Category: Daily Guide Network

Ambitions for more quality in society spur holistic innovation – by definition, thinking and acting differently to improve life. We must open the windows of the static mimicry of past rituals we sometimes call culture and let in fresh air from science. Science is used here in its broadest and most expansive meaning. Organic cultures breathe; they adapt from learning acquired through lived experience.

Knowledge is the primary productive force, in any serious society. It must impact culture. Culture is behaviour at scale; it cannot be static. Culture is not just simplistically mimicking how our forebears lived, as acts of nostalgia. Culture must embrace new knowledge and adapt; it is not stuck in our genetics as a people. We must retain all beneficial aspects of the cultures of our ancestors – but that which we now have the tools to improve, we must.

The systematically rendered and distilled knowledge from our culture that enriches our study of herbal science, good nutrition, architecture, all the humanities, and our very essence as human societies must be studied and cherished. But we must jettison the unnecessary, if we are to grow.

My grandmother’s home in the village once had kerosene lanterns, out of need – not any fidelity to a particular culture. When electricity came her way, she embraced it and moved on. We are then not practicing African culture if we get stuck with lanterns and reject new knowledge today, simply because once upon a time our ancestors did not have electricity. Everyone else in the world hails from historical antecedents that once did not have electricity too. There is nothing exclusively African about underdevelopment, we must resist the urge to romanticise poverty by calling it indigenous culture.

Our culture can be improved, but we must decide what we want to improve. It is in this way that we have, as an example, embraced the use of mobile phones. We must make culture compatible with all that improves society, by our own definitions. And that is how quality is championed.

In 2025, I repeat my obsessive call to all chiefs in the country: there is no reason – for example – we must still have human borne palanquins. If you insist on being hoisted in the air for whatever reasons of your cosmology, it is unlikely that the gods will reject motorised improvements. Please do this (motorisation of palanquins), as part of the search for quality.

Let us not be under any illusions that championing a quality culture and the reforms required to sustain them in society will be easy. But, if we are permitted to ask, what is good in this world that comes easily? Ousmane Dembele, the charismatic and very deserved winner of football’s 2025 Ballon d’Or, is a source of inspiration in this regard when he says: ‘I’ve had difficult moments, but I never gave up. I kept working, kept believing and now I’m stronger. Every training session is a chance to improve to be sharper, to be stronger.’

The trial of former Chief Executive Officer of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has been adjourned to December 9, 2025, following the re-assignment of the case to a different court, as a result of the amendment of the charges against the accused persons.

The ‘Criminal Court 3’ was expected to retake the pleas of the accused persons after the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had increased the charges from 29 to 54 charges of extortion and other offences.

But the case had to be adjourned because the docket had been transferred to ‘Criminal Court 4’ presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, which has adjourned the hearing to December 9, 2025.

Charges

The OSP has charged Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and nine (9) others with 54 criminal charges, accusing them of extorting a total of GHS291.574 million and $332,407.47 from bulk oil transporters and oil distributors.

The individuals are Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at NPA; Wendy Newman, a staff of NPA; Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, all Directors of Kel Logistics Limited; Bright Bediako-Mensah, Director of Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited as well as Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, Director of Kings Energy Limited.

The three companies are Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited.

Another suspect identified as Osei Tutu Adjei, a Director of Kel Logistics Limited, is currently at large.

Meanwhile, an application filed by Dr. Abdul-Hamid asking the court to release his passport to enable him travel to Canada for a programme could also not be heard due to the change in the court and the new date set by the court.

Brief Facts

The OSP says the charges stem from investigations initiated by it in late 2024 into alleged unlawful conduct involving the diversion of public funds and collusion with oil marketing and bulk distribution companies.

The summary of facts indicates that investigations by the OSP show that between 2022 and December 2024, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah and Wendy Newman under the colour of their office as officers of NPA, set up an extortionate scheme by which they unlawfully obtained GHS291,574,087.19 and $332,407.47 from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies, which they knew they were not lawfully authorised to obtain.

It says the scheme was contrived by Abdul-Hamid, who sold the idea of the alleged criminal adventure to Amuah, who also recruited Newman as the primary conduit for receiving the proceeds of the crime.

The fact claims a total of GHS24 million was handed directly by Amuah to Abdul-Hamid between January 2024 and December 2024 – ‘being proceeds of the criminal extortion scheme.’

A fierce disagreement has erupted in Parliament over the government’s decision to reintroduce a lease agreement between Ghana and Barari DV Limited for the exploitation of the country’s lithium resources.

The Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and MP for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has accused the current administration of negotiating an inferior deal compared to the one struck by the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government during the Eighth Parliament, an agreement that the now-governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) had vehemently opposed at the time.

Speaking at a press briefing after the document was laid before Parliament, Mr. Jinapor described the new agreement as ‘a much worse form of agreement than the one negotiated by the Akufo-Addo administration,’ insisting that the terms now presented do not serve the national interest.

‘At the time, our friends from the other side said the agreement we negotiated was not in the national interest,’ he recalled and added, ‘They said they would get a better deal if given the opportunity. Today, however, they have returned to Parliament with a deal that is far worse than what they rejected.’

He argued that the earlier lease under the Akufo-Addo administration provided some of the best terms anywhere in the world, including a 13% free carried interest, higher than the legally required 10%, as well as a 6% equity and 6% royalty for the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), and a requirement for the company to float 30% of its shares on the Ghana Stock Exchange for local participation.

According to him, the government had also secured community royalties and additional benefits ‘over and above what the law required,’ which demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that the exploitation of lithium resources benefitted Ghanaians.

The Damongo MP expressed concern that the current deal lowers the royalty rate, despite the government’s claim that it had been ‘readjusted.’ He noted that on ‘the face of it,’ the new terms put the country in a worse position than before.

‘We are going to have an opportunity to dig into this agreement, but a cursory examination suggests that this agreement is a much worse agreement,’ Mr Jinapor said.

‘What has changed? If anything, the terms are worse. Ghanaians would have been better off if the previous agreement had been ratified,’ he intimated.

He appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to re-examine the deal and, if necessary, direct the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry to return to the negotiation table.

‘The natural resources of Ghana, including lithium, belong to the people and are held in trust by the President. We want the exploitation of these resources to be in the interest of the Ghanaian people. If they bring an enhanced agreement with better outcomes, we will support it. But this one is worse,’ Mr. Jinapor emphasised.

Minister’s Defence

However, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, rejected the opposition’s claims, explaining that the government had adopted a ‘scaled royalty’ system to make the project both attractive to investors and beneficial to the state.

According to him, the new structure allows the royalty rate to rise as global lithium prices increase, a model designed to ensure long-term gains while enabling immediate commencement of operations.

‘We agreed with the company to start at 5% royalty so the project can begin. As prices go up, the royalty will rise to 10%. There’s nothing changing. We are simply making sure we take advantage of the project for the benefit of the community and the country,’ Mr. Buah explained.

He further stated that with lithium prices currently around $675 per tonne, maintaining a flat 10% royalty rate would have rendered the project unprofitable and deterred investment.

‘If somebody is going to produce lithium sold at $630 per tonne and their cost is $675, obviously no one will invest. That’s why government is introducing this flexible scale,’ he said.

The minister added that the new agreement would create jobs and stimulate industrial development, particularly in the Mankesim area, where land has already been acquired and communities have been affected.

‘We are thinking about jobs, industries, and the opportunities ahead. The decision we have made is in the long-term interest of the people,’ Mr. Buah stressed.

Despite the Minister’s defence, the Minority insists that the revised terms fall short of what Ghanaians deserve from such a strategic mineral.

Mr Jinapor maintained that the opposition would subject the document to ‘intense scrutiny’ once referred to Parliament’s Committee on Mines and Energy.

The lithium project, the nation’s first commercial-scale venture into the mineral critical for electric vehicles and renewable technologies, has become a political flashpoint, with both major parties accusing each other of failing to protect the national interest.

For now, the fate of the Barari DV Limited lease lies with Parliament’s committee system, but the debate has already reignited broader questions about how Ghana manages its mineral wealth in the era of green energy.

Acting queenmother of Daboase in the Wassa East District of the Western Region, Nana Efua Ntaa Ama Foah II, has called on interested and credible investors to move to the area and exploit the vast, untapped gold resources.

According to Nana Efua Ntaa Ama Foah II, Daboase and its environs still have areas with gold deposits which are untapped.

The Acting Queenmother was addressing a durbar of traditional leaders to announce the outcome of a Tarkwa High Court contempt ruling involving two traditional factions in the area.

She, therefore, appealed to the government to turn its attention to the area and bring investors to tap into the vast potential in the land.

‘I am therefore appealing to the government to turn his attention to the Daboase area and bring in companies who can invest or harness the mineral deposits to help create jobs for the people,’ she added.

She said her people are willing to work and support the investors for mutual benefits.

‘We have people in our communities who can be employed as security personnel. We have lots of caterers in our area who can also be employed,’ the queenmother indicated.

The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested 191 suspects, including one female, in connection with a recent mob attack on security officers at Ehi Police Station in the Ketu North Municipality.

The Volta Regional Police Public Affairs Director, Chief Superintendent Francis Gomado, disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Regional Police Headquarters in Ho.

He stated that the arrests followed a joint police-military operation launched in response to violent attacks on law enforcement personnel in parts of the Volta, Ashanti, and Ahafo regions.

According to him, the swoop was carried out in Ehi and surrounding communities to apprehend individuals suspected to have taken part in the attack.

Chief Supt. Gomado revealed that intelligence indicated some suspects fled the community after the incident.

He advised residents to respect the law and avoid acts of violence or retaliation when incidents occur.

‘Anytime something happens, we should let the law take its own course. What happened has led to the arrest of many people, including some responsible parents who are now being questioned. This should serve as a deterrent to others,’ he stated.

He further urged the youth to desist from mob actions and attacks on law enforcement officers, emphasising that the police are committed to protecting all citizens.

‘We will leave no stone unturned in protecting the good people of the Volta Region,’ he said.

Chief Superintendent Gomado also stated that screening of the arrested suspects was ongoing, and that those found innocent would be released.

He assured the public that the Regional Police Command remains dedicated to maintaining peace and security in the region.

Veteran music producer and sound engineer, Fred Kyei Mensah, popularly known as Fredyma, has disagreed with Prophet Nigel Gaisie’s claim that church instrumentalists are not financially successful.

Speaking on Onua FM, Fredyma expressed surprise at the prophet’s comments, noting that Nigel Gaisie personally knows him and is aware of his accomplishments in the music industry.

‘I disagree with Prophet Nigel Gaisie. Me, as an instrumentalist, has he not seen that I’m doing well? I first worked at Shell as a fuel station manager and didn’t get anything, but through music I’ve supported three of my children through university, bought land, and built a house. For the past 35 years, everything I’ve achieved has come from music,’ he stated.

The producer explained that his success story is proof that instrumentalists can build stable and rewarding lives through dedication to their craft. He added that his financial breakthrough only came after he fully committed himself to music.

Fredyma’s remarks were in response to a statement made by Prophet Nigel Gaisie during a recent church service, where the clergyman claimed that in nearly 28 years of ministry, he had never met a wealthy church instrumentalist.

‘In my nearly 28 years in ministry, I have never seen a wealthy instrumentalist. The singers are not far from that either. You’ll see them at washing bays washing cars or doing other small jobs just to survive most of the time,’ Prophet Gaisie had said.

Fredyma, however, insisted that such a generalisation does not reflect the reality of many musicians who have built sustainable careers, both within and outside the church.

The final funeral rites of legendary highlife musician, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, have been moved to December 13, 2025, following internal disagreements within the family.

Originally scheduled for December 6, the funeral was rescheduled due to tensions among family members over aspects of the burial arrangements.

The Manhyia Palace reportedly announced the new date after the family met at the Otumfuo Saamanhene Palace on November 10, 2025. During the meeting, a new funeral committee, chaired by Dadiesoabahene, was appointed to oversee all funeral preparations.

Sources indicate that the musician’s sister, Ernestina Akosua Brempomaa, had earlier requested a postmortem examination, expressing concerns about possible foul play in her brother’s death.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reportedly pardoned Akosua Brempomaa for invoking the Great Oath during the dispute, but warned her against repeating the act.

Daddy Lumba, a towering figure in Ghana’s highlife music scene, is celebrated for his decades-long contribution to the industry, producing numerous timeless hits and mentoring several younger artistes. His funeral is expected to draw large crowds of mourners and music lovers from across the country.

Panic gripped residents of Buoho in the Afigya Kwabre South District of the Ashanti Region when a massive boulder suddenly rolled downhill into a settlement area near a quarry site, narrowly avoiding what could have been a deadly catastrophe.

The shocking incident, which occurred over the weekend, has once again drawn attention to the growing menace of encroachment on restricted quarry zones, as experts and industry players sound alarm bells over the looming danger to human lives.

Eyewitnesses described the stone as ‘too huge for any human to move,’ saying it came crashing down from a nearby hill and stopped just a few metres away from several houses. Terrified residents initially accused quarry operators of causing the incident through blasting activities.

However, investigations by DAILY GUIDE have revealed that the occurrence was not caused by any human activity but rather a natural geological event.

Mr. Emmanuel Addai, Manager of Kas Products Limited, explained that the rock’s movement was most likely the result of a natural avalanche – a situation where large stones resting on unstable ground become dislodged and roll downhill without warning.

‘This was purely a natural phenomenon,’ Mr. Addai clarified. ‘It is very unfortunate that people continue to put up buildings and live within quarry safety zones, despite the clear dangers. These are restricted areas by law for a reason.’

He expressed frustration over the persistent encroachment on quarry lands, stressing that it hampers safe operations and exposes both workers and residents to unnecessary risk.

‘Encroachers make it extremely difficult for us to operate safely,’ he lamented. ‘Their illegal presence in these danger zones not only puts lives at risk but also causes major financial losses for quarry companies when operations are disrupted.’

In the aftermath of the near-fatal event, Mr. Addai has called on the Afigya Kwabre South District Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and relevant security agencies to take immediate steps to relocate residents from the high-risk areas before a tragedy occurs.

Other major quarry firms in the area, including ADU 2 Quarry, Modern Granite, ESM Quarry, and World Cool Quarry, have echoed the call, urging government and local authorities to strictly enforce existing safety regulations and clear all illegal settlers from the restricted zones.

They warned that failure to act swiftly could result in a devastating disaster, saying the Buoho incident should serve as a wake-up call to prevent future loss of lives and property.

Ghanaian blogger, Boateng Ameyaw1, will host another edition of the DEN Africa Summit 2025 in Kumasi on November 29, under the theme, ‘Entrepreneurship and Branding: Building Sustainable Influence.’

The DEN Africa Summit, which will be held at Newspring A/G, Santasi R/A Unity Oil (Top of Prudential Bank), Kumasi, is a conference which brings together young entrepreneurs, content creators, business owners, and innovators from across Africa for a full day of learning, networking, and inspiration.

Now in its fourth edition, the event hosted by Afrika360hub and led by Blogger Boateng Ameyaw1, focuses on how entrepreneurship and branding work together to build lasting influence. It is a space to learn, connect, and grow as a creative or entrepreneur in today’s digital world.

According to him, the DEN Africa Summit, which is a free event, is more than an event – it’s a movement that empowers Africa’s next generation of leaders, innovators, and changemakers. It helps participants turn passion into purpose, build authentic brands, and make a real impact in their businesses and communities.

The summit will feature interesting sessions like faith and purpose segment, which will focus on how faith, values, and vision can guide business and creative journey.

The financial growth segment will highlight how to plan, save, and manage money wisely as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurial mindset segment will also delve into how to develop resilience, leadership, and the right mindset for long-term success. The creative and branding segment will take a look at how to build a strong brand, grow digital presence, and stay balanced as a creative.

According to Boateng Ameyaw1, prospective participants will have a time of their lives at the summit, as it promises inspiring talks and practical lessons, interactive sessions on business and branding, networking and collaboration opportunities, media and brand exposure as well as real conversations about mindset, wellness, and growth.

Quality management is not playing its full role in society if it gets stuck exclusively in narrow considerations about products and production. That parochial approach to quality management leads to what Theodore Levitt, in his outstanding article published in 1960, Marketing Myopia2, described as ‘product provincialism.’ Product provincialism is a dead end. For, and perhaps this is why we must all really think differently, it is futile to chase quality production for non-quality societies. Quality is an eternal and organic aspiration for serious societies.

Quality cultures upgrade society

Quality, at its most useful, is about securing the long-term health of society. How do we, using all the resources of our intellect and energies, liberate the productive forces in order to improve living conditions in our country – for the majority of our compatriots? This, it seems to me, is the historical task facing the living generation of Africans and Ghanaians.

Whatever attitudes, systems, mindsets, laws and regulations, educational models, media, governance approaches, behaviours, and consequently, culture that drive the emergence of a wholesome civilisation – sustainably so and for the long-term, that is what Quality management is about. It is through ensuring, in all that it does, a society values, cherishes and upholds quality, that sustainable development is achieved.

This is why it should be difficult to see how societies can say they are championing quality when their physical environments are dirty, unplanned, haphazard and disorganised. We cannot ignore the palpable and pervasive conditions of anomie that make life a tortuous existence for so many of our fellow citizens, while we retreat into comfortable but esoteric and abstract realms to discuss quality. Thinking differently about quality will necessarily involve asking, and hopefully finding answers, to some difficult questions about our collective existence as a society.

High quality cultures in society manifest as, in addition to some other things: clean neighbourhoods, green environments with thriving flora and fauna, and clean water bodies. The smell of the air in such societies is rejuvenating and energising.

Amilcar Cabral3 was more than right, in his deservedly and oft repeated poignant remark: ‘Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone’s head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children .’

We must never, even in the middle of a tortuous battle for progress and advancement, forget Cabral’s instructive injunction when we discuss quality development in society. It is not enough to fixate on progress only stated on spreadsheets – as bland financial metrics – when the very quality of our lives is deteriorating. This requires what one of my friend’s aptly calls a Mindset Revolution.

In which aspect of our lives, of our collective existence as Ghanaians, can we sincerely say that the achievements made so far, are such that we can show them off as examples of world-class quality anywhere on the globe? Not even in sanitation, health care, education or food self-sufficiency, can we do this. We are plagued by mediocrity, regrettably even in basic things like, land management (which is today in dangerous chaos in parts of our country). On law and order, the entire system for the delivery of administrative justice in Ghana is stretched to breaking point at this stage. Consequently, people, often the rich and powerful, get away with shocking crimes – in this governance system I call a Santa Claus Democracy.

The Santa Claus democracy is systemic dysfunction. As quality assurance practitioners know all too well, where there is systemic dysfunction, we can only get out of the rut by improving the system holistically – not through episodic focus on some selected symptoms. This is a fundamental truth in all the major schools of quality management that have emerged.

It should be no surprise then, that, in 1978, when Deng Xiaoping and his team decided China needed to step up significantly in order to improve the quality of life for all, they pursued a holistic and well-coordinated programme on multiple tracks. They called this ‘The 4 Modernisations,’ calling out priority areas of focus in granular terms, as:

AGRICULTURE (Improve productivity through mechanization, better farming techniques, and rural reforms)

INDUSTRY (Modernize factories, increase efficiency, and introduce market-oriented practices)

NATIONAL DEFENSE (Upgrade military technology and capabilities to ensure national security)

SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY (Invest in research, education, and innovation to support all other sectors).

Through determined leadership, more than a billion Chinese were mobilised behind this plan. They together executed, in my view, the greatest economic transformation that has ever been recorded in human history, one that lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty.

One can point at Lee Kwan Yew’s insistence in Singapore that the state had to intervene in very personal matters – including personal hygiene, as another such example. People who are serious and determined work hard – holistically, comprehensively, creatively and in a determined manner. Their focus for transformation is always long-term.

To raise quality standards and build a truly sustainable high-quality culture throughout a society takes hard work and determination. But it also takes consensus on what constitutes a high-quality society. What do we agree on in Ghana, when our major political parties seem unable to agree on anything – other than that which benefits their principal actors as individuals? And these days also on demonstrating bipartisan solidarity when it comes to calling on bereaved VIPs to express condolences at funeral ceremonies? Whether those funerals be the one day, one week, one month, one year or one decade ceremony! Where is our jointly owned living, organic, long-term development plan – one which can survive multiple electoral cycles?

So how, in such a fractious environment of political incivility, can we ever manage to progress sustained quality improvement efforts that yield positive society-wide impacts?

We in Africa and Ghana must define for ourselves what we mean by QUALITY. We must certainly learn from all experiences and knowledge that we can find anywhere in the world, for we are a part of the globe, and all global knowledge must be ours too. But it is only we who must study our historical evolution, concrete conditions, and circumstances, to produce the best solutions suited for our societies. The Akan proverb says it all: Obi ntumi nto Ananses?m nkyer? Ntikuma.

Whatever we decide to do, we must also wage war on mediocrity. The knowledge of excellence and a true motivation to attain it, are what, when all is said and done, quality is – or should be about. We must free the search for quality in Ghana from parochial provinces of product experience and customer service, to think differently about quality. That is the path to greatness. Wherever quality thinking has made a lasting and sustainable difference to a society, it has taken on the status of a concrete civilisational ambition to attain and achieve a higher and fairer culture for all. This is why so many people speak about a Quality Revolution.