party’s established procedures ‘which may affect their eligibility to contest.’

The statenent noted that the NPP will announce the timetable and guidelines for the parliamentary processes in due course.

‘Constituency and regional executives are to ensure strict compliance within their jurisdictions. The Party counts on the cooperation of all members,’ the statement added.

Winnable Candidates

Dr. Bawumia announced recently that the party is embarking on an exercise aimed at identifying candidates with the best prospects of winning parliamentary seats, rather than relying solely on the outcome of internal primaries.

He said the search would cover constituencies across the country and form part of efforts to ensure that the party presents candidates capable of defeating their opponents in the 2028 elections.

He said the party also intended to organise its parliamentary primaries as soon as possible to bring the internal election process to an end.

Dr. Bawumia said the candidate-selection process would be made as transparent as possible, stressing that financial strength should not be the main consideration in determining who becomes a parliamentary candidate.

‘We want to make the process as transparent as possible. On the parliamentary candidate side, what we are trying to do is to do candidate selection across all the constituencies because some people can win parliamentary primaries. After all, they have money, but they cannot win the election,’ he said.

Dr. Bawumia explained that the proposed candidate search was intended to address that challenge by providing the party with independent assessments of potential parliamentary candidates.

Maternal and Child Health Expert and CEO of MamaCare by Racheal, Mrs. Racheal Hesse Matey, has warned that unresolved conflicts among obstetric care providers are indirectly contributing to maternal and neonatal mortality.

Speaking at the Annual Health Conference on topics including Maternal and Neonatal Mortality, Health Law as a Core Element of Medical Negligence, and Professionalism and Ethics, she said internal disagreements and failure to adhere to agreed protocols among caregivers on duty often result in misdiagnosis, improper interventions, and poor coordination, with patients bearing the brunt.

She explained that when staff on the same shift are not on good terms, patient care suffers, stressing that interpersonal conflicts should be resolved as quickly as possible because they directly or indirectly affect the mother and the unborn child.

She, therefore, called on health facilities and training institutions to prioritise teamwork, communication and conflict resolution as part of efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

Mrs. Hesse Matey underscored the need for midwives to continuously upgrade their knowledge and show greater commitment to patient care in order to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

According to her, if a midwife’s knowledge is deficient compared to that of the patient, it poses a serious problem that could contribute to maternal deaths.

‘And if you don’t have the knowledge to care for your patients, then we are talking about maternal mortality. So it’s very important that midwives out there, when they are coming, it’s not just to pass your exams, but you are indeed coming to put to practice whatever knowledge you have acquired. And it doesn’t end after the training,’ she stressed.

Mrs. Hesse Matey further cautioned trainees against excessive use of mobile phones and social media while on duty, stressing that every moment spent with a patient counts.

‘Their time with their patients should be valued when they are on the ward, and not to spend so much time on their phones. When you are with your patients, with the mother and the baby, the less chance you are losing either of them,’ she stated.

She called on tutors, ward in-charges and supervisors to continue discouraging the use of phones for social media during working hours, and to emphasise patient-centred care from the classroom to the clinical setting.

Specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Elikem Oklu, disclosed that Ghana has the statistics, drugs, expertise and facilities to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths, yet women continue to die from preventable causes.

Speaking at the Annual Health Conference, he said the main challenge is the failure to translate knowledge into practice.

‘Why are women still dying in the midst of all this knowledge? It’s because for most of us, we do not make a connection between what we know and what we do,’ Dr. Oklu said.

He challenged nurses and midwives not to be the type who can write essays on postpartum haemorrhage but fail to save a woman in an emergency.

‘Time is of the essence. There have been cases where a woman is deteriorating and a nurse says ‘I’m opening the folder’ or ‘I’m charting vitals.’ There’s a thin line between life and death,’ he noted.

Dr. Oklu stressed that simple interventions save lives – accurate vital signs, recognising shock, and monitoring newborns for hypothermia.

He also emphasised attitude and institutional culture, saying empathy during emergencies can make a difference even when outcomes are poor.

He urged open communication on the wards, proper referrals, and commitment to duty.

‘A pregnant woman is not a sick person, so she should not die. If she dies, it must be looked into carefully,’ he said, adding that the first minute, first hour and first day are crucial to survival.

Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, Ms. Rachel Haizel, stated that Ghana is not suing medical facilities and health professionals enough for medical negligence.

She said the low rate of litigation has emboldened poor professional conduct in some health facilities.

‘A lot of hospitals, a lot of medical facilities are being sued. We are not suing them enough. If you see the kind of treatment that some of these health practitioners give to their patients, it’s horrible,’ she said.

She cautioned health professionals that anyone who comes into contact with them as patients is owed a duty of care, which must be discharged with reasonable care and skill in line with expected standards.

Ms. Haizel urged practitioners to think about the foreseeable consequences of their actions, warning that negligence, such as failing to read prescriptions or administering the wrong medication leading to death, will attract legal action.