Category: Daily Guide Network

The leadership of Royalhouse Chapel has urged Ghanaians to change their habits to prevent future disasters following the devastating 170mm+ downpour on Monday, June 29, 2026, that caused widespread flooding across residential and business districts.

Addressing the nation, Founder and General Overseer of Royalhouse Chapel, Apostle General Sam Korankye Ankrah, said human attitudes, particularly the culture of littering and improper disposal of plastic waste that chokes the city’s drainage systems, remain at the heart of the perennial flooding.

He further stressed that protecting the environment is a shared civic duty.

‘We must look inward. True transformation begins from within,’ he stated. ‘Our habits of throwing refuse into gutters are blocking our waterways. Protecting the environment is not the job of government alone. It is a responsibility we all share.’

He declared that the church stands firmly with state authorities in taking decisive action, including clearing structures blocking waterways and other preventive measures for the benefit of all.

The church also extended its deepest sympathy to affected families and communities, especially members of Royalhouse Chapel who lost homes and property.

‘We deeply empathize with everyone whose home was flooded and who lost precious property in this disaster. To our church family and every affected citizen, we are truly sorry for what you have lost,’ the Apostle General said.

‘We are lifting you up in prayer, trusting God for a speedy recovery and total restoration. Because this crisis has touched almost everyone in our city, let us look out for one another and find strength in our shared faith,’ he added.

Royalhouse Chapel pledged to continue sensitizing its members on discipline, civic responsibility and moral uprightness, while praying unceasingly for total restoration in communities hit by the floods.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will organise the 2026 Elite U-17 Girls Colts Championship from July 30 to August 4 at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram as part of efforts to strengthen women’s football at the grassroots level.

The six-day tournament is aimed at discovering and developing the country’s brightest young female football talents while providing them with a competitive platform to showcase their abilities.

The championship forms a key part of the GFA’s Women’s Football Strategy and supports FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme, both of which focus on building sustainable pathways for emerging players and improving youth football development across the country.

Young footballers from different parts of the country will compete during the tournament, with coaches and talent scouts expected to closely monitor performances in search of players capable of progressing to Ghana’s national youth teams.

Beyond the competition, the event reflects the GFA’s long-term commitment to nurturing the next generation of female footballers and creating more opportunities for girls to excel in the sport.

The Association believes the championship will not only enhance player development but also contribute to the continued growth of women’s football in Ghana by identifying future stars and inspiring more young girls to pursue the game.

Former Black Stars captain, André Dede Ayew, has urged school children to take their education seriously and be each other’s keeper, saying they are the future leaders of Ghana.

Andre made the call when he joined the Miss Ghana Foundation’s nationwide youth mentorship programme on Friday at the Martey Tsuru Presbyterian JHS in Accra, where more than 300 pupils were mentored in patriotism, empathy, sympathy, resilience, and civic responsibility.

He said he accepted the invitation from the Foundation’s Chairperson, Inna Patty, Esq., because he believes in supporting initiatives that shape the next generation.

‘You are the future of Ghana. You need to take your studies seriously, be smart, work hard and care for one another. A strong nation is built when its people love and support each other,’ he told the pupils.

Andre also stressed that education should go hand in hand with good character.

‘School is important, but being human and understanding other people is even more important. I see the next presidents, ministers, footballers and leaders sitting here today. The future of our nation is in your hands, so you must be willing to work hard,’ he said.

The event formed part of the Miss Ghana Foundation’s Beauty with a Purpose initiative. Contestants of the Miss Ghana 2026 pageant took turns speaking to the pupils, inculcating the values of empathy, patriotism, resilience and compassion while encouraging them to become responsible citizens.

Award-winning actress, Jackie Appiah, supported the programme by donating cartons of bottled water and soft drinks, while A1 Bread provided refreshments for the children.

Inna Patty thanked Ayew for inspiring the pupils and said the Foundation would continue the youth mentorship programme across all 16 regions to instill positive values in the country’s next generation.

This year’s Miss Ghana pageant is the 69th edition and is themed, ‘Empowering Women, Enduring Legacy’.

The Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, has received and handed over relief items from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the 12 districts affected by the recent floods in the region.

The items, presented to the Volta Regional Director of NADMO, Pascal Agbagba, form part of the government’s emergency response to support thousands of residents displaced by the floods and to ease the hardship caused by the disaster.

Receiving the items, Mr. Gunu commended NADMO for its swift response and assured residents that the relief supplies would be distributed promptly, fairly and transparently to all affected communities.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting flood victims and helping communities recover from the devastating effects of the disaster.

The Regional Minister, however, noted that the government’s intervention alone would not be sufficient to address the scale of destruction caused by the floods. He therefore appealed to corporate organisations, faith-based institutions, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists and individuals to support ongoing relief efforts by donating food items, clothing, bedding and other essential supplies to affected families.

According to the Regional Minister, the widespread destruction of homes, farmlands and other property requires a coordinated response from all stakeholders to help victims rebuild their lives and restore their livelihoods.

Mr. Gunu expressed confidence that with unity and sustained support from both the government and development partners, the affected communities would recover and emerge stronger.

Several communities across the Volta Region were inundated following days of heavy rainfall, forcing many residents from their homes and causing extensive damage to farms, public infrastructure and private property. The government, through NADMO, has since intensified relief efforts in the affected districts while appealing for additional support to meet the growing humanitarian needs.

The brief presentation ceremony was attended by the Member of Parliament for Ho Central, Richmond Edem Kpotosu; the Volta Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mawutor Agbavitor, Municipal and District Chief Executives as well as Municipal and District NADMO Directors.

The presidential clean-up exercise has come and gone leaving in its trail more filth on the streets than before it.

It is amazing the success rating the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awarded the exercise when, in our opinion and others, the task was hurriedly done, accounting therefore for the glaring challenges it has left behind in many suburbs of the city.

Perhaps the GJA based its marking scheme on the number of uncollected garbage lining the streets of some parts of Accra.

Perhaps it was a symbolic exercise to present the authorities as swiftly responding to an environmental situation after failing to live up to the expectation of obviating further flooding in the nation’s capital as promised in 2024.

As we compose this commentary, the streets of Accra Newtown are lined up with heaps of sand and assorted garbage scooped from the uncovered gutters of the suburb, waiting for evacuation. There are similar eyesores in other parts of the city, which makes us wonder whether serious planning went into the two-day exercise.

We have taken note of the President’s order that transfer stations be immediately opened to take care of the mounting garbage in the city. If the stations were inactive, there was a reason for that which can only be addressed not of course through a presidential diktat.

To make it look like the flooding was occasioned by the choked gutters only is to triviliase the drainage problem in the nation’s capital. It goes beyond this simple reasoning.

Many residents had to contend with strange loads of garbage swept to their doorsteps by the floodwaters. While some of these residents waited in vain for the poorly coordinated evacuation of the garbage by a few trucks and loaders, others after living with the filth for some days had to pay for alternative arrangements.

No wonder an interagency blame-game prevailed as each of these state entities sought to exonerate themselves from the glaring failings.

The Local Government Minister struggled to exonerate himself when by and large management of such publicity stunt exercises fall within his ambit.

The 2024 promise by the then Candidate John Mahama to collapse the Sanitation Ministry and transfer its terms of reference to the Local Government Ministry is still fresh in our memories.

The collapse was done and the transfer of terms of reference duly carried out. The Local Government Minister must take responsibility for the accompanying lapses.

We shall take no excuse for broken down District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment just a few years after they were acquired and deployed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

These equipment were largely unseen during the clean-up exercise. Have they found their way to the country’s El Dorado?

Such one-off clean-up exercise without the accompanying dumping trucks and loaders cannot achieve the necessary cleaning of the city and, above all, in the absence of a dumping site.

A success? No. Failure? Of course yes.

The two-day nationwide clean-up exercise commenced in the Volta Region with a massive turnout as residents, public institutions, security agencies, and government departments joined efforts to restore environmental sanitation following recent flooding in parts of the country.

The exercise, which began around 5:00 a.m. on Friday, saw participants clean choked gutters, desilt drains, clear refuse dumps, and remove plastic waste from public spaces across various communities in the region.

Speaking to the media, the Ho Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Rogar Adjei, described the turnout as highly encouraging and commended institutions and residents for responding positively to the initiative.

According to him, the exercise demonstrates a collective commitment to keeping the environment clean and preventing future flood disasters. He, however, cautioned that existing sanitation laws would be enforced against individuals and institutions that fail to participate or engage in practices that undermine environmental cleanliness.

Some participants who spoke to the media lauded President John Dramani Mahama for initiating the nationwide clean-up campaign, describing it as timely and necessary in the aftermath of recent floods that affected several parts of the country.

One participant noted that the exercise had exposed the extent to which gutters had become clogged with sand, plastics, and other waste materials, which contribute significantly to flooding.

‘Post-flooding, this exercise will help us clear our gutters and remove rubbish that could block drains and cause further flooding. It is a very good initiative, and we are pleased to be part of it,’ the participant said.

He, however, stressed that the clean-up exercise should not be a one-off activity but should be sustained and organised more regularly.

He further urged residents to stop indiscriminately disposing of plastic waste and refuse into drains and along roadsides, noting that such practices eventually result in blocked waterways and flooding.

‘We all witnessed the tragic flooding in Accra. To prevent similar occurrences, we must properly dispose of our waste, recycle where possible, and keep our environment clean at all times rather than waiting for disasters to occur before taking action,’ he added.

Others called for increased public education and stronger collaboration among government institutions, communities, and sanitation agencies to promote environmental responsibility.

They emphasised that beyond cleaning exercises, there is a need for continuous sensitisation on the health implications of indiscriminate waste disposal and the importance of protecting waterways.

The participants appealed to all residents of the Volta Region to adopt proper sanitation practices to ensure cleaner and healthier communities.

Aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, Paul Awentami Afoko, has called on disgruntled party members to ‘come back home,’ warning that division and exclusion are undermining the NPP’s chances of recapturing power.

Addressing party faithful on Sunday, the former National Chairman said the NPP must close old wounds and return to its founding values of respect, discipline, tolerance, service and loyalty.

‘We cannot win when old wounds remain open. We cannot win when loyal members feel excluded, humiliated, ignored, or pushed aside. We cannot win when our internal competition becomes internal destruction,’ Mr. Afoko stated.

He said his bid is not to lead one faction against another, but to serve as a reconciler across generations, regions and tendencies within the party.

‘I am coming to help reconcile the party. I am coming to build bridges across generations, across regions, across tendencies, across camps, and amongst all genuine party people who believe in our tradition,’ he said.

‘People sacrificed for the party and endured detention, exile and even death for the cause of democracy and prosperity in Ghana,’ he added.

Reconnect With Grassroots

Mr. Afoko urged the NPP to reconnect with its base through detailed constituency and polling station work, honest assessment of 2024 losses, and wide consultations to repair relationships.

‘We must listen to communities. We must repair relationships. We must rebuild trust with professional groups, traders, farmers, students, youth groups, women’s groups, faith communities, traditional authorities, civil society, and the business community,’ he said.

He pointed out that the party must once again be associated with prosperity, business confidence, rapid development, social mobility and opportunity.

Call For Civil Competition

On internal contests, Mr. Afoko called for civil discourse and unity, invoking the Busia-Danquah-Dombo tradition.

‘To those who disagree with me, I say let us disagree as members of one family. Let us compete without destroying one another. Let us remember that after internal elections, we must still stand under one flag,’ he said.

He added that the principle of protecting dissent within the party must be upheld.

The aspiring chairman said the next election will not be won by entitlement, but by humility, hard work, credible ideas and disciplined organisation.

‘Ghana needs a strong, responsible opposition ready to return to government to improve lives, not for power’s sake alone,’ he stated.

Mr. Afoko concluded by urging members to refocus on unity and collective purpose as the NPP prepares for future national contests.

‘A communications network is truly tested not on a sunny day, but when disaster strikes and people need it most.’

When torrential rains swept through parts of Ghana recently, the country watched familiar scenes unfold. Roads disappeared beneath floodwaters, homes and businesses were submerged, markets shut down, and emergency workers raced to reach stranded communities.

As always, public debate centred on poor drainage, weak urban planning, blocked waterways and the devastating loss of lives. Those conversations were necessary. But amid all the discussion, one critical piece of national infrastructure received little attention: our telecommunications networks.

That silence is remarkable because, in today’s digital economy, telecommunications are as essential as roads, electricity and water. When floods strike, communication becomes the backbone of every emergency response. Ambulances rely on it. Security agencies depend on it. Banks process electronic transactions through it. Families use it to locate loved ones, while journalists depend on it to keep the public informed.

In many ways, the country’s ability to respond to a disaster now depends on whether its communications networks remain operational.

Fortunately, despite the severity of the recent flooding, Ghana did not experience any widely reported nationwide collapse of its mobile telecommunications networks. Customers may have encountered isolated service interruptions, but there was no prolonged or widespread breakdown.

Rather than dismissing this as an uneventful outcome, we should ask an important question: why did the network continue to function while so much else around it struggled?

The answer is that telecommunications resilience does not happen by accident.

Many people assume a telecommunications network is simply a collection of mobile towers scattered across the country. In reality, those towers represent only the visible part of a vast and highly interconnected system comprising fibre optic cables, microwave transmission links, data centres, internet gateways, power systems, network operations centres and thousands of engineers working around the clock.

A flood does not have to topple a mobile mast to disrupt communications. It can cut commercial power, damage underground fibre cables, prevent technicians from reaching equipment, or isolate generator sites. The resilience of the entire network depends on every one of these moving parts continuing to work together.

That is why resilience is no longer just an engineering issue. It is a national security issue and, increasingly, a climate change issue.

As extreme weather events become more frequent, Ghana must begin treating communications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure that deserves the same attention we give to roads, bridges and energy systems.

Resilience starts long before the first storm clouds gather. Telecommunications operators invest in flood-risk assessments, backup power systems, redundant fibre routes and climate-resilient infrastructure. When severe weather is forecast, they activate contingency plans, position maintenance teams, test generators and intensify network monitoring.

Once disaster strikes, sophisticated Network Operations Centres monitor alarms around the clock, reroute traffic around damaged infrastructure, dispatch engineers and prioritise repairs. Most customers never see this work taking place. In fact, the better these teams perform, the less anyone notices.

Perhaps that is the greatest irony of resilient telecommunications. Success is measured not by what people see, but by what they never have to experience.

The recent floods also exposed an important gap in our national conversation. Discussions about disaster resilience usually focus on drainage systems, electricity and transport infrastructure, yet communications rarely feature prominently. That is a mistake. Every emergency service depends on reliable communications. Without them, rescue operations slow, financial transactions stall and vital information fails to reach the people who need it most.

There are encouraging signs. The National Communications Authority, with support from the United Nations World Food Programme, is developing Ghana’s first National Emergency Telecommunications Plan. This initiative has the potential to strengthen preparedness and improve coordination before, during and after disasters. But the plan should not remain merely a policy document. It must be fully integrated into Ghana’s broader climate adaptation and disaster management strategy.

Government also has a role to play by ensuring stronger coordination between regulators, emergency agencies and telecommunications operators. The regulator should continue developing resilience standards that encourage network redundancy, regular disaster simulations and business continuity planning. Operators, meanwhile, must continue investing in resilient power systems, diversified transmission routes and periodic climate-risk assessments.

Universities and research institutions also have an opportunity to contribute by studying how climate change affects telecommunications infrastructure and developing locally appropriate resilience models.

Climate change is forcing every country to rethink how it protects its critical infrastructure. Ghana cannot afford to wait until communications fail during a national emergency before recognising their importance.

The strongest communications networks are often the ones that never make the headlines. Their greatest achievement is that, even in moments of crisis, they quietly keep emergency responders connected, businesses operating and families in touch.

That is precisely why telecommunications resilience deserves a central place in Ghana’s national conversation on climate adaptation. It is no longer simply an engineering concern. It is a public good, a national asset and an essential foundation for the country’s digital future.

NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has opened up about her journey in the film industry, saying she has never been ashamed of her humble beginnings and continues to learn from those who came before her.

In a post on X, the ‘Jenifa’ star credited American filmmaker Tyler Perry as one of her biggest inspirations, noting that she learned a lot from watching his films, especially in storytelling and writing.

‘I’ve never been ashamed of my humble beginnings, and I never will be. Tyler Perry is one of my role models and I learnt a lot from watching his films, especially when it came to storytelling and writing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning from someone you admire. In fact, that’s how many great journeys begin,’ she wrote.

Funke Akindele said that over the years, she expanded her knowledge, attended workshops, and sharpened her craft through experience to find her own voice.

‘Over the years, I broadened my knowledge, attended workshops, sharpened my craft through experience, and found my own voice. And I’m still learning because growth never stops,’ she stressed.

The actress also expressed gratitude that a new generation of filmmakers now looks up to her work, saying, ‘Today, many upcoming filmmakers say they’ve learnt from my work, and I’m truly grateful for that. That’s how creativity is passed on. We learn, we grow and we inspire others.’

She ended her message with advice to creatives: ‘Never be ashamed of where you started. Keep learning. Keep growing.’

The Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, Moses Baiden, has attributed the difficulties many African companies face in competing on the global stage to weak corporate governance, inadequate transparency and poor institutional systems, saying these shortcomings continue to undermine investor confidence and international partnerships.

Speaking in an interview on an Accra-Based Citi FM, Mr. Baiden said African businesses often begin from a disadvantaged position because of longstanding stereotypes and negative perceptions about the continent’s corporate environment.

He explained that African firms face challenges not only because of their national identity but also because their corporate identity is frequently viewed with scepticism by global investors and business partners.

‘Whether it is an African legal identity, like I’m Ghanaian, and also a corporate identity, you start from a negative position because you have the stereotypes and underlying assumptions,’ he said.

Mr. Baiden noted that many international investors perceive African companies as lacking strong governance frameworks, effective compliance systems and sufficient transparency, making it more difficult for them to attract investment and secure strategic partnerships.

According to him, these perceptions are often reinforced when businesses fail to establish robust internal systems that demonstrate accountability, professionalism and adherence to internationally accepted standards.

He said the credibility gap confronting African businesses is rooted partly in historical narratives that have shaped global perceptions of the continent and its ability to build strong and sustainable institutions.

Mr. Baiden, however, stressed that African companies have the opportunity to change this narrative by making corporate governance a strategic priority.

He urged businesses across the continent to strengthen their governance structures, improve transparency and build effective internal controls to enhance accountability and align their operations with international best practices.

According to him, raising governance standards will be essential if African companies are to expand into global markets, attract foreign investment and establish themselves as credible and competitive partners on the international stage.