Category: Daily Guide Network

Fire and water…we have been here before. In June 2015 we witnessed for the first time balls of fire on top of water spectacle which constituted one of Ghana’s most tragic occurrences in living memories.

That was the Circle disaster which claimed over a hundred lives compensation to which survivors remains outstanding, perhaps never to be advanced. A fuel station was on fire as the heavens opened for a major torrential downpour.

The downpour of last Monday also came with a fire outbreak at Odawna when plastic sales points were torched fire, which lasted several hours as the deluge lasted.

Our President’s tenures have always been touched with fire and water.

He was in charge when the country witnessed the Circle tragedy during which he characteristically denied responsibility as the man in charge of steering the ship of state.

He called for a clear action against the force majeure, the authority to do which lay with him as President and Commander-In-Chief.

He reneged on his pledge to do something about the perennial force majeure.

He also pointed at human irresponsible activities as being responsible for the floods in Accra. As President, he was unable to deal with the situation because he feared it would incur the wrath of Ghanaians who would accuse him of not showing a human face.

That itself is a poor testimonial because if that action in his estimation could address the challenge it should be carried out. Not doing so points at a weakness which the Commander-In-Chief should not exhibit.

He said we should not continue to be like the vulture which makes fresh promises of building proper shelter against the rains. When the rains end the promises are shelved for another raining season.

Given the unsolved challenge over the years of his tenure, our President has behaved like the vulture continuously dangling fresh promises about how to tackle the annual force majeure, but in the end, doing nothing.

When he was seeking the nods of Ghanaians to rule again, he made another promise in 2024 which is worthy of referring to at this time when the wounds of last Monday’s torrential downpour and a subsequent flooding continue to haunt victims like bad dreams.

He told us that a new NDC government would apply a scientific means of addressing the annual flooding of Accra.

That scientific approach could have been the Seven-Man Committee of Appointees to come up with a solution to the perennial flooding. We are in the middle of a fresh raining season and no scientific response has been witnessed apart from the committee whose action of significance has been a helicopter flyover in Accra as soon as it was inaugurated.

We are compelled to recall the prediction of Rev. Owusu Bempah, as it were, about rain and fire, should Ghanaians vote in a certain pattern. Against this backdrop can we say his prediction or warning has come to pass?

With the unlikelihood of the government doing anything significant to stop the destructive deluge we ask that NADMO and related first respondents are equipped and motivated through appropriate training to do more than they did during the deluge under review. Their support during the period was anything but significant and worthy of plaudits.

As victims of the deluge endured the inconveniences wreaked by the downpour many of them did not feel the presence of NADMO. Even when the gang of party footsoldiers showed up most of them lacked the wherewithal of managing flood situations. The best they could do was drive past in NADMO logo government vehicles.

As for a lasting solution to the perennial destructive deluges let the GARID project be revived and not kept under the carpet where it has continued to be since the change of governance baton.

Telecel Ghana has closed its month-long Ashanti Month celebration with a major health intervention: donating newborn medical equipment to Kumasi South Hospital and adopting its Mother and Baby Unit for two years.

Through the Telecel Ghana Foundation, the company presented two firefly phototherapy units to treat neonatal jaundice, a wall baby radiant warmer for premature and low-birth-weight infants, and an infant digital weighing scale for growth monitoring.

Speaking at the handover, Telecel Ghana CEO, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, said the support is an investment in early childhood survival.

‘The first days after birth are often the most critical. Through this partnership with Kumasi South Hospital, we are investing in better outcomes for newborns, supporting healthcare professionals and creating an environment where children can survive, recover and thrive,’ she said.

Under the two-year adoption agreement, Telecel will renovate the unit, supply essential consumables, and improve the environment for patients, families and staff. Kumasi South Hospital is a key referral centre for maternal and child health in Ashanti, delivering over 10,000 babies annually, many with complications such as birth asphyxia, jaundice and infections.

Head of Paediatrics, Dr. Rita Yeboah, welcomed the support, noting that equipment wear and tear often disrupts care and leads to referrals.

‘Our greatest appreciation goes to Telecel Foundation for this equipment and for agreeing to renovate the newborn unit and labour ward. his will ensure babies are born in safety and peace,’ she said.

Deputy Director of Clinical Care at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Rita Larsen, said the two-year commitment shows a shift from one-off donations to sustainable impact.

‘It is through such strategic partnerships that we improve infrastructure, patient outcomes and health systems nationwide. I urge other corporates to emulate this,’ she added.

Telecel Group Board Chair, Nicolas Bourg, said the initiative reflects the company’s focus on long-term national development.

‘We hope this strengthens health outcomes for newborns and women, and reinforces a lasting partnership with this facility,’ he said. Beyond Healthcare

Ashanti Month Beyond Health

Telecel marked its ninth year as headline sponsor of the Otumfuo Open Golf Tournament at Kumasi Golf Club. It also launched Telecel Ashanti Codes, a digital skills programme to train 1,000 youth in Kumasi, Obuasi, Nsuta and Wiamoase, in partnership with the Ashanti Regional Minister and Kumasi Mayor.

The company hosted 300 mobile money agents at a retailer forum in Kejetia, ran a HealthFest outreach for 400 residents in Konongo, and held customer engagement visits across the region. Ashanti Month ended with the two-day Telecel Cashless Bazaar at Kumasi Mall, promoting digital payments and financial inclusion.

From maternal health to digital skills and financial access, Telecel Ghana said the month demonstrated that ‘connection is at its most powerful when it improves lives.’

Two Firefly Phototherapy Units, a Wall Baby Radiant Warmer and an Infant Digital Weighing Scale

Musician, Stonebwoy, has urged Ghanaians to play their part in preventing floods after heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in parts of Greater Accra on June 29, 2026.

In a post on X, the award-winning musician expressed sympathy for families and communities affected by the disaster.

‘Seeing the flood reports across the capital. My heart is with every family and community affected,’ he wrote.

Stonebwoy said preventing future floods requires a collective effort. He urged the public to stop dumping refuse into drains, avoid building on waterways, and ensure that proper drainage systems are constructed around homes to improve water flow.

He also called on the government to urgently desilt drains and widen or reconstruct major drainage channels to handle increasing volumes of water.

‘Beyond today, we all have a role to play by not dumping refuse in drainage systems, avoiding building structures in waterways, and ensuring that households construct proper drainage systems to help ease water flow,’ he said.

Stonebwoy further advised residents to stay safe, support one another, and follow safety instructions issued by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other relevant authorities.

The floods, which followed hours of torrential rainfall, left several roads submerged, stranded commuters, damaged properties, and claimed lives in parts of the capital.

Thirty people have lost their lives in devastating floods that struck parts of Greater Accra and the Central regions, while more than 38,000 others have been displaced, the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has disclosed.

Presenting a statement in Parliament yesterday, the minister said 12 people died in Monday’s floods in Greater Accra Region, with seven others still missing, while a further 18 people lost their lives in separate flood-related incidents in the Central Region over the past two weeks.

Mr. Muntaka said preliminary assessments showed that 7,761 households, comprising 38,802 people, had been displaced across 18 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region following the torrential rains.

He explained that 25 communities were severely affected after 169.2 millimetres of rain fell within a day, making it the fourth-highest single-day rainfall recorded in the country since 1995.

According to the minister, Ga East recorded the highest number of deaths with five fatalities and six persons missing, while Ayawaso Central recorded three deaths and one missing person. Tema West also recorded three deaths, while Ledzokuku recorded one fatality.

He extended the condolences of the government and the entire country to families that lost relatives, assuring victims that the government was working to provide relief and restore normalcy.

Mr. Muntaka disclosed that the Central Region also suffered extensive destruction over the past two weeks, with 58 houses collapsing across several districts, including Cape Coast, Gomoa West, Agona West, Asin North, Mfantseman and Effutu.

He said 18 people died in the region through building collapses and drowning, which underscored the widespread impact of the heavy rains beyond Greater Accra.

The minister noted that more than 60 communities in the Volta Region were also affected, although no life-threatening incidents were reported there.

In the Western North Region, over 1,200 people were displaced after floodwaters submerged communities around Samreboi.

Mr. Muntaka attributed the disaster partly to human activities such as dumping refuse into drains and building on waterways, but stressed that the unprecedented rainfall would have overwhelmed drainage systems even under better conditions.

He revealed that the Ghana Meteorological Agency recorded 593.2 millimetres of rainfall in June, the highest monthly rainfall ever recorded in the country’s history, surpassing previous records set in 2002 and 2015.

The minister appealed to Parliament and the public not to politicise the disaster, saying flood management required a collective national effort involving government institutions, local assemblies and citizens.

‘Disasters will always come,’ he said. ‘What matters is how prepared we are to minimise the loss of lives and property.’

Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after defeating the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties following a dramatic 1-1 draw after extra time in Monterrey.

The North Africans dominated large spells of the contest but were repeatedly denied by Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and the woodwork before the Netherlands struck against the run of play in the 72nd minute.

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who recently revealed the heartbreaking loss of his unborn son, finished off a rapid counterattack to give the Dutch the lead.

Morocco refused to give up and found a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time when Issa Diop powered home a header from a cross by Chemsdine Talbi, forcing the match into extra time.

The Dutch goalkeeper produced another outstanding save to deny Soufiane Rahimi, but neither side could find a winner before the game was decided by penalties.

The Netherlands missed three of their spot-kicks, with Justin Kluivert hitting the post, Quinten Timber firing wide and Crysencio Summerville seeing his effort saved by Yassine Bounou.

Morocco held their nerve from the spot, and Ismail Saibari converted the decisive penalty to secure a memorable victory.

The result sends Morocco into the last 16, where they will face Canada men’s national soccer team in Houston on Saturday.

The Minority in Parliament has called for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to investigate the government’s preparedness for the recent floods in Accra, insisting that statements of regret and emergency relief alone are insufficient to address a ‘preventable national disaster.’

Addressing a press conference in Parliament yesterday, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the proposed inquiry should examine the conduct of the government’s Anti-Flood Task Force and all relevant ministries and agencies responsible for flood preparedness.

According to him, the investigation should establish what work, if any, the task force carried out since its establishment, the amount of public funds allocated to it and how those resources were utilised, the mitigation measures implemented ahead of the rainy season, and why those interventions failed to prevent or significantly reduce the impact of the flooding.

He further demanded that any public officials found to have been negligent or to have failed in their duties be held accountable.

Pending the outcome of the inquiry, Mr. Afenyo-Markin called for members of the Anti-Flood Task Force to step aside to allow investigations to proceed without interference.

‘This is not a presumption of guilt,’ he said and added, ‘It is a basic standard of accountability that any institution facing serious questions over its conduct should observe.’

The Minority Leader blamed the devastating floods on what he described as government negligence rather than an unavoidable natural disaster, arguing that the flooding exposed the failure of an Anti-Flood Task Force established by President John Dramani Mahama last year to prepare the capital for the rainy season.

He recalled that the task force, chaired by the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, was established with assurances that lessons from previous floods had been learnt and that effective interventions would be undertaken before the onset of the rains.

However, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said Monday’s floods demonstrated that no meaningful preventive work had been carried out.

‘If serious drainage works and flood mitigation infrastructure had been undertaken, the impact of the rains, however heavy, would have been measurably reduced,’ he stated.

The Minority Leader also criticised the government’s sanitation policy, arguing that the decision not to renew major waste management contracts without putting credible alternatives in place had contributed to clogged drains and worsening floods.

‘A government cannot dismantle a sanitation system without securing its replacement, then act surprised when the resulting refuse chokes the city’s drains,’ he said.

Responding to government explanations that the exceptional volume of rainfall contributed to the flooding, Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued that the existence of seasonal weather forecasts made preparedness even more imperative.

He maintained that the President could not simultaneously acknowledge that human activities such as building on waterways contributed to flooding while absolving the government of responsibility for failing to address those known risks before the rains.

The Minority Leader also linked the flooding to the government’s handling of illegal mining, claiming that continued galamsey activities had degraded watersheds, wetlands and river systems that naturally absorb and channel excess rainfall.

He accused the government of failing to honour its campaign promises to eradicate illegal mining and further alleged that the operations of the Ghana Gold Board had created incentives that indirectly sustained illegal mining activities.

While welcoming the government’s decision to allocate GHS350 million for flood relief and mitigation, Mr. Afenyo-Markin insisted that Parliament must receive detailed, itemised reports on how the funds would be disbursed.

He called for a regional breakdown of the expenditure, stressing that flood-hit communities outside Greater Accra should receive equitable support.

The Minority also demanded an urgent briefing from the Minister for Health on measures being implemented to prevent outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and other waterborne diseases in flood-affected communities.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin expressed sympathy to families who had lost relatives and property in the disaster and pledged that the Minority would use every constitutional means available to ensure that those responsible for any lapses in flood preparedness were held accountable.

Residents of Agric Junction in the Kwadaso Municipality, Ashanti Region, were left stunned after a woman was allegedly caught breaking into the room of her late friend while dressed as a ghost.

The suspect, identified as Nana Akua, was apprehended after neighbours noticed suspicious movement in the room of a 31-year-old woman who died a few weeks ago.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened in the evening when residents entered the room and found Nana Akua wrapped in a white cloth covering her head and body, allegedly removing the deceased’s clothes from her wardrobe.

When questioned, she reportedly claimed her late friend’s ghost had been appearing to her at night. She said she consulted a fetish priest who instructed her to take the deceased’s clothes for a ritual to end the hauntings.

Residents, however, were not convinced. Their alarm drew a large crowd to the scene. Some residents alleged the act had fuelled suspicions that she might have been involved in her friend’s death, suggesting she wanted the clothes to ward off the deceased’s spirit or prevent revenge.

Police say these claims remain unverified and have not established any link between the suspect and the death. Nana Akua was handed over to the Dechemuoso Police and remains in custody assisting with investigations.

Police said they are working to determine her motive, whether she acted alone, and the full circumstances surrounding the incident. Family members described the act as shocking, disrespectful and disturbing.

They insisted Nana Akua and the deceased had a cordial relationship before her death and have appealed to police for a thorough investigation. The deceased was chairperson of an association, with Nana Akua serving as her deputy, a fact that has further surprised members of the group.

Members of the Concerned Traders of New Central Market in Takoradi have vowed not to pay market tolls to the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis Assembly (STMA) with effect from today, July 1, 2026.

They have accused the assembly of failing to improve upon the temporary market where they are currently doing their business.

It would be recalled that somewhere in 2021, the market women at the Takoradi market circle were relocated to a temporary market near the Ahenfie hotel in Takoradi to pave way for the redevelopment of the old market circle.

The traders claimed that they were assured that the redevelopment project was going to be done within two years so that they could go back to continue their respective economic activities.

However, the project could not be completed under the previous regime which started it. The market women claimed that the current government promised to complete the project adding ‘But it has been stalled’.

The traders have, therefore, been protesting the long-delay in completing the pound 48 million Takoradi Market Circle redevelopment.

They claim that the temporary market created for them is now unsafe to live in and has turned into a death trap with market women risking their lives under it every day, though they pay levies to the assembly.

This was announced by the market women at a press conference they organised in collaboration with some drivers yesterday to register their displeasure about the deteriorated and unhygienic nature of the market.

Clad in mostly red attires, the market women held placards, some of which read ‘Takoradi cannot thrive without its market’, ‘We need a complete market not a temporary one’ among others.

Spokesperson for the group, Lamisi Adam, told journalists that no market woman or trader would pay market levy to any revenue collector again until their plights had been resolved.

She noted that they were informed that the temporary market would serve as a place for their activities for only two years.

‘However, we have now remained in the temporary facility for approximately five years without any indication of when the relocation will occur’, she lamented.

She noted that the traders have not been provided with a clear timeline regarding the completion of the project and the eventual allocation of stalls and shops.

According to her, the traders had on several occasions visited the office of the Metropolitan Chief Executive (NCE) to let the market women know when the redevelopment project will be completed, but had not yielded any good result.

‘We therefore respectfully call on the relevant authorities to urgently engage with representatives of the traders and provide clear information regarding our concerns,’ she indicated.

The JAWU Festival has now been expanded into a fully-fledged affair that celebrates unity, appreciation, and human impact despite ten years of its establishment.

The festival name derives from two Ghanaian languages: ‘Ja’ comes from the Ga language of southern Ghana and means ‘Only.’ ‘Wu’ (also spelt ‘Wo’) comes from the Twi language and means ‘You.’ Together, JAWU means ‘Only You.’

A statement from the festival organisers indicated that its key aim is to create a world where people are appreciated, valued and celebrated regardless of their background, status, culture, or nationality.

‘Every achievement, every success story, every thriving community has people behind it-people who gave their time, wisdom, support, love and encouragement. The JAWU Festival exists to recognise those individuals and remind them that their contributions matter,’ the statement pointed out.

‘JAWU Festival honors traditional leaders, kings, queens, community builders, educators, artists, entrepreneurs, volunteers and everyday heroes who have positively impacted society.

The organisers of the JAWU Festival are busily preparing to officially launch the festival in Ghana by the end of July 2026 and expand it internationally, inviting people from around the world to participate, share their cultures, tell their stories, and celebrate humanity together.

According to the organisers, the essential mission of the festival is to travel across continents, connecting people through music, dance, storytelling, cultural exchange, leadership recognition, and community service.

THE KUMASI Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has teamed up with other relevant bodies to help eradicate open prostitution in the city.

According to the assembly, open prostitution has the tendency of giving the city a bad image as it serves as a bad example for the youth.

In this regard, the KMA has sought the assistance of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the Regional Immigration Service to find lasting solution to the menace.

The Kumasi Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, aka ‘Zuba’, who made the above disclosure, stated that the assembly is also ready to rigidly tackle street begging.

‘The Assembly is collaborating with the Regional Security Council and the Regional Immigration Service to address, in a more coordinated and sustainable manner, the issues of street begging and open prostitution, which are predominantly associated with foreign nationals,’ he said.

Delivering his sessional address during the 1st Ordinary Meeting of the 3rd session of the 9th KMA, he stated that the KMA has intensified efforts, including police patrols, to help stop street robberies.

‘While the Metropolis remains generally peaceful, certain areas are experiencing an increase in street robberies and thefts. In response, police patrols have been intensified in these hotspots.

‘The Assembly is also engaging with relevant stakeholders to support the adoption and rehabilitation of dilapidated police posts and stations, thereby strengthening police visibility, improving rapid response, and enhancing overall security,’ he said.

The Kumasi Mayor further entreated members of the assembly to assist in identifying private individuals and corporate institutions, willing to adopt and refurbish such facilities to boost operational capacity.

According to him, security provision is a shared responsibility, therefore the assembly is ever ready to offer all the support it could give to help the security agencies deliver satisfactorily.