Category: Daily Guide Network

As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments, the Melcom Care Foundation, Melcom Ghana, has embarked on a major community outreach initiative to distribute 1,000 packed meals to selected orphanages across Accra, including Teshie Children’s Home. This effort aims to support the nutrition and overall well-being of vulnerable children within the capital.

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ýAccording to the Public Relations Officer at Melcom Group of Companies, Joseph Kpormegbey, the Foundation provides various societal donations throughout the year, and this dedicated drive focuses directly on supporting local orphanages and the children in their care.

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ýHe revealed that the Melcom Care Foundation centres its primary mission on health and education, which includes providing academic scholarships to brilliant but needy students.

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ý’Looking ahead, the Foundation plans to sustain and expand these efforts, broadening its reach to support orphanages and other underserved groups across society,’ he said.

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ýHe called on government institutions, individuals, stakeholders, community leaders and corporate organisations to consistently lend their support, ensuring these important children homes have the resources they need to keep running and transforming lives, adding that, ‘Orphanages play a vital role in nurturing less privileged children.’

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ýThe Administrator of Teshie Children’s Home, Moses Lamptey, in an interview with the media, expressed profound gratitude to Melcom Ghana and the Melcom Care Foundation for their generous donation, and for its ongoing commitment to supporting less privileged children.

Mr. Lamptey urged well-meaning individuals and organisations to also donate to the orphanage, describing the outreach as a true reflection of love and Christian compassion towards vulnerable children.

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ýReflecting on the home’s journey, Mr. Lamptey noted that although public understanding has grown and more people are now contributing what they can towards building a brighter future for the children, financial constraints remain a major obstacle for their day-to-day operations.

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ý’Our primary challenge right now is funding. While we are blessed and grateful that people frequently donate food, we still face a significant shortage when it comes to monetary resources needed for our daily operational expenses. We kindly appeal to individuals, corporate bodies, and the government to assist us financially so we can continue caring for these children and giving them the future they deserve,’ he appealed.

Ghanaian-British singer Stephanie Benson has advised women to focus on exercise, healthy eating, and discipline rather than relying on cosmetic procedures to achieve their desired body shape.

Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz, Benson said women should think about the long-term effects of decisions they make about their bodies.

She described some cosmetic procedures as ‘quick fixes’ and encouraged women to develop healthy habits from a young age.

‘Exercise is great. People take it for granted. Nowadays, people are too quick to do quick fixes. They don’t think about the future and how it is going to be for them when they are a lot older,’ she said.

Benson said the pressure to achieve certain body shapes can push some women into procedures, particularly when they want to meet societal expectations or attract men.

She encouraged women to consider whether such decisions could affect their health and mobility later in life.

The singer also used herself as an example, saying her physique is the result of years of exercise, discipline, and healthy eating rather than cosmetic surgery.

‘When people say, ‘Stephanie, I want to be like you,’ I’m thinking it’s the hard work that I put into myself, right from a very young age, that is important,’ she said.

Benson dismissed claims that she has undergone cosmetic procedures such as liposuction, explaining that the only major surgery she has had was a mastectomy following cancer.

She further stressed the importance of moderation in her diet, saying she eats different types of food but pays attention to how much she consumes.

‘Discipline is everything. What I eat is important to me. I eat everything, though, but only in moderation,’ she added.

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Gospel musician, Ohemaa Mercy, has hinted at releasing a memoir detailing her own experiences with marital abuse.

The gospel minister made the disclosure amid the ongoing domestic violence case between fashion influencer Nana Akua Addo and her husband, Harold Duodu Norman.

In a video posted on TikTok, Ohemaa Mercy said she rarely speaks about her private life because of her calling.

‘The reason why I don’t mostly come out to say anything about my private life is because I carry nations, and if you carry nations, you don’t talk anyhow. Maturity is so valued, and it is so precious, and it is so expensive. It comes with pain,’ she said.

The singer revealed she is working on a book that will capture some of her painful experiences.

‘I am coming up with a book, and some of you will be reading the book, and you’ll be crying. The things that some of us have gone through, and God is still sustaining us in every part of our life… He’s been faithful,’ she added.

Her comment comes as many celebrities have called on the authorities to intervene in the case involving Nana Akua Addo.

Nana Akua Addo was reportedly hospitalised after allegedly being assaulted by her husband. A video circulating on social media showed the actress with visible injuries, including a swollen lip and a cut beneath her eye, with blood on her clothes and on the floor.

Lawyers for her husband, however, have denied the assault claim. In a statement, they alleged that the injury resulted from a 2021 incident in which the actress attempted to stab her husband with a knife, and that he blocked it with a dressing mirror which broke and injured her lip.

Lawyers for Nana Akua Addo have also responded, describing the leaked videos as a violation of her privacy and that of her minor children, and asking media houses to desist from sharing them. They say the matter is currently before the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and the court.

The case is currently under investigation.

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has announced that the 30th edition of the GJA Media Awards would be held on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Accra.

He said the 30th GJA Media Awards, which would be held under the theme, ’30th GJA Media Awards: Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age,’ is not only to celebrate journalistic excellence but also to draw attention to emerging challenges confronting the media space.

He disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama, who is a member of the GJA, would serve as Special Guest of Honour, while the Patron of the Association, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, together with the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, who would serve as the Guest of Honour, would attend the ceremony.

According to Mr. Dwumfour, the association received 327 entries from 206 journalists for this year’s awards.

He noted that the entries comprised 125 from online media, 111 from television, 46 from print and 45 from radio, citing two new categories introduced – the New Media Platform Award and the Governor’s Economic and Financial Story of the Year Award.

He explained that the New Media category is intended to encourage bloggers and other new media practitioners to uphold professional and ethical standards, while the Economic and Financial Reporting category aims to encourage reporting in the financial sector, which has attracted more than 10 entries.

The GJA President expressed appreciation to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama, for supporting the new Economic and Financial Reporting category.

He seized the opportunity to urge journalists to practice responsible journalism, stressing that the fundamental responsibilities of journalists remained unchanged despite technological advancement, social media and artificial intelligence.

‘We must seek the truth. We must verify information. We must be fair. We must provide context. Above all, we must protect the credibility of our profession,’ he stated.

He also acknowledged the decision by President Mahama to task the GJA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to engage stakeholders in a national dialogue on addressing hate speech and other challenges within Ghana’s media ecosystem, particularly on new media platforms.

Mr. Dwumfour called on journalists to prioritise accuracy, fairness, independence, ethical conduct and responsible reporting in an era of misinformation and disinformation.

He said the GJA Media Awards is intended to recognise journalism that served the public interest by informing citizens, exposing wrongdoing, promoting accountability and contributing to national development.

‘Investigate Attacks on Journalists’

Meanwhile, the GJA President has given the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) a two-week deadline to provide a comprehensive account of investigations into alleged attacks on two journalists during separate demolition exercises in Accra.

According to him, the association is concerned about reported attacks on Philip Abutiate of Bullet TV during a demolition exercise at Laboma Beach and Kweku Dennis Sika of Sika Official at La Pleasure Beach, allegedly involving personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Mr. Dwumfour condemned the incidents and stressed that journalists must be allowed to work freely and safely while performing their professional duties.

‘No security operation should become an excuse for assaulting media practitioners who are carrying out their constitutional responsibility of informing the public,’ he said.

He stated that the GJA expects the GAF to provide details of the investigations and specify any disciplinary or other measures taken against personnel found culpable.

The GJA President also called on the Minister for the Interior, the National Security Coordinator and the Chief of Defence Staff to ensure that the deadline is met and the outcome of the investigations are made public.

He warned that failure to receive a satisfactory report within the two-week period would compel the GJA to escalate the matter through ‘all appropriate legal, institutional and public accountability channels.’

‘The GJA will not allow these incidents to be swept under the carpet. We will pursue the matter until there is accountability for any personnel found to have unlawfully assaulted journalists in the discharge of their professional duties,’ Mr. Dwumfour stated.

He stressed that the safety of journalists is essential to the protection of press freedom and the survival of Ghana’s democracy.

Recently, an educationist I respect bemoaned that the kindergarten curriculum has no content on technology, noting how important this has become in the age of AI. Given the chance, many would expand the curriculum without a second thought. When I had the privilege of joining the technical working group on a recent curriculum review project, one of the fiercest debates was whether children need more content or deeper mastery of less. The intention is genuine, our children should learn everything important to enable them to ‘compete globally.’

The argument is not about what is important and what is not. The question is not what else schools should teach, but what children must master first. The answer is neither to abandon critical thinking nor return to rote learning. The answer is sequencing. Children first need a strong base. Then those foundations can be deliberately used to develop more complex competencies.

Critical thinking does not exist in a vacuum. Children need knowledge to think critically about. Problem-solving requires something to solve and the conceptual tools to solve it. Creativity is more powerful when learners have knowledge, vocabulary, confidence and the ability to communicate their ideas. Digital skills do not compensate for an inability to understand what is being read on a screen.

This is where ‘simplify to succeed’ becomes important. Simplification does not mean lowering standards. It means identifying the standards that are non-negotiable, ensuring that they are mastered, and then building progressively from them.

Ghana already has some evidence that simplifying gets better results

There is also reason for optimism. Ghana does not need to import new solutions. The country’s experience with Differentiated Learning Plus and Complementary Basic Education provides an important lesson. DL+ uses assessment to identify where children are performing, groups learners according to their learning levels, provides targeted instruction and tracks progress.

An independent evaluation of 320 primary schools over three years. More recent evidence from UNICEF reports substantial gains among participating schools. From the 2024 NST, the proportion of Primary 4 learners in DL+ school that were below basic proficiency in reading fell from about half to roughly one-third after one year. In mathematics, the proportion below proficiency fell from 67% to 33%. (Sources: https://www.unicef.org/documents/improving-foundational-learning-scale-evidence-ghanas-differentiated-learning-plus, https://www.unicef.org/ghana/blog/inspiring-learning-through-differentiated-learning-plus-dl).

While this example does not suggest that one programme will solve Ghana’s foundational learning challenges, they demonstrate that narrowing the instructional focus and giving teachers practical tools to respond to learners at their level lead to meaningful progress. Program components like targeted instruction, structured pedagogy, regular assessment and targeted periodic teacher training with ongoing coaching all show promising results, although implementation quality matters enormously.

What should change? The National Education Forum report given to President Mahama in June 2025 has 212 recommendations. With limited time and resources, it is welcoming that the ministry is decidedly choosing to invest in foundational learning. The next steps are to decide that we need to do things differently if we expect different results. While I have shared thoughts on what we could do, but to summarise what I will prioritise in 3 points:

Ghana should establish a small set of non-negotiable foundational learning outcomes by specific grades and years, as part of our foundational learning strategy. Without specific targets that we are rallying the education system to achieve, and the leadership and accountability needed to achieve those targets, we may be prioritizing only in speeches. Aiming at a global benchmark is vague, we need to set our own goals and work towards achieving them.

Assessment must become more useful for instruction. A national assessment should not merely tell us that children are behind. It should help the system understand where they are behind and give teachers practical ways to respond. This calls for repositioning the National Standardised Test (NST) as a diagnosis that tells the teacher where the problems are and what needs to be done. In my conversations with teachers and district officials, I struggle to find examples of how the NST changes classroom practice.

Teacher professional development should concentrate more heavily on the pedagogy of foundational literacy and numeracy, including assessment, explicit instruction, differentiation and remediation. We should normalise targeted remediation and build this into our curriculum and the timetable. A Primary 5 learner reading at a Primary 2 level needs support at their learning level, not simply more Primary 5 content delivered more slowly.

Foundational learning must remain a system-wide responsibility. By the time a child reaches JHS, it is too late to pretend that foundational learning is someone else’s problem. JHS teachers should not have to choose between teaching the JHS curriculum and repairing years of unresolved learning gaps. Our worry should not be why a 15-year-old failed to answer a BECE question. It is why, ten years earlier, we allowed that child to progress without mastering the skills needed to understand the question.

Former Minority Leader of Parliament and National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Arthur Odoi-Sykes, has died.

Mr. Odoi-Sykes passed away on Monday, October 5, 2026, according to a statement issued by his family.

The former Member of Parliament for the Ashiedu Keteke Constituency was also a distinguished lawyer and diplomat, having served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada from 2001 to 2006.

His political career included a significant period in Parliament, where he was elected MP for Ashiedu Keteke in the 1979 elections and became Minority Leader in 1980.

Mr. Odoi-Sykes later served as National Chairman of the NPP from 1998 to 2001, a period that culminated in the party’s historic electoral victory in December 2000.

Before his political career, he worked as a teacher before joining the Ministry of Information and subsequently entering Ghana’s Foreign Service in 1961.

His diplomatic career took him to several countries, including India, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, where he served in various capacities.

Before his political career, he worked as a teacher before joining the Ministry of Information and subsequently entering Ghana’s Foreign Service in 1961.

His diplomatic career took him to several countries, including India, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, where he served in various capacities.

Born in Accra, he received his education at Accra Academy, the University of Ghana, the University of London and Johns Hopkins University.

The family described him as a man of principled character, courage and firm leadership, with a lifelong commitment to public service and intellectual independence.

He is survived by his wife, Edith Amorkor Sykes, and four children: Cynthia Omaboe, Mavis Amoa, Vincent Sykes and Frank Sykes.

The family says further details of the funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, last Wednesday marked his 63rd birthday, well wishes and prayers flowing in from countless of admirers from both within the political sphere and outside it.

Individuals, groups and party supporters thronged his residence in joining him to mark the occasion.

The national leadership and entire membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) also joined in marking the occasion, as the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, penned a statement to wish the flagbearer well.

‘I extend our warmest congratulations and heartfelt birthday wishes to His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on the joyous occasion of his birthday.

‘Today, we celebrate your life and years of dedicated service to the party and the Republic of Ghana. Your journey of public service continues to inspire many within our political tradition and beyond. As you mark another significant milestone, it is our fervent prayer that the Almighty God will continue to preserve you, strengthen and endow you with greater wisdom, good health, courage and divine favour for the responsibilities and journey ahead,’ the party’s General Secretary stated.

He prayed that the Good Lord guide Dr. Bawumia’s steps, bless the work of his hands, ‘unite the party behind our common purpose and, in accordance with His divine will, grant you victory in the 2028 general election to serve as President of the Republic of Ghana.’

He also prayed that the new chapter bring to the flagbearer ‘renewed strength, greater accomplishments, peace and fulfilment.’

Nollywood actress Damilola Adegbite has advised single women to be more deliberate when choosing partners, rather than accepting relationships simply because a man has shown interest in them.

According to the actress, being chosen by a potential partner should not be the main consideration when deciding whether to enter a relationship or marriage.

Damilola shared the advice during a recent episode of her podcast published on YouTube, where she discussed relationships and the factors women should consider when choosing partners.

She said women should focus on whether a prospective partner is suitable for them and capable of building a healthy relationship with them.

‘Ladies, don’t choose someone because they chose you. Choose someone because they are right for you; whether he’s younger, older, or exactly your age, the question is always: Can we love, support, and build with each other,’ she said.

Damilola stressed that age should not be the deciding factor in a relationship, noting that compatibility and the ability to build together are more important.

She also addressed older women who receive proposals from younger men, cautioning them against accepting such relationships simply because the attention makes them feel desirable.

The actress encouraged women to consider the man’s character, emotional maturity, and intentions before committing.

‘To the older woman, if a younger man is interested in you, please don’t make the mistake of choosing him because he makes you feel desirable. Choose him because he respects, supports, and makes you feel safe,’ she said.

Damilola further urged women to ensure that younger partners are emotionally mature, understand what they want, and are willing to respect their children and existing responsibilities.

She said the ultimate goal should be finding a genuine partner with whom one can build a meaningful life, rather than simply choosing someone because he is available or interested.

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has called for stronger coordination among anti-graft institutions, arguing that the proliferation of bodies with overlapping powers could undermine the fight against corruption and the administration of justice.

Speaking at the IEA dialogue on Tuesday in Accra, former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, said the country needed a single, well-resourced and properly trained institution with clearly defined investigative and prosecutorial responsibilities to effectively deal with corruption.

He said the various institutions involved in investigating and prosecuting corruption-related offences must operate within a clear framework under the overall authority of the Attorney-General.

‘The process must be strong, clear, and non-proliferated,’ he said.

Prof. Oquaye, who raised concerns about the powers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), said that although the office had prosecutorial powers, it was not constitutionally independent of the Attorney-General.

He explained that the Constitution vested the Attorney-General with the primary authority to prosecute in Ghana, while other institutions could exercise prosecutorial powers under specific legislation.

‘The Special Prosecutor has the power to prosecute. Fine. But they did not say that he’s independent,’ he said.

He added that the Special Prosecutor, like other institutions with statutory prosecutorial powers, remained subject to the overall purview of the Attorney-General.

Prof. Oquaye also cautioned against the use of excessive powers by investigative institutions, particularly powers that could result in arbitrary arrests or prolonged detention.

He said while institutions needed adequate police powers to conduct investigations, such powers had to be properly regulated to protect the rights of suspects.

Prof. Oquaye said the proliferation of investigative and prosecutorial institutions could create uncertainty over which body had the ultimate responsibility for a case and potentially allow some offenders to escape prosecution.

‘Everybody must be presumed innocent anyway until proven guilty, so there should be a clear coordinated prosecutorial system,’ he stressed.

The former Speaker of Parliament further opposed the establishment of special tribunals for prosecuting offences, arguing that all citizens should be treated equally before the ordinary courts.

He said the country’s justice system should uphold equality before the law rather than create separate judicial arrangements for different categories of accused persons.

He, therefore, called for a clearly defined investigative and prosecutorial authority to ensure efficiency, accountability and consistency in the administration of justice.

On the role of Members of Parliament (MPs) in local development, Prof. Oquaye said MPs should not be directly involved in the execution of development projects as such responsibilities should remain with the Executive.

He said the arrangement created unrealistic expectations among constituents and contributed to public dissatisfaction with MPs when projects were delayed or not completed.

He argued that greater powers should be devolved to local authorities to enable them to manage key areas of development without excessive dependence on central government.

He cited the United Kingdom and the United States as examples of systems where local and sub-national authorities exercise significant powers within their respective jurisdictions.

On the constitutional review, Prof. Oquaye called for changes to institutions whose current structures, he mentioned, did not adequately serve the country’s developmental needs, while questioning the composition of the Council of State.

He, therefore, proposed representation from institutions such as universities, organised labour, churches, mosques and student bodies, with members serving terms independent of the tenure of the President.

He further called for greater independence for key constitutional institutions through institutional representation and appointments that were not tied to the tenure of the President.

Prof. Oquaye urged the Executive to allow continued public debate on the constitutional review process, saying institutions such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), think tanks and other stakeholders should have adequate opportunity to contribute to the process.

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has held a strategic meeting with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the technical teams of the Black Queens and Black Meteors as part of efforts to end Ghana’s long absence from Olympic football.

The meeting focused on developing a coordinated roadmap for the two national teams as they pursue qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.

GOC President Richard Akpokavie stressed the importance of the engagement, noting that Ghana’s last Olympic football appearance came at the 2004 Athens Games.

‘The last time football was at the Olympics was in the 2004 Athens Games; therefore, we had to meet to see possible collaboration for our mutual benefits,’ Akpokavie said.

GFA General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo thanked the GOC for its engagement and stressed the need for both institutions to work closely, given the GOC’s mandate over Ghana’s Olympic participation.

The Black Queens are scheduled to begin their Olympic qualification campaign in June 2026, with the process running until December 2027.

The Black Meteors will begin their campaign between November 2026 and March 2027, targeting qualification for the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The two finalists at the U-23 AFCON will earn Africa’s Olympic qualification slots, while two women’s teams will also qualify for the Los Angeles Games.

Chef de Mission for Team Ghana at LA2028, Rev. Richmond Quarcoo, pledged his office’s support and called for close coordination between the GOC and GFA.

Both institutions agreed to establish a structured blueprint to guide their preparations and leave nothing to chance as Ghana seeks to end its 24-year Olympic football drought.