Category: Daily Guide Network

Former Vice President and flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, celebrated his birthday last Tuesday in a unique manner.

He foot the medical bills of many children receiving treatment at the Department of Child Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Ms. Akosua Manu aka Kozie, the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Adenta Constituency who is the former Vice President’s special aide, made the presentation on his behalf at the premier referral hospital.

The over GHS80,000 donation covered outstanding medical bills and cost of essential medicines for children in various wards.

According to Ms. Manu, the initiative was motivated by Dr. Bawumia’s compassion for children, particularly those battling health conditions whose families struggle to afford treatment.

‘Dr. Bawumia has always been passionate about children’s welfare. He believes that no child should be denied care because of financial challenges. This support is his way of spreading love and hope on his special day,’ she said.

Nurses and ward in-charges, who received the funds on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed deep gratitude to Dr. Bawumia and his team, describing the donation as a timely act of compassion that has lifted a heavy burden off many struggling parents.

‘This support has brought relief to families who were unable to pay for their children’s treatment. It is a true blessing,’ one of the ward in-charges remarked.

The atmosphere at the hospital was filled with smiles, gratitude, and heartfelt prayers for the former Vice President.

Many parents and staff thanked him for choosing to mark his birthday with an act of kindness that directly touched lives.

The visit, characterised by warmth and appreciation, underscored Dr. Bawumia’s long-standing advocacy for compassion-driven public service and his belief that leadership must always prioritise humanity.

It would be recalled that Dr. Bawumia adopted a girl abandoned by her parents at the Weija Leprosarium.

He sponsored little Priscilla’s medical treatment in Italy and upon her return he had her admitted at the Roman Ridge School in Accra, where she has begun schooling.

Her first day at the school was a memorable one, as Dr. Bawumia and his friend Father Andrew Campbell, a patron of the leprosarium, engaged with the little girl.

Dr. Bawumia described the moment on his Facebook thus: ‘Today, Little Priscilla, a former resident of the Weija Leprosarium who was rejected by her parents at age two, reached a new milestone in her life, with her first day at school at the Roman Ridge School in Accra.

‘It was an exciting day for her and all who have cared for her including Father Campbell, Donna and Barbara. Priscilla is such an intelligent girl, and I believe she is destined for some great things in life. Congratulations to Priscilla Nonstele!!! May the angels protect you.’

Dr. Bawumia’s relationship with the little girl started when she was four and resident at the Weija Leprosarium as a cured leper.

Touched by her plight, the then Vice President sponsored a surgical procedure on her in Italy, which saw her now using a prosthetic limb.

MATTHEW Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is confident the party will recapture political power in 2028, and return the country back to the path of prosperity.

Without mincing words, he stated emphatically that all the five NPP presidential aspirants are competent and far better than anyone that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) will present as their flagbearer for the crucial election.

Dr. Prempeh, nicknamed as ‘Napo’, described the NPP’s shocking electoral defeat in 2024 as just a temporary setback, stating categorically that the party learnt its lessons, and would therefore bounce back stronger in 2028.

According to Napo, he would willingly, wholeheartedly and actively campaign for any of the five candidates that the electorates would eventually settle on as NPP flagbearer on January 31, 2026, urging other party members to do so.

‘Any of the five NPP presidential candidates is much better than what the NDC can ever offer Ghana. So I’m much prepared to work for any candidate that will be elected as the NPP flagbearer,’ he stressed.

Napo was speaking during the NPP Manchester Youth Wing Conference in the United Kingdom (UK), which was under theme ‘A formidable youth wing, ready for power’. The event was graced by NPP members in the UK and beyond.

Touching on the outcome of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, he said, ‘Defeat is nothing but a lesson. How you learn the lesson and how you practice, will determine whether you will win or fail in your next match.’

According to him, the NPP has realised its shortfalls, which denied the party victory in 2024, promising that with unity and oneness, the NPP can strategise and campaign effectively to wrest political power from the ruling NDC.

‘The 2024 lessons have been learnt, it’s painful. Defeat cannot break our backbone. Don’t let the 2024 defeat paralyze you,’ Napo advised his party members, stating emphatically that the NPP would surely win power in 2028.

According to Napo, what the NPP needs most in order to win the next elections is total unity, ‘and that’s why I started a unity campaign immediately we lost the 2024 elections, because I know that with unity, we can recapture power.’

He pointed out that some aggrieved NPP members decided not to cast their ballots in 2024, and that helped the NDC to win power, saying that the ‘NDC didn’t win the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, NPP lost the polls.’

Napo stated that the youth have a major and crucial role to play to help the NPP to realise its ambitions of recapturing political power in 2028, urging the NPP youth to make themselves available and work assiduously for the party.

‘Coordinate your TESCON activities because a vibrant TESCON will make our work easier,’ he admonished. ‘Don’t get yourself in unnecessary camps, your camp is NPP camp so don’t let anybody buy your conscience,’ he advised.

Napo also urged the NPP youth to defend and promote the party on social media platforms, saying, ‘The youth wing should be active on social media. One of the core duties of the youth is to fight for the party but not individuals.’

The National Service Authority (NSA) has officially opened the portal for the new registration of potential personnel for the 2025/26 service year, following a directive by President John Dramani Mahama to conduct a technical and forensic audit of the previous Central Service Management Platform (CSMP).

The registration, which spans a week -October 8 to 15, 2025- requires potential personnel to log on to www.gnsa.gov.gh for registration. The new website, established by the Authority, will be utilised for the enrollment, registration, and deployment of national service personnel starting this year.

Director-General of the National Service Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, announced that the new posting system has been revamped to streamline the process, enhance transparency, and simplify management.

She said service personnel will continue to follow the usual steps of PIN retrieval, card verification, posting, and allowance tracking, but through a unified and secure digital platform. Also, each user will have a personalised dashboard showcasing their posting details, institution information, duty reports, and a certificate with a QR code.

She added that verification institutions have also been integrated into the new system, enabling them to request and manage personnel more efficiently. The new workflow brings requests, approvals, attendance confirmation, and report validation online, supported by automated processes that drastically cut down delays and reduce manual work.

At the heart of this transformation lies the intelligent posting algorithm, which automatically matches personnel to institutions based on qualifications, regional preferences, and institutional needs.

‘The system considers factors such as educational background, proximity, and institutional capacity, ensuring a more streamlined and effective posting process,’ she added.

Addressing the issue of personnel registration in June 2025, Ms. Seddoh stated that when the system was activated, the Authority recorded just over 12,000 personnel registrants.

‘Unfortunately, due to various issues concerning questionable data presented and the necessity to ensure the integrity of all provided data, I regret to inform you that all registrants who registered in June 2025 will need to re-register, as the previous registration are no longer valid.’

She promised to refund registration fees made for early registration promptly.

She added that this change is to eradicate financial infractions associated with payroll processing, saying, ‘We recognise that inadequate financial controls in the past have resulted in significant losses for the state. Management has taken decisive steps to introduce stringent reforms and enhance internal controls, utilising appropriate banking tools to combat these issues.’

She announced that the official start date for the service is Monday, November 3, 2025, urging potential personnel to complete their registration and fulfil all requirements.

We visit the hospital and consult a doctor when we fall sick. But when our animals: goats, chickens, cows, donkeys, dogs, fowls and even fish that feed and sustain millions of families are sick? They also have doctors: veterinary surgeons, or veterinary doctors. They complete the same demanding six (6) years at university as their human medicine counterparts, followed by a mandatory year of housemanship. Upon graduation, they bear the title Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and their contribution is just as critical to the health of human beings as that of animals.

Veterinary medicine is not about animals; it’s about protecting humans. Experiments have established that more than 60% of all infectious diseases in human beings have originated from animals, and more than 75% of new and emerging diseases (such as monkeypox, Ebola, COVID-19, and avian influenza) originate in animals before they spill over to the human population.

That is, with each vaccine each veterinary doctor gives to a dog, checks meat, conducts samples in the laboratory, or manages tsetse flies, they are indirectly safeguarding families, society, and the nation at large.

All the same, however, Ghanaian veterinary doctors are undervalued, underpaid, and under-equipped. This has precipitated a crisis that threatens not only animal health but also public health, food security, and national development.

Ghanaian Veterinary Doctors/Position

Ghanaian veterinary doctors are mostly recruited by the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) and deployed to work under the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. They serve in district and regional offices, border posts, laboratories, and Disease investigation farms across Ghana. They have numerous responsibilities:

Public health protection: Prevention of zoonotic infections such as rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, avian influenza, monkeypox, among others.

Trypanosomiasis and tsetse fly control: Minimising animal losses and sleeping sickness in humans.

Aquatic animal health protection: Protecting the emerging aquaculture industry from bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases.

Wildlife health management: Tracking diseases that spill over from wild animals to humans, such as Ebola and coronaviruses.

Food safety and meat inspection: Providing and ensuring safe meat, milk, fish, and egg supplies.

Quarantine and border control: Keeping dangerous animal diseases such as African swine fever out at Ghana’s borders.

Laboratory surveillance, research and testing: Detecting outbreaks early so that they can be stopped in their tracks.

Helping agriculture and the economy: Safeguarding livestock and fish industries, supporting livelihoods for millions.

When veterinary doctors execute their role appropriately, the whole health system benefits. Rabies vaccination in dogs, for example, prevents more than 95% of human rabies deaths. Control of brucellosis in animals prevents a chronic, disabling disease in people. And for every US$1 invested in animal health, the country saves up to US$5 on human health costs.

A Workforce in Crisis

Despite their critical role, veterinary doctors in Ghana face bleak working conditions. An entry-level veterinary doctor earns about GHS 4,000 a month (ie is salary plus critical professional shortage allowance), far less than their medical counterparts in the Ghana Health Service, even though both professions require the same years of training and mandatory housemanship. Unlike human doctors, veterinary doctors receive no allowances for housing, call duty, fuel, clothing, or professional development. There are no tax incentives to help them procure vehicles or essential equipment.

This poor remuneration and lack of incentives have caused a dangerous brain drain. Between 2022 and 2024, Ghana lost more than 35 veterinary doctors to opportunities abroad. At the same time, about 68 young veterinary doctors on government payroll continued to carry the weight of critical national functions at district and regional clinics, entry points, farms, and laboratories. Ghana only resumed employment of veterinary doctors in 2019 after a long 18-year break due to the absence of foreign-trained veterinary doctors. This forced the government to re-engage tired retirees to hold the fort. Now that young professionals are available since Ghana started training Veterinary Doctors with its first batch inducted in 2017, the nation is losing them again, this time to neglect.

The economic loss is significant. Training a veterinary doctor requires state investment in education, housemanship, and infrastructure. When they leave, Ghana not only loses this investment but also loses vital expertise. The country then relies on costly external consultants or overstretched retirees, an approach that is unsustainable for long-term development.

Human Impact of Neglect

The cost of under-funding veterinary services is not an abstraction, but a living reality. Each unchecked case of rabies risks killing a child through a dog bite. Each unquicked warning of bird flu threatens the poultry industry and the incomes of hundreds of thousands of farmers. Each failure to control tsetse flies eats away at cattle, drains meat and milk supplies, and drives rural communities further into poverty.

Aquaculture, the fastest-growing industry in Ghana, is also vulnerable to risk without veterinary control. Fish disease not only cuts down production but also leaves consumers to battle with hazardous products. Under the wildlife sector, uncontrolled diseases such as Ebola or coronaviruses would ignite future pandemics.

In short, veterinary doctors are the line defenders of public health, food security, and economic development. To neglect them is not only unjust, it’s risky.

Labour Relations and Fairness

To add injury to insult, even veterinary doctors have been left out of labour issues. For example, while the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) deducts funds as association dues from veterinary doctors’ salaries, they were left out of some allowances that were negotiated for, which made them feel abandoned. These paradoxes go ahead to demoralise an already demotivated staff that is lagging when it comes to compensation and appreciation.

A Call to Action

The Ghanaian veterinary doctors’ case must be acted upon right away. It is more about the survival of our public health sector and food security rather than justice. Government and stakeholders need to:

Ensure that veterinary compensation is brought to a level similar to medical doctors in the Ghana Health Service.

Create a cadred recruitment pipeline so that newly qualified veterinary doctors can be integrated into the Civil Service in good time.

Give incentive packages such as housing, risk, fuel, professional allowances, and vehicle and equipment tax relief.

Place veterinary work not only as an agriculture subsector but as a frontline public health sector under the One Health policy.

Conclusion

Veterinary Doctors are not only animal doctors: public health sentinels, food safety officials, border guards, and economic facilitators. Without them, Ghana is in danger of more zoonotic outbreaks, food safety catastrophes, and declining poultry, livestock and fish industries.

If Ghana were to invest in and equitably compensate its veterinary workers, the nation would not only be saving human health expenses but also protecting the health, livelihood, and future of its citizens. It is time.

Veterinarians are Ghana’s quiet guardians of health, food, and prosperity. It is time we gave them the recognition and the investment they deserve.

The 2025 Ghana Teacher Prize 1st Runner-Up, Sabina Ferguson-Haizel – a Kindergarten Teacher at Archbishop Andoh Roman Catholic Basic School in Tema – has expressed heartfelt appreciation to Prudential Bank for sponsoring her award.

Ferguson-Haizel received a brand-new 4×4 pickup truck in recognition of her outstanding dedication to teaching at the national ceremony held in Ho.

Speaking after receiving the award, an elated Sabina said, ‘I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to Prudential Bank for this incredible award. This vehicle will greatly enhance my mobility, allowing me to reach more learners and communities. I am deeply thankful for the Bank’s recognition of our hard work.’

This year’s event marked the sixth consecutive time Prudential Bank has sponsored the award, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to supporting education in the country.

The ceremony featured several distinguished guests, including Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who praised teachers for their hard work, resilience, and sacrifices in nurturing generations of learners.

Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, also commended teachers for their invaluable contribution to national development and reaffirmed the government’s pledge to strengthen teacher support systems and improve conditions of service.

Other notable awardees included Richard W. Tiimob of Savelugu Senior High School, who was named the Most Outstanding Teacher and received a three-bedroom house; Leticia Yawa Akabutoo of St. Catherine SHS, who took home a saloon car as second runner-up; Emmanuel Kofi Otchere-Larbi, recognised as Outstanding College Lecturer and recipient of a 4×4 vehicle; Michael Mensah Annang, who won Best in Leadership and Administration and received a saloon car; and Gifty Kwakoa Afari, who also received a saloon car as Best Non-Teaching Staff.

The Ministry of Education congratulated all teachers for their role in nation-building and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting them in delivering quality education to every Ghanaian child.

The Ghana Teacher Prize Awards celebrate the dedication, excellence, and service of teachers across the country.

The nation’s capital was once more saddled with a disruptive and somewhat unexpected four-hour downpour which saw residents and motorists inconvenienced in varied ways.

The accompanying traffic congestion was disturbing as it left commuters standing by roadside in search of the available transport opportunities.

The disruption once more reminded us about our vulture attitude to such weather patterns. The vulture decides to build a nest only when the rains are falling. Like the scavenger bird, we too as Ghanaians take decisions about the fallouts from deluges only to assign them to the shelves when the rains subside.

Accra has witnessed many disruptive downpours, some of them fatal.

Perhaps the most disruptive and perilous was the June 3, 2015 Circle disaster which left in its trail deaths and destructions; the most destructive in living memories.

Last Tuesday’s deluge was unexpected to many who do not understand the intricacies of climate change, because for such persons the peak of the raining season is over as we approach the middle of October. Although the season can be described as minor raining season, it does not usually come with such intensity as witnessed a few days ago. Last Tuesday’s deluge was climate change induced given the intensity.

The reality of climate change for us in Ghana remains an academic issue, discourse about which remains within the confines of academics. For policy makers in government circles, the opportunity the subject brings is travelling abroad to partake in international conferences on climate change. As for the implementation of decisions arrived at such meetings, next to nothing is done about them.

Even the fundamental response to destructive downpours such as addressing the challenges posed by poor or no proper drainage systems in the nation’s capital, including unacceptable construction along waterways, they remain Utopian.

The political will to enforce construction bylaws is lacking, a situation which has bedeviled successive governments.

Following the destruction of June 3, 2015 occasioned by the floods in the Circle area of Accra, recommendations were made to obviate future recurrences. The beautifully bound publication is resting on the shelves of the relevant ministry.

We recall the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID), news about which elated many an Accra resident because it was touted as a solution to the perennial flooding in Accra.

Following a cabinet approval for a US $200 million credit facility for the project, signs of commencement of work were visible, especially after the then Minister of Information, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said that the project would commence immediately the facility received parliamentary approval.

The project, which should have been spearheaded by four relevant ministries, is stillborn even as the threats of flooding and its attendant dangers remain real.

Residents continue to show uncaring attitude towards the environment, especially the consequences of construction along waterways and dumping refuse into already choked gutters.

Afrobeat star Kelvynboy has stirred social media buzz after firing off a sharp jab at an unnamed individual in a now-deleted post on X on Tuesday.

In the fiery post, the ‘Down Flat’ hitmaker accused the unnamed person of fabricating claims that he wanted to kill them, while also alleging that the same individual had once sent ‘goons’ to attack him.

‘Such tomfoolery. We’re way past good graces. He crossed a line when he lied about me wanting to kill him. He actually sent goons to attack me in Ash. Say what you may, but I no really Dey think about wanna like that. I’ll keep doing what makes smal acc like you cry tho,’ Kelvynboy wrote.

Although he stopped short of naming names, social media users and showbiz observers were quick to speculate that the post may be aimed at Stonebwoy, reigniting rumours of a long-standing friction between the two artists.

Shortly after deleting the post, Kelvynboy returned to X with a more playful message: ‘Since I understood X, tl been fun.’

President John Dramani Mahama has approved the appointment of Musah Ahmed as the new Judicial Secretary into the Judicial Service of Ghana with immediate effect.

The President was acting on the advice of the Judicial Council and in accordance with Article 148 of the 1992 Constitution.

Mr. Ahmed was sworn-in yesterday, October 8, 2025 as the new Judicial Secretary by the Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.

He takes over from Deputy Judicial Secretary, Dr. Cyracus B. Bapuuroh, who has since April 2025, been acting in the capacity of Judicial Secretary.

By his appointment, Mr. Ahmed becomes the 17th Judicial Secretary since the First Republic. He is a private legal practitioner with over 25 years of legal experience.

As Chief Executive Officer of Ahmed Legal Consult, he has specialties in Maritime Law, Commercial Law, Constitutional Law, Land Law and International Law, having provided legal advisory services to Diplomatic Missions including the Embassies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait, as well as corporate and traditional institutions.

Mr. Ahmed once served as the Vice-Chairman of the Hajj Board and a contributor to key rule of law and institutional development initiatives.

As a founding member of the Legal Resource Centre, he contributed to expanding access to justice and strengthening institutional capacity. His accolades include the B. J. da Rocha Prize, alongside published work on cyber security, parliamentary immunity and natural resource governance.

He brings to his practice, strong legal drafting skills, sharp analytical thinking and a fluency in technology.

Mr. Ahmed holds an LL.M in National Security Law from the University of Ghana (2023), having earned his LL.B with Honours from the same university in 1997, followed by a Qualifying Certificate from the Ghana School of Law in 1999, where he emerged as Best Student in Advocacy and Legal Ethics.

As an active member of the Ghana Bar Association, American Bar Association and National Bar Association (Washington, D.C.), Mr. Ahmed is guided by the values of integrity, excellence and service.

He is expected to bring these values to bear on his role as the Judicial Secretary.

The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has expressed deep concern about the high mortality rate associated with cervical cancer.

He revealed that out of 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer recorded, 2,000 patients die from the disease, which represents a staggering 66% mortality rate.

‘Every year, we record three thousand new cases. And out of the three thousand new cases, I saw in my speech that the mortality rate is about two thousand. The mortality rate for Cervical Cancer is very high, and therefore, we must not be divided in the fight against the HPV,’ he said.

In response to this alarming situation, the Ministry of Health launched the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in Accra on October 8, 2025. HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer, and with this vaccine, the ministry hopes to reduce the number of cases.

He assured that the vaccines are safe and effective, and asked that any conspiracy theories be ignored. He also mentioned the successes of other countries that have been using the vaccines, and added that the vaccines have been piloted since 2013.

‘Any time there’s the introduction of any new vaccine, then the conspiracy theories start, and it has already started. Let me assure you that this HPV vaccine is safe, effective, and Ghana is not the first country to administer HPV vaccines. We’re joining other African countries like Rwanda, South Africa, and Botswana. This vaccine has been approved by our Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and World Health Organisation (WHO),’ he explained.

Mr. Akandoh also pointed out that this was the beginning of the government’s free primary health care, and beseeched parents to allow their girls between the ages of 9-14 to get the vaccines.

‘This is the beginning of free primary health care, to give preventive health care its true meaning. Today, I’m excited to tell you that HPV is preventable. Parents, caregivers, please with the greatest of respect, let’s support and bring our girls between nine and fourteen for this vaccination,’ he said.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has scheduled Friday, October 10, 2025, for the balloting of positions for aspirants ahead of its presidential primary on January 31, 2026.

In a letter signed by William Yamoah, Secretary to the NPP Presidential Elections Committee, all five aspirants vying to lead the party into the 2028 general election have been invited to participate in the balloting exercise, which will be held at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra.

‘The Chairman of the Committee has directed me to extend an invitation for your participation in a balloting process to determine your positions on the ballot paper for the upcoming January 31 presidential primary,’ the letter read.

The balloting follows the successful completion of the vetting process in September, during which all five aspirants were cleared to contest for the flagbearer slot.

The vetting, described by the party as rigorous and highly transparent, assessed the aspirants’ track records, vision, and commitment to the NPP’s core values over the years.

Among those cleared to contest are former General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, who has campaigned on internal party reform, youth empowerment, and restoring discipline within the party; former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who has promised to promote industrialisation and fight corruption; and Dr. Bryan Acheampong, former Minister for Agriculture, who has focused his campaign on modernising agriculture, ensuring food security, and creating sustainable jobs for the youth, especially in rural areas.

Others include Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Vice President, who many tip to win the party’s presidential primary, and Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, former Minister of Education, widely credited for transforming the country’s education and skills development sectors.

Some political observers believe that Dr. Bawumia, who also served as the NPP’s presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, remains the frontrunner due to his record in digitalisation and economic transformation, despite the party’s poor performance in the 2024 polls.

According to party officials, the January 2026 presidential primary will be a pivotal moment in the NPP’s preparations for the 2028 general election, as the party seeks to regain power from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The Presidential Elections Committee has assured party members and the general public of a free, fair, and transparent process in the lead-up to the primary, as aspirants intensify their nationwide campaigns to share their vision with delegates.

Meanwhile, the NPP has urged all supporters to remain united and respectful throughout the campaign period, emphasising that the ultimate goal is to strengthen the party’s chances of winning the 2028 elections.