Category: Daily Guide Network

The Minority in Parliament has raised fresh alarm over the worsening scourge of illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, describing it as Ghana’s gravest governance failure and a full-blown national disaster that threatens lives, livelihoods, and the country’s environmental future.

Addressing Parliament at the opening of the Third Meeting of the First Session, Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, delivered a sobering account of what he called ‘the poisoning of Ghana’s soul,’ warning that unchecked illegal mining has pushed the nation to the brink of irreversible ecological collapse.

‘Even as we convene today, our rivers run brown with pollution, vast tracts of once fertile land lie scarred and toxic, and many of our citizens in mining communities face illness and death from poisonous chemicals,’ Afenyo-Markin declared.

He cited new findings by Pure Earth and Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which revealed that mercury contamination in some mining communities is 134 times above safe levels, while arsenic concentrations have surged 4,000 percent higher than World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.

‘These poisonous metals are seeping into the water, into food crops, into the very bodies of our people. Doctors are reporting children with mercury pellets in their X-rays, children now requiring dialysis because of the poisonous fruits of galamsey,’ he lamented.

The Minority Leader said the menace had persisted across successive governments but had worsened under the current administration.

Recounting earlier warnings, he cited the 2010 Africa Investigates documentary by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which exposed the human and environmental toll of galamsey, including the Dunkwa-on-Offin pit disaster that killed over 150 people.

The Minority Leader described the crisis as both an environmental and an economic catastrophe, noting that the rise of unregulated small-scale gold mining has created an underground economy draining state revenue while empowering criminal networks.

‘In just eight months this year, small-scale gold exports surged to over $6.3 billion, according to the Ghana Gold Board. Yet much of this trade is believed to be illicit. The state loses billions while communities suffer devastation,’ he said.

He called for a non-partisan national crusade against illegal mining, anchored on transparency, accountability, and sustainable livelihoods for affected communities.

The Minority Leader urged the government to work with civil society, religious bodies, and traditional authorities to design an all-inclusive recovery plan for degraded mining zones.

‘If we fail to protect our rivers, land, and communities, we risk failing an entire generation,’ he warned.

Former West Ham manager Graham Potter has been announced as the new head coach of Sweden.

The 50-year-old has accepted the role on an initial short-term basis in a bid to aid Sweden’s faltering World Cup qualification campaign.

Potter said: ‘I am very humbled by the assignment, but also incredibly inspired. Sweden has fantastic players who deliver in the world’s best leagues during the weeks.

‘My job will be to create the conditions so that we as a team deliver at the highest level to take Sweden to the World Cup next summer.’

Sweden had been seeking a new head coach since the dismissal of Jon Dahl Tomasson following their 1-0 loss to Kosovo on 13 October, a result that made automatic qualification from their group impossible.

However, they could still reach the play-offs even without finishing in the top two of Group B as a result of their success in the 2024-25 Nations League, where they topped their group.

Potter was sacked by West Ham at the end of September after a disappointing start to the season.

Five losses in six games in the 2025-26 campaign had left the Hammers in the Premier League bottom three. Overall, he won just six of 23 matches since joining the east London club in January.

However, Potter retains a positive image in Sweden, having delivered three promotions in four seasons at Ostersund, taking them from the fourth division to the top flight, while also winning a domestic cup in 2017.

Potter also had successful spells managing Brighton and Swansea City before joining Chelsea in 2022 but was dismissed from his role at Stamford Bridge after seven months.

The Ghana National Association of ADR Practitioners (GNAAP), has sworn in new executives to steer its affairs for the next four years.

At a brief ceremony in Accra, a retired judge, Patience Ablorh, swore into office the Association’s six-member executives with Daniel Owusu-Koranteng as the President.

Other members of the new executives include Nii Amarh Ashitey as Vice President; Dr. Mark Anderson, General Secretary; Christiana Puorideme, Deputy General Secretary; Mr. Alex Nartey, Founder; and Christopher Yaw Bekoe as Public Relations Officer.

GNAAP is a regulatory body of ADR Professionals (Mediators, Arbitrators, Negotiators, Conciliators and Customary Arbitrators).

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, who was elected for a second term, said GNAAP is committed to the effective functioning of democratic practice of ensuring peaceful resolution of disputes.

He said though not all cases can be resolved through the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism, members will work towards promoting its role and activities to the general public, especially in addressing prolonged cases which could have been solved in the shortest time.

Mr. Koranteng said the association will also train more ADR practitioners to enable them to understand and work on more complex cases that may not necessarily require the court system to address them.

The GNAAP President added that even though there are ADR centres across the country, the association would ensure that more are established.

Founder of the association, Mr. Alex Nartey, for his part said ADR has contributed significantly to the court system by reducing the backlog of cases since its introduction in Ghana’s court system in 2005.

According to him, Ghana’s court system cannot be efficient with the limited number of judges, hence the need for government to establish more innovative ADR processes to reduce the volume of cases in the courts.

Mr. Nartey, who is also a mediator, arbitrator and private legal practitioner, stated that even though cases such as interpretation of statutes, rape, defilement and cases of public interest among others cannot be settled through ADR, there are options with the use of ADR for people to resolve some pertinent issues without necessarily going to court.

The swearing-in ceremony, which was supervised by Mr. Alex Nartey, also brought together some past executives, ADR practitioners as well as lawyers.

Love and culture collided beautifully as Nollywood actress, Eve Esin tied the knot with her Ghanaian sweetheart, Suleman, in a stunning traditional wedding that dazzled guests and fans alike.

The colourful celebration, themed, ‘#LoveFoundMe25’, took place in Akwa Ibom State and showcased a spectacular blend of Nigerian and Ghanaian traditions.

Eve Esin, proudly honouring her Oron heritage, made a grand, regal entrance in elegant traditional attire that left guests in awe. The emotional highlight of the day came when a family elder reminded her of her royal lineage, saying:

‘Please, I am begging you as your mother to take Suleman as your husband, love, friend, and confidant. I know you are a celebrity, but you come from a humble, royal family – you’re a princess.’

The event drew a glittering crowd, including top Nollywood stars such as Rita Dominic, Patience Ozokwor, Okon Lagos, Empress Njamah, and Mary Igwe, as well as dignitaries like the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State and the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady.

Guests and fans flooded social media with congratulatory messages, praising Eve Esin for celebrating love while proudly showcasing African culture.

Gospel singer and Evangelist, Diana Asamoah, has blamed the late Highlife legend, Daddy Lumba, for the chaos surrounding the burial rites, saying the late musician is responsible for the confusion tearing his home apart after his death.

Speaking on UTV’s United Showbiz on October 18, 2025, Diana claimed that Lumba’s own actions and ‘unspoken truths’ misled his longtime partner, Priscilla Ofori Atta, popularly known as Odo Broni, into believing he was no longer married to his wife, Akosua Serwaa.

‘Everything that’s happening is Lumba’s fault. From what I understand, the things he might have told Odo Broni made her believe he was no longer with Akosua Serwaa,’ she said.

Diana added that such situations are common, especially among men who live abroad. According to her, many deceive women into thinking they are single or divorced when their wives are actually living overseas.

‘I know many men abroad who do the same. They tell young women they’ve left their wives when that’s not true. Some even ask their wives to play along so they can get money from the women and bring it home,’ she explained.

Meanwhile, a suit is at the Kumasi High Court between Akosua Serwaa, Daddy Lumba’s first wife, and the family of Lumba.

Akosua Serwaa has filed an injunction seeking to be recognised as the lawful spouse with the right to perform the late musician’s widowhood rites.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Effia-Kwesimintsim in the Western Region, Abdel Majeed, has been commended for being able to eject traders from the Takoradi Jubilee Park.

The park was built by the erstwhile John Agyekum Kufuor administration to commemorate the country’s 50 years of independence.

It was to be used for public and other social events.

However, the park was converted into a temporary market for some traders in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure social distancing.

When the pandemic was over, several attempts were made to remove the market women from the Jubilee Park but to no avail.

Event organisers who wanted to hold programmes in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis found it difficult to get venues for their programmes since the park which used to be the venue for major events including funerals, was occupied by the traders.

The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA), under the leadership of the current MCE, Abdul Majeed Iddrisu Nassam, issued a statement recently and indicated that it has resolved to bring back the Takoradi Jubilee Park to it former state.

True to their words, EKMA and the MCE have been able to relocate the traders from the Jubilee Park to the Apremdo Central Market within the municipality.

After the traders were removed on October 13, 2025, the scene at the park was an eyesore as it was covered with filth generated by the market women. The stench around the area was also unbearable.

EKMA issued another statement and assured the residents of its determination to clear the rubbish and other debris as well as embark on other rehabilitation works.

A visit by DAILY GUIDE to the park yesterday revealed a tractor busily clearing the filth that had engulfed the park.

The residents have therefore applauded the EKMA MCE and the assembly for honouring their promise of restoring the Jubilee Park to its original state.

THE NKAWIE Divisional Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the Ashanti Region, is investigating a case where a 23-year-old man is alleged to have been kidnapped on Saturday, October 18, 2025.

The alleged kidnappers of Phillip Akoni, who are keeping him in a secret location, are said to be demanding GHS20,000 before they will set him free to reunite with his family.

Interestingly, Akoni’s co-worker, one Phillip Kofi Yeboah, had reportedly given a cash amount of GHS20,000 to him (Akoni) to deliver to his (Yeboah’s) shop at Amanchia on Friday, October 17, 2025.

Kofi Yeboah did not hear from Akoni again and barely 24 hours later, he received photos of Akoni blindfolded and tied with ropes on his phone, amid claims that he had been kidnapped and his captors are demanding GHS20,000 before they will release him.

‘Today, 18/10/25, at about 1400 hours, Phillip Kofi Yeboah of Kobeng, accompanied by Obeng Akwesi of same address, came to the station with photographs of their friend and co-worker Phillip Akoni, aged 23 years, who was tied in ropes and blindfolded and reported that, on 17/10/25 at about 1815 hours, complainant gave victim an amount GHS20,000.00, to be taken to his shop at Amanchia.

‘That when complainant tried reaching him on phone, he received photographs, WhatsApp and text messages from victim’s phone number, portraying that he had been kidnapped.

‘And that his alleged kidnappers were demanding a ransom of GHS20,000,’ a statement from the Nkawie Divisional Police CID, which the paper has sighted, said.

According to the complainant, all their tireless efforts to find the location of Akoni had proven futile, so they decided to officially report to the police to investigate the case.

‘That they made all efforts to trace victim but all proved futile, and hence needed police assistance,’ the police said, adding that, ‘Cyber Crime Unit/Ash is being contacted for further action.’

Prices of petrol and diesel have begun reducing at the pumps in line with industry data projecting a drop of more than 4% per litre from October 16, 2025.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have thus begun selling their products at reduced prices.

Star Oil is now selling a litre of petrol at GHS12.77, down from the previous price of GHS13.17 per litre.

Diesel has also been reduced from GHS13.45 per litre on September 30, 2025, to GHS12.97 on October 20, 2025.

GOIL, has also announced a downward adjustment in prices, selling petrol at GHS12.98 per litre from the old price of GHS13.38.

Diesel is now selling at GHS13.85, compared to the previous price of GHS14.20.

Another OMC, Petrosol, on October 17, 2025, announced that it had reduced the price of petrol to GHS13.48 per litre, while diesel is going for GHS14.18.

According to the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies, the more than 4% reduction in fuel prices has been influenced by two main factors: a decline in global crude oil prices and the recent appreciation of the Ghana cedi.

The chamber in its market report, noted that during the pricing window under review, the cedi appreciated from GHS12.40 to GHS12.25 per US dollar, representing a 1.21% gain.

Market analysts attribute the rebound to stronger foreign exchange inflows from commodity exports, renewed investor confidence following the Fifth IMF Review, and improved market operations by the Bank of Ghana.

Crude oil prices on the international market also declined by 1.43% to $68.45 per barrel. Prices of finished petroleum products followed a similar trend, with petrol dropping by 4.54%, diesel by 3.94%, and LPG by 3.43%.

Despite the projected reductions, some market watchers caution that not all of the over 200 OMCs may reflect the full decreases at the pumps since some companies reportedly absorbed earlier cost increases from October 1, 2025.

Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has noted that the latest round of reductions could help avert a potential increase in transport fares.

He commended OMCs that maintained stable prices even when industry data indicated they could have raised them.

‘We believe that all these efforts will go a long way to reduce the cost of living,’ said Mr. Amoah.

A NEW academic survey has revealed that Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is consolidating his lead among New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates nationwide, and is the frontrunner in the race to become the flagbearer of the party.

The findings were unveiled at a press conference held in Accra at the British Council by lead researcher, Dr. Evans Duah, who emphasised that Mr. Agyapong was on course to be elected as the flagbearer of the NPP ahead of their presidential primary scheduled for January 2026.

According to him, a September 22 to October 5, 2025, survey of New Patriotic Party delegates revealed a decisive shift in national-level preferences ahead of the party’s presidential primary.

Building on the August 2025 baseline, the updated poll, conducted by a team of 120 trained field officers, sampled 26,150 delegates across all 16 administrative regions, achieving a robust 76% response rate.

The findings show that Kennedy Ohene Agyapong (KOA) has not only retained but significantly expanded his lead among NPP delegates. Under the worst-case scenario model, KOA commands 44.11% of national delegate support, rising to 53.80% in the best-case projection, surpassing the majority threshold and marking a net gain of 9.69 percentage points since August.

KOA’s dominance is particularly pronounced in the southern regions, including Central, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono, Volta, and Western. He now leads in 9 out of 16 regions under conservative assumptions, and 11 out of 16 regions under optimistic assumptions, underscoring both his numerical strength and geographical reach.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (DMB) maintains second place, with worst-case support at 39.51%. However, his best-case share has declined to 32.21%, reflecting stagnation and limited traction. While DMB continues to hold sway in the northern corridor, that is, North East, Northern, Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West, his campaign faces challenges in expanding its appeal nationally.

Dr. Bryan Acheampong (BA), once a rising contender, has seen his support dip to 6.28% (worst-case) and 8.27% (best-case), remaining regionally concentrated in the Eastern Region. Meanwhile, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum (YOA) and Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong (KAA) have recorded modest gains, with potential influence through strategic endorsements or alliances.

Key drivers of the changes in the latest poll include Mr. Agyapong’s intensified constituency campaign focus, heightened visibility, and perceived momentum.

While the results indicate a turning point in the race’s trajectory, Dr. Duah cautions that the contest remains fluid. He further added that the final outcome will depend on how effectively campaigns convert momentum into votes within the short window before the primary.

‘The delegate polls have become a two-horse race. Others can consolidate, but at the end of the day, it’s between Dr. Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong. The main difference lies in the strong regions that need to be strategically decided. A coalition may be necessary.

‘We hope there won’t be a runoff, as research suggests that one candidate, Kennedy, currently appears capable of crossing the 50+1 threshold. Other candidates will need to work harder to improve their chances,’ he added.

WAFAD GROUP, a leading agribusiness enterprise in Ghana, in partnership with Hubbard Breeders with the support of Gates Foundation, has announced the launch of an initiative to uplift rural communities through sustainable dual-purpose poultry production.

The five-year programme, forms part of the Gates Foundation’s broader effort to strengthen inclusive poultry systems across sub-Saharan Africa, and aims to empower over 250,000 smallholder farmers in the country, with a special focus on women and youth, through the CHICKEN4U project.

Under the initiative, WAFAD will produce and distribute millions of high-quality dual-purpose birds locally branded as GRANGER to small-scale farmers across the country.

The CHICKEN4U model integrates training, input support, veterinary care, feed supply, and structured market access, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that enhances food security, generates income, and improves nutrition in rural households.

‘CHICKEN4U is not just a project, it’s a movement,’ said Ebenezer K. Yeboah, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of WAFAD Group. ‘Through this partnership, we are unlocking rural prosperity, empowering women and youth to become agri-entrepreneurs, and making poultry a reliable source of food and income for every household in Ghana.’

To ensure effective implementation, WAFAD Group is embarking on a comprehensive modernisation programme to strengthen Ghana’s poultry value chain through new state of the art hatchery, feedmill upgrades, modern breeder farms, recruitment and training of 100+ Sales and Technical Officers (SATOs).

It will also recruit and train over 100 SATOs to support Mother Unit Operators (MUOs) and smallholder farmers in rural areas through extension services, good husbandry practices, and market linkages.

Sustainable Impact and Rural Transformation

With strong technical and genetic support from Hubbard Breeders, and strategic investment from the Gates Foundation, the CHICKEN4U initiative is expected to reach over 250,000 rural households across the country, distribute over 5 million dual-purpose birds annually for both meat and egg production, establish over 2,000 Mother Unit Operators (MUOs) as rural brooder hubs and distribution centres, and promote local feed production and vaccine access to strengthen resilience and sustainability.

‘Hubbard is delighted to support WAFAD’s CHICKEN4U project,’ said Olivier Rochard, Managing Director of Hubbard. ‘By combining our world-class genetics with WAFAD’s strong local expertise, we are helping to make poultry farming a sustainable and profitable venture in even the most remote villages of Ghana.’