Category: Daily Guide Network

Business activities at the Apremdo market, popularly called ‘Abenbebom’ in the Effia- Kwesimintsim Municipality of the Western Region, is expected to bounce back.

This follows a decision by the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) to move traders and hawkers from their current location at the Takoradi Jubilee Park to the Apremdo market.

According to a statement issued by EKMA, the ejection exercise will begin today, Monday, October 13, 2025.

The Apremdo market, which was constructed in 1996, had since not enjoyed much patronage by traders and customers, making the investment somehow non profitable.

Some traders who had rented stores at the Apremdo market do not do business there, but rather keep their wares for sale at other markets, including the Takoradi Jubilee Park.

The park was converted into a market for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the pandemic was over, several attempts to move the traders to the various markets have not been successful.

EKMA, therefore, issued a statement on October 1, 2025, ordering all traders at the Jubilee Park to move to the Apremdo market today, October 13, 2025, in order to return the park to its original use.

Commercial drivers operating around the Jubilee Park have also been asked to vacate the place.

A team of armed military officers is already in place to enforce the Assembly’s order.

The traders are however, pleading for more time to adequately prepare to move.

A fruit dealer, Madam Juliet Siabi said there is little time for her to prepare to vacate the Jubilee Park.

‘We cannot defy the order but we plead with the authorities to reconsider the deadline for evacuation.

‘Earlier, we were made to understand the eviction is scheduled for December this year. There are no assurances the new place is ready to take up the numbers from this market,’ she asserted.

Transport operators who initially decided to take a court action against the Assembly for the decision to evict them, have rescinded their decision.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has rehabilitated road networks leading to and running through the Apremdo market.

The area designated for various goods has also been graveled in preparation for its full operationalisation.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the education sector in the Northern region, have urged government to decentralise teacher recruitment and deployment system.

According to them, the decentralised teacher recruitment and deployment system offers better prospects for improving learning outcomes, teacher accountability and retention than the existing centralised system with its many associated challenges.

A press conference convened by Northern Network for Education Development (NNED) and the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) Alliance and facilitated by School for Life (SfL) and partners in Tamale, disclosed that the existing teacher recruitment and deployment policy in Ghana operates on the basis of a highly centralised system, noting that it involves reporting teacher vacancies in schools to the Ghana Education Service (GES) headquarters through the District and Regional Education offices.

‘The GES HQ post the teachers directly to the schools. This top-down approach, according to a SfL (2023) study has not delivered the expected improved learning outcomes,’ they stated.

They noted that a study showed that whilst the existing teacher recruitment and deployment strategy and related policies are well intended, the outcomes have been undesirable.

‘The strategy and related policies have not been able to address the equity concerns as 68% of the vacancies in this study still remained in rural areas. The quality of basic education was found to be low as 4 out of 6 districts had over 70% of the students who took the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2020 obtaining aggregate 30 and above. The centralised recruitment and deployment of teachers was found in the study to be ineffective, as some teachers posted to schools and districts managed to secure reposting to other schools and districts of their choice drawing on their political connections,’ they said.

The NGOs lamented about the statistics units of the District and Regional Education offices which are poorly equipped without internet connectivity, computers, cameras and other ICT facilities.

‘This has hindered the roll-out of the GES, Education Management Information System (EMIS). Under the limited investments in technology, the teacher recruitment and deployment functions are better handled at the decentralised level of the GES. The current centralisation of teacher recruitment and deployment is associated with bureaucratic red tapeism and delays. This does not make room for local teacher demands due to force majeure or other local circumstances requiring immediate actions to be handled expeditiously. These flexibilities are only efficient and effective with a decentralised teacher recruitment and deployment system,’

Mr. Zulyaden Amadu, Project Manager, School for Life, addressing journalists in Tamale, said the centralised deployment of teachers has weakened the decentralised accountability structures in the GES, adding that District Directors are powerless.

‘Teachers enter and exit districts at will because they deal directly with officers at the GES HQ. The District Offices merely serve as conveyer belts for processing salaries for teachers, with limited capacity to monitor and discipline teachers. The centralised system of deploying teachers has affected the GES Language of Instruction (LI) policy. The LI policy was approved in 2004 through a government white paper, and stipulates that the medium of instruction at the lower primary school level (KG1-P3) should be the dominant local language or playground language of the child. The policy prescribes that at the upper primary level (P4-P6), English should be taught as the medium of instruction (L2) while Ghanaian language is taught as a subject. However, many of the teachers posted from the HQ hardly speak the local language and are therefore unable to implement the LI policy in the schools where they are posted,’ he noted.

He hinted that the centralised deployment of teachers will potentially impact learning where pupils-trained teacher ratio between rural and urban schools are likely to increase as well as the possibility of many more teachers facing mental health and psychosocial challenges which cannot be discounted.

According to him, the NGOs recommend to the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service a decentralised teacher recruitment and deployment system so that once the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning gives financial clearance for the recruitment of teachers, the recruitment and posting of teachers should be done at the District Education Offices (DEOs), because they have local knowledge of the teacher situation and are therefore better placed to deploy teachers than the current centralised system.

‘We also recommend the equitable deployment of teachers requires timely, accurate and reliable data. It is therefore recommended to the MoE and GES to invest a modicum of its resources in equipping their planning, monitoring, data collection, research and records units at the various DEOs and REOs. The staff of these units should also be given refresher training to enable them collect, analyse, store and transmit data on teachers and other education key performance indicators. This will help in improving teacher rationalisation and deployment in Ghana,’ he stated.

‘Given the huge teacher deficits in the rural areas, it is recommended that policies aimed at motivating teachers to teach in rural areas such as the 20% deprived teachers’ allowance, affordable and decent accommodation, accelerated promotion and free modules for continuous professional development should be implemented immediately. These will motivate teachers to accept postings to rural areas,’ he added.

Former Second Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia, who is also the Chair of the Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC) and the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Dr. John Mikail Kvistan have jointly called for a shift in the climate change narrative among women and the youth in Africa.

The call was made at the end of a two-day AFRIWOCC 2025 in Accra.

At the end of the two-day intensive dialogue, a communiqué aimed at empowering Africa’s youth and women in the climate fight was signed by both dignitaries.

The cornerstone of the document ‘is a call for a decisive shift in Africa’s climate change narrative from one of victimhood to one of agency and resilience, particularly for its youth and women.’

The communiqué, issued under the conference theme ‘Young Voices, Innovative Ideas, Greater Impact for Africa,’ directly addresses the key challenges identified during the sessions. It acknowledges that African women, youth, and children suffer most adverse effects of climate change.

Key barriers highlighted include a lack of knowledge and skills for effective advocacy, restricted access to green financing for innovative ideas, and the environmental and health hazards of traditional cooking fuels.

To address these challenges, the communiqué outlines a series of recommendations targeting all levels of society:

For governments and leaders, the document urges national governments, regional bodies, and development partners to actualise previous commitments on financing green initiatives and ensuring the meaningful participation of youth and women in climate governance. Leaders are called upon to support young people with increased funding and training, and to begin teaching technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) early in their national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curricula. An inclusive, multi-sectoral approach to promoting clean cooking is also strongly recommended.

In a significant call for self-empowerment, the communiqué advises young people and women to be deliberate about building their own capacities through research and skill development. This is aimed at boosting the confidence of decision-makers and green financers in their ability to lead on policy and project implementation. It also encourages youth entrepreneurs to better understand their markets and effectively mobilise capital to build scalable green businesses.

The communiqué also emphasises that climate action is a collective responsibility. It calls on climate activists to simplify their messaging using creative means to reach wider audiences, including children. It also urges everyone to value and reclaim indigenous ancestral knowledge on environmental conservation and to get involved through small, intentional actions like planting a tree or recycling.

The conference was co-hosted by AFRIWOCC and the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office in Ghana and was sponsored by the SIGRA project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, and Zenith Bank. The communiqué now serves as a guiding document for stakeholders to advance environmental justice and sustainable development across the continent, with Africa’s youth and women at the forefront.

AFRIWOCC is a continental platform that convenes policymakers, youth leaders, women entrepreneurs, innovators, and development partners to accelerate youth and women’s inclusion in governance, leadership, and sustainable development.

Accra has hosted it’s first C40 Cities Regional Leadership Masterclass on climate finance and governance, bringing together political leaders, development partners, and private sector players to discuss how African cities can secure funding and scale up climate action.

The three-day programme, which was held at the Accra City Hotel began on September 30 and ended on October 2, 2025.

The masterclass was organised under the C40 Cities’ Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The sessions focused on strengthening governance, unlocking climate finance, and developing projects that deliver lasting impact in cities.

The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, in his speech revealed that the city faced serious challenges including flooding, rising temperatures, and pressure from rapid urban growth.

He explained that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) was implementing measures such as better waste management, flood control projects, and clean energy promotion.

However, he stressed that the scale of the risks required stronger coordination and more funding.

‘The complexity of these climate risks demands urgent access to finance and closer collaboration. This masterclass is a vital platform to address barriers to climate funding, strengthen governance, and mobilize resources that reflect the priorities of Accra,’ he noted.

C40’s Regional Director for Africa, Anthony Okoth, stated that African cities faced growing threats from rising temperatures, flooding, water scarcity, and other climate-related risks.

He stressed that with rapidly growing urban populations, political leaders had a central role in shaping policies and partnerships to protect vulnerable communities while promoting green economic growth.

‘Accra is already setting an example in West Africa by boosting energy efficiency, adopting solar power in public buildings, and reforming waste management policies. This kind of leadership shows what cities can achieve when they combine vision with action’ he explained.

The outcomes of the Accra session are expected to guide upcoming masterclasses in Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Nairobi, and Tshwane, aimed at building a network of African leaders committed to climate resilience.

A tragic accident on the Agona-Tano Dumase highway has claimed the lives of five people and left several others injured late Thursday night.

The crash, which occurred around 11:45 p.m. on October 9, 2025, involved a VIP Jeoun bus travelling from Yeji to Kade and a Toyota Yaris private car heading from Kona to Tano Dumase.

According to eyewitness accounts, the accident happened near Kona in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region when the VIP bus driver allegedly attempted to overtake another vehicle at top speed, resulting in a head-on collision with the oncoming Toyota Yaris.

The impact was severe, completely wrecking the Toyota Yaris and instantly killing all five occupants on board. Eyewitnesses disclosed that the driver of the Toyota Yaris was a pastor who was returning home after an evening church service with some members of his congregation.

Photos from the scene showed the Toyota Yaris with its roof caved in, windows shattered, and parts of the car scattered across the highway. The front and top portions of the VIP bus also sustained extensive damage.

Police personnel reportedly arrived at the scene shortly after the accident but were unable to conduct any immediate rescue operations, leaving the injured passengers in the VIP bus stranded for some time before emergency assistance arrived.

The bodies of the deceased have been conveyed to the morgue, while the injured are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

The police have commenced investigations into the cause of the accident.

The first-ever Elite U17 Girls Championship, introduced under FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), is set to kick off from October 14 to 19, 2025.

The national competition will feature teams from all ten football regions, grouped into two zones, as they battle for the championship title.

In a bid to nurture young officiating talent, matches will be handled by referees from the ‘Catch Them Young’ initiative – a programme designed to train and inspire the next generation of referees.

The championship aims to scout, train, and develop promising young female footballers, providing a pathway for future stars to progress through the ranks of Ghanaian and international football.

ALL ROADS in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, led to the Heroes Park at the Baba Yara Stadium, the venue of Mrs. Elizabeth Agyeman’s funeral rites, last Saturday afternoon.

The deceased, an accomplished woman, was also known as ‘Nana Agyeiwaa’. She was the wife of the late Nana Akwasi Agyeman, the longest serving Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) boss and a royal of the Golden Stool of Asanteman.

Top dignitaries including former President John Agyekum Kufuor and former Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, were present at the event.

President John Dramani Mahama, who is currently on an international assignment in the People’s Republic of China and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, a business mogul, sent a delegation to represent them.

Ken Adjei, the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources; Sammy Gyamfi, GoldBod boss; Sam Nartey George, Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations as well as other National Democratic Congress (NDC) government officials graced the event.

The solemn programme also attracted top traditional leaders from Asanteman and other parts of the country, who were all there to give a befitting farewell to a woman, widely regarded as generous and a mother-for-all.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Chief Executive, Ofori-Agyeman Boadi aka ‘Zuba’, Sam Pyne, the immediate-past KMA boss, former and present government officials, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and others, were also present.

The well-attended funeral rites was characterised by the singing of dirges as well as drumming and dancing to traditional Asante mourning songs. Muskets were widely fired, indicating the mood of mourning.

Mrs. Elizabeth Agyeman left behind prominent children, including Dr. Agyeman, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Nana Prempeh, Nana Bonsu, Ing Nana Atta Poku Agyeman, Kumasi Urban Roads Boss, Nana Akua, and Attaa Pokua.

Earlier on Thursday, the mortal remains of the deceased were interred during a private ceremony at a cemetery in Kwaman, her hometown, which was witnessed by family members, children and some selected people.

GCB Bank Plc has officially outdoored Sheagles Soar, a groundbreaking women’s leadership development initiative aimed at dismantling barriers, repairing the ‘broken rung,’ and creating pathways for more women to rise into leadership positions within the country’s banking industry.

The Sheagles Soar initiative is anchored on a 3Ps framework – Professional, Personal, and Partnerships – offering holistic support to women at various stages of their leadership journey.

Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director of GCB Bank Plc, Farihan Alhassan, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to advancing women’s leadership.

‘It is not about replacing men with women, but about forging a leadership culture where everyone thrives and contributes fully,’ he stated.

Mr. Alhassan further emphasised the importance of the initiative, noting that it would go a long way in building competence and confidence among women within the banking and finance industry.

‘This holistic programme builds competence, confidence, and connectivity, equipping women to lead with authenticity, influence agendas, and leave a lasting legacy,’ he added.

Mr. Peter Yao Bosrotsi, Manager of HR Business Partnering at GCB Bank Plc, also highlighted the vision behind the initiative.

‘Sheagles Soar is a testament to GCB’s commitment to strengthening the leadership pipeline and creating equal opportunities for women to rise to the top. It seeks to reshape our culture to embrace inclusion, confidence, and influence,’ he said.

The programme opened with a spoken word performance by Emmanuella Kuffour Banafo, Acting Lead, Talent Management, which set the tone for the evening.

A highlight of the event was an interactive live coaching session led by Grace Krobo-Edusei, CEO of the Grace Centre for Growth and Excellence, where participants engaged in practical strategies for leadership growth and navigating workplace dynamics.

The event climaxed with the official unveiling of Sheagles Soar, marked by a special video presentation and fireworks display symbolising the Bank’s bold step toward transforming leadership culture.

This was followed by a symbolic signing of the HeForShe Pledge Book by Professor Joshua Alabi, Board Chairman of GCB Bank Plc, underscoring the importance of male allyship in advancing inclusion.

In his remarks, Prof. Alabi reaffirmed the Board’s dedication to promoting women’s participation in executive leadership.

‘At GCB Bank, we have drawn a clear programme of action to drive women’s inclusivity at the highest levels of our organisation,’ he said.

‘Our goal is to improve women’s representation on the Executive Committee by at least 30% by 2028. Initiatives like Sheagles Soar will be central to achieving this transformation,’ he added.

The Sheagles Soar initiative provides coaching circles, career development pathways, and allyship structures modelled after the UN’s HeForShe principle. It prepares women for progressive leadership roles at various levels such as supervisory Level, management level and executive Level.

The company explained that the supervisory level focuses on self-leadership, communication, and team coordination; the management level builds strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and agility; and the executive level hones vision-setting, enterprise leadership, and boardroom readiness.

The Chief Commercial Operations Officer of Mobile Money Limited, Abdul Razak Issaka Ali, has urged the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to embrace rather than fear financial technology (fintech) innovations, particularly in the area of cross-border payment solutions, which he says hold enormous potential to drive financial inclusion and regional trade.

Mr. Ali expressed frustration that the country’s efforts to achieve seamless cross-border mobile money interoperability had stalled.

According to him, despite years of discussions and pilot projects, the implementation of regulatory frameworks to support such initiatives remains slow and uncertain, leaving private sector innovation ‘trapped in a loop of caution and bureaucracy.’

‘Government should not be scared to try new innovations within reasonable limits. The sandbox framework already allows for experimentation under supervision. So let’s move a little faster,’ he said.

Cross-Border Payment

Mr. Ali noted that while the government has been championing cross-border payment integration, the development of regulations to guide private sector participation has become what he described as a ‘cat-and-mouse journey.’

He explained that there appears to be uncertainty within the BoG over whether to move forward with cross-border mobile money solutions, largely due to perceived risks around capital flows, exchange rates, and potential misuse.

He made the remarks during a high-level panel discussion on the theme ‘From Exclusion to Inclusion – DPI and Inclusive Development in Africa.’

A Controlled Fintech Experiment

Mr. Ali’s comments come against the backdrop of the Bank of Ghana’s ongoing sandbox programme, which includes a pilot by Brij Fintech Ghana, a licensed Payment Service Provider (PSP).

The BrijX pilot, which began live testing in February 2025, is a Business-to-Business (B2B) currency swap platform designed to facilitate direct exchanges between the Ghanaian cedi and the Nigerian naira.

The system eliminates the need for forex markets or physical fund transfers across borders, a breakthrough that could significantly lower remittance costs and improve settlement efficiency between Ghana and Nigeria.

Approved in 2024, the pilot began with MoMo customers and is expected to expand to include G-Money users.

Safeguards to Maintain Integrity

To ensure the pilot’s safety and integrity, the BoG has set transaction and participation limits, along with a defined testing period.

The sandbox framework also incorporates Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, alongside consumer protection measures, to mitigate potential risks.

These controls, the Bank explained, are essential to understanding how innovative fintech products behave under real-world conditions before being rolled out on a national or regional scale.

However, Mr. Ali believes the existence of such safeguards should give regulators more confidence to accelerate progress rather than slow it down.

Call for Clear Regulatory Direction

Mr. Ali appealed to the BoG to provide a clear regulatory direction for cross-border mobile money transactions, especially for projects already piloted under the sandbox framework.

He stressed that uncertainty discourages private sector investment and innovation in an area where Ghana has the potential to lead the sub-region.

He added that cross-border mobile money is no longer a futuristic concept, citing examples in East Africa where regulatory innovation has enabled platforms such as M-Pesa to facilitate real-time regional transactions across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Digital Infrastructure and Financial Inclusion

The panel discussion also explored how Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including digital identity, payment systems, and data-sharing frameworks, can deepen inclusion and economic participation across Africa.

Mr. Ali emphasised that for Ghana and the sub-region to fully benefit from digital public goods, regulatory flexibility and public-private collaboration must be strengthened.

Serwaa Amihere’s mother, Mrs. Lydia Tetteh, has set the record straight about her daughters, including Maame Afua Gyamfua, clarifying they share the same father.

Mrs. Lydia Tetteh, mother of Serwaa Amihere and Maame Afua Gyamfua, made a heartfelt revelation during a surprise party celebrating Serwaa’s recent call to the bar.

She addressed the long-standing speculation about her daughters’ parentage, stating that despite their different surnames, they share the same father.

‘Many people think that Maame Gyamfua and Serwaa are from different fathers, which is not true. They have the same father and have grown by each other since the day they were born,’ she disclosed.

Maame Afua Gyamfua, also known as Mami Oh My Hair, is the younger sister of Serwaa Amihere, a broadcast journalist turned lawyer. They share a close bond, and Maame Afua often shares updates about her personal life, including photos of her daughter, on social media.