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Burkina Faso has been confirmed as host of the zonal phase of the 2026 WAFU B African Schools Football Championship, with the capital, Ouagadougou, set to welcome the region’s young football talents following Nigeria’s withdrawal.

Nigeria had been scheduled to stage the Under-15 competition from December 6 to 9, 2026. However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) pulled out of the arrangement, forcing a change of venue, and Burkina Faso stepped in to host the tournament.

Organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the African Schools Football Championship gives young players a platform to showcase their abilities while promoting grassroots development and creating opportunities for future stars across the continent.

The zonal event is expected to draw teams from across the sub-region, including Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Niger and hosts Burkina Faso, with regional honours and progression to the continental finals at stake.

Ghana will be represented by both its Under-15 boys’ and girls’ teams. The girls’ side, the Black Damsels, enter as silver medallists in the WAFU B zone and defending champions of the CAF African Schools Football Championship. They will be aiming to retain their title and maintain Ghana’s dominance in the competition.

The boys’ team, meanwhile, will look to make a strong impression against their regional counterparts as they chase a place in the next stage of the championship.

Organisers of the Retro Vibes Day Club have donated GHS20,000 to the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate to support breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and awareness creation in the region.

The donation, presented on behalf of patrons of the popular monthly social event, forms part of the club’s corporate social responsibility efforts aimed at supporting healthcare delivery and vulnerable groups in society.

The gesture coincided with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed globally in October to promote education, early detection and treatment of the disease.

At a brief presentation ceremony in Accra, officials of the Directorate commended the group for supporting the region’s breast cancer campaign and helping to raise awareness about the disease.

Metro Director of Health Services, Dr. Louisa Mantey, said the contribution would bolster efforts to improve education and interventions under the region’s breast cancer campaign.

She noted that the support reflects the growing role of community groups and private organisations in complementing government’s efforts to address public health challenges.

She explained that the Retro Vibes Day Club is a community-based entertainment platform designed for adults aged 30 and above, which brings people together through music, culture, fashion and shared experiences.

According to her, the club is a growing community that fosters meaningful relationships and social cohesion while demonstrating commitment to social causes.

‘These are young people who understand the health challenges we face as a society and have taken it upon themselves to support the region’s breast cancer drive,’ Dr. Mantey said.

Mr. Delanyo Kwashiga, popularly known as DJ Dela, and a representative of the organisers, said giving back to society has become a key part of the club’s philosophy.

‘As much as we create opportunities for people to socialise and enjoy themselves, we also believe strongly in supporting worthy causes and making meaningful contributions to communities,’ he stated.

He explained that the GHS20,000 was contributed on behalf of the club’s patrons and supporters, and expressed hope that the initiative would inspire greater public involvement in breast cancer advocacy and healthcare support.

He indicated that the organisers intend to sustain similar charitable activities in the future and extend support to other health facilities and social intervention programmes.

As part of activities marking the October edition of the monthly event, Retro Vibes Day Club partnered health professionals to provide breast cancer education and screening for patrons, while encouraging women to undertake regular self-examinations and seek early medical attention.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed reports that it intends to reshuffle its parliamentary leadership, insisting that no discussions have been held to replace the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and his team.

The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the NPP remained satisfied with the current leadership of the Minority Caucus and had no plans to change the team.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra, Mr. Kodua Frimpong accused those circulating the reports of deliberately creating confusion within the party’s parliamentary ranks.

‘Let me state it categorically. The party has never had any meeting. The party has never thought about even deliberating to change the leadership in Parliament. We have not,’ he said.

He warned that attempts to create divisions among the parliamentary leadership and members of the Minority Caucus would not succeed.

Mr. Kodua Frimpong’s comments come amid reports suggesting that the party could be considering changes to its parliamentary leadership.

Running Mate Campaign Misguided

Meanwhile, the NPP General Secretary has criticised party members campaigning on social media to be selected as running mate to the party’s flagbearer for the 2028 general election.

He described the practice as misguided, explaining that the party’s constitution did not provide for the selection of a running mate through a contest or public campaign.

According to him, the choice of a running mate rests with the party’s flagbearer in consultation with the National Council.

‘There is nowhere in our constitution which says that the running mate is selected through a contest or through a campaign; so the people who are busily urging bloggers to promote themselves, you are wrong,’ he said.

He urged those seeking the position to recognise the party’s established procedures rather than resorting to social media campaigns to promote their ambitions.

Musician King Promise says his friendship with Nigerian musician and entrepreneur Mr Eazi, which began around 2012, goes beyond music and collaborations.

Speaking to Lexis Bill, the Terminator hitmaker recalled meeting Mr Eazi while he was still in school and the Nigerian was working on his mixtape ‘About to Blow’.

‘For us, it’s always been more of a friendship even than music,’ he said, noting that although they rarely collaborated in their early years, their eventual songs made an impact.

King Promise said he values genuine relationships that are not driven by professional gain, citing his longstanding friendships with R2Bees and rapper Sarkodie.

‘I try to keep genuine friendships where it’s not because you need me and I need you,’ he said.

He credited Mr Eazi with influencing his outlook on life and business, describing him as honest, direct and decisive.

King Promise also said watching Mr Eazi’s rise in music inspired him while he was still establishing his own career.

‘I was still coming when he was already flying. And that alone was a lot for me, like my guy is smashing it,’ he recalled.

Their conversations, he added, extend to business and investments, including stocks. He noted that Mr Eazi’s entrepreneurial journey began with artiste promotion and bookings before he ventured into music and established his record label.

‘It was business that even got him into music,’ King Promise said, describing his friend as a ‘forward thinker’.

He said their more than decade-long friendship continues to be shaped by mutual respect, shared experiences and interests beyond the recording studio.

We join many Ghanaians in wondering what the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng could be doing in his office now as corruption and sleaze drown government.

It does not appear that he is too busy as not to see, hear or read about the many stories of alleged corruption levelled against government appointees.

With a series of sizzling, as it were, cases of alleged corruption reported against government appointees, we expect that the Special Prosecutor would have lapped on these occurrences to make his office relevant. Many have juxtaposed his fat budget, recurrent, against the output of the office and concluded that it is a waste. The time for him to prove the relevance of the Office is sure now.

The World Cup visa scandal and then the Ablakwa evacuation debacle would have been wonderful opportunities to engage the media, his stock-in-trade, to make his office important and to erase the notion that he is choosing and picking which cases to make noise about. His preference is those involving non-government actors – New Patriotic Party (NPP) most preferred.

In previous times, he would have hosted press conferences to prompt media trial of the aforementioned cases. What has watered the excitement with which he responded to political cases, especially as they related to non-National Democratic Congress (NDC) actors?

Accusations have been levelled against him for, as his accusers put it, choosing and picking which cases to host press conferences on.

When the then President Akufo-Addo conceptualised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and proceeded to let it be, he expected that the war against corruption and other sleazy cases would have been dealt a crushing blow by it.

This we have not seen under the present leadership, the Office failing to live up to expectation.

One day a government would prompt a discourse over whether or not the OSP should continue to live or be shut down, because it is all but a drain on the public kitty.

Is it that we are in a hurry? Perhaps Kissi is in the process of preparing the charge sheets against the Sports Minister and the ORAL-bruised Foreign Affairs Minister?

So much time has elapsed since the graft cases became public knowledge, and we are good to draw to conclude that he is on a self-induced slumber.

If the foregone is the case and we do not have any doubt that it is, the future existence of the OSP should be a matter of public discourse. Diverting the OSP budget to making things good for teachers would not be a bad idea.

The President, it would be recalled, expressed confidence in the OSP when in the face of public outcry about its relevance reposed trust in it. The role of Kissi Agyebeng in clearing him of wrongdoing in the matter of the Intermediaries and Government Officials in the airbus saga come to mind.

Politics and governance under a reset system have a special flavour.

Public sector workers on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) will receive a 9% increase in total remuneration from January 1, 2027, under a new two-year agreement between the government and Organised Labour.

A statement issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) said the agreement was negotiated at the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC).

The government was represented by the FWSC and the Ministry of Finance, while Organised Labour was represented by workers’ unions and institutions within Ghana’s public service.

The agreement establishes a remuneration framework covering January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2028, to provide predictability and stability during the transition from the FWSC to the Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC).

Under the agreement, total remuneration will increase by 9% in 2027, comprising an 8-percentage-point increase in base pay across the board and a one-percentage-point increase in allowances under Conditions of Service.

For 2028, base pay will increase by 10% across the board, effective January 1, 2028. The adjustment will be calculated using the applicable base pay as of December 31, 2027.

The statement said the PSJSNC would reconvene to review the 2028 base pay if year-on-year inflation for December 2027 exceeded 16%, representing twice the 8% midpoint of the government’s inflation projection.

According to the Commission, the parties will use the transitional period to review allowances to address existing distortions. The government will also consult Organised Labour quarterly on reforms, while the FWSC will retain its lawful functions until any transfer to IPEC takes legal effect.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the government by the Chief Executive Officer of the FWSC, Dr. George Smith-Graham, and on behalf of Organised Labour by the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Bro. Joshua Ansah.

The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas T. Musah, witnessed the signing.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Forson commended Organised Labour and the government’s negotiating team for their cooperation, understanding and commitment to the national interest.

He described the agreement as a historic milestone in the country’s public service remuneration negotiations.

‘For the first time, Government and Organised Labour have reached a two-year pay agreement. The agreement is more than salaries. It is about protecting workers’ incomes, giving families greater certainty, and helping Government plan and manage public spending responsibly,’ he said.

‘The government has demonstrated that fair pay for workers and responsible management of public finances can go hand in hand,’ he added.

Dr. Smith-Graham said the negotiations were significant because they came at a critical period in the country’s public sector compensation reform agenda, particularly as the FWSC prepared to transition to the IPEC.

The statement explained that the decision to pursue a two-year salary agreement reflected a shared commitment to industrial harmony, predictable public expenditure, income security for workers and stability during the institutional transition.

Dr. Smith-Graham also praised the government and Organised Labour for demonstrating maturity, mutual respect and a willingness to compromise, as well as recognising the need to balance improvements in workers’ welfare with economic realities and fiscal sustainability.

The statement said the Commission’s objective of ensuring equal pay for work of equal value, fair rewards for productivity and a public sector compensation system that promotes equity, efficiency and national development remained unchanged as it transitioned towards becoming an independent commission.

For his part, Mr. Ansah said the 2027 base pay adjustment was above the prevailing inflation rate of 5.3%, but acknowledged that the agreement might not meet every expectation.

He said the agreement nevertheless represented progress in efforts to protect workers’ purchasing power, although the increase did not fully reflect the difficulties workers faced in meeting their daily needs.

About two million young people in Ghana are neither employed nor in education or training, which raises concerns about youth unemployment and the country’s ability to harness its growing youthful population for economic development, according to Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, who disclosed this at the launch of the Ghana in Numbers 2025 publication in Accra yesterday, said about 12 million Ghanaians were aged between 15 and 35, but the country continued to face significant challenges in providing adequate employment and educational opportunities for its young population.

He noted that almost one in three jobseekers aged between 15 and 24 could not find work, while more than six in 10 young people who were neither working nor in education or training were women.

The figures, he said, highlighted the urgency of addressing the barriers preventing young people from accessing employment, education and skills development opportunities.

Dr. Iddrisu warned that the nation’s ability to benefit from its youthful population would depend largely on decisions taken in the coming years to improve education, develop relevant skills and expand employment opportunities.

‘Ghana’s youth window is open, but it is closing. Our choices on schooling, skills, jobs in the next 10 years will decide whether it becomes a dividend or a burden,’ the Government Statistician said.

According to him, informal employment remains widespread despite a significant expansion in the number of businesses operating in the country.

The GSS’s first Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES-1) recorded 2.64 million business establishments in 2024, nearly three times the number recorded in 2014.

However, the number of people working in those establishments only doubled over the same period, suggesting that the expansion of businesses had not translated into employment growth at the same pace.

Dr. Iddrisu said about 92 percent of businesses in the country operated informally, while more than seven in 10 jobs remained in the informal sector.

He noted that only 7.7 percent of business establishments were classified as formal, with nine in 10 businesses falling within the micro-enterprise category.

The GSS pointed out that although the country’s unemployment rate declined from 14.6 percent in 2023 to 12.8 percent in 2025, the figures on youth unemployment and exclusion from education and training point to persistent challenges in ensuring that economic activity translates into broader employment opportunities.

The Government Statistician stressed the need to support small businesses to expand and formalise, a development that could strengthen their capacity to create jobs and provide more sustainable livelihoods.

Beyond employment, the ‘Ghana in Numbers 2025’ publication highlighted mixed trends in household welfare.

Inflation declined from 54.1 percent in December 2022 to 5.4 percent in December 2025, but food insecurity increased from 37.7 percent in 2024 to 39.8 percent in 2025, affecting an estimated 13 million people.

‘The progress is real. But it is not shared evenly,’ Dr. Iddrisu said.

He continued that the publication, together with its accompanying online portal, provides national and district-level statistics intended to support evidence-based policymaking, investment and development planning.

Dr. Iddrisu urged policymakers, businesses and investors to use the data to guide their decisions, emphasising that the ultimate objective of producing statistics was to generate practical results.

‘For us, producing statistics is no longer the finish line. For us, use is the finish line or, if you want, impact is the finish line,’ he said.

A High Court in Accra yesterday dismissed an application by lawyers for former Director-General of National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng, asking it to strike out portions of the Attorney General’s response to a submission of no case to answer.

The lawyers had urged the court to strike out the portions of the submissions complained about for allegedly being ‘falsified records’ which were not part of the record of proceedings, evidence led and exhibits before the court.

The court, presided over by Justice Francis Achibonga, said if counsel makes representations or even misrepresentations of the evidence in his or her written address, same is of no moment in the court deciding the suit one way or the other, as the court would have to rely solely on the evidence adduced before it and exhibit admitted during the trial.

Trial

The couple and Advantage Solutions Limited, are facing a total of 11 counts of conspiracy to commit crime, stealing, using public office for profit, money laundering and causing financial loss to the state.

They have all denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing trial, which has attracted both national and international attention.

The prosecution closed its case on September 9 after calling four witnesses and the court gave both the defence and prosecution counsel to file a submission of no case to answer and a response to same, which have since been filed.

Non-existent Record

However, Samuel Atta-Akyea, counsel for the couple, filed an application asking the court to strike out portions of the Attorney General’s response to the submission for importing non-existent materials not borne out by the record of proceedings.

‘He has made attributions to witnesses regarding matters they never said anything about. And there is also the statement of the content of an exhibit which is not permitted by the rules of court, the rules of evidence and even the ethics of the legal profession,’ he argued yesterday.

He contended that the risk and danger of not bringing these matters before the court is that they could deceive the court in its judgment and ‘we might suffer miscarriage of justice.’

‘It is your bounden duty to ensure the sanctity of the records of proceeding. Your records must be sacrosanct even as you deny lawyers any attempt to import their material into the records under the guise of written submissions,’ Mr. Atta-Akyea added.

Opposition

The application was opposed by Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, who argued that the application did not invoke any known jurisdiction of the court, pointing out that a court has no jurisdiction to expunge an argument made by counsel in a written submission.

‘What the court has the power to do is to evaluate the argument as against the record before the court and make a decision as to whether to decide the case for or against the submission. Where the court has jurisdiction to strike out or expunge, the law expressly provides,’ he argued.

He further suggested that the motion was ‘carefully designed to delay the trial’ and prayed the court to treat it ‘as what exactly it is.’

Dr. Srem-Sai further argued that the motion was actually prejudicial to the court’s power to determine the submission of no case because it is assuming that the judge has no capacity to decide the merits of this case based on the merits.

‘The truth of the matter is that the application is alien to any criminal procedure and practice and must be dismissed accordingly as it is another way of procuring the court to decide the submission of no case even before a decision is made thereof,’ the Deputy Attorney General added.

Ruling

Justice Achibonga, in his ruling, held the view that it is not the duty of the court to inquire whether or not the written submission filed by counsel is a true reflection of the evidence led or that counsel relied on non-existent evidence and to strike out same.

He said it is rather the duty of counsel on the other side to draw the attention of the court to such and for the court, whether its attention has been drawn or not to rely solely on the evidence properly led at the trial, thereby constituting the record and exhibits properly admitted in order to arrive at a fair and just conclusion as to the matters in question.

‘I am therefore unable to go into the merits of the application. For the above reasons, the application is dismissed,’ he held.

MTN Ghana has launched the MTN National Business Pitch Competition to provide funding, mentorship and digital business support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all 16 regions of the country.

The initiative offers a grand prize of GHS300,000 to the national winner and GHS30,000 to each of the 16 regional winners. It forms part of activities marking MTN Ghana’s 30th anniversary under the theme, ’30 Years of Progress, Powered by You.’

Speaking at the launch, MTN Ghana’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Angela Mensah-Poku, said the initiative reflected the company’s appreciation of the significant contributions Ghanaian entrepreneurs had made to its growth over the past three decades.

She noted that many entrepreneurs faced challenges, including rising rents, delayed customer payments and difficulties securing financing because of collateral requirements and inadequate financial records.

‘Ghanaian entrepreneurs have demonstrated their skill and determination. What many need are the right tools, the right advice, and access to the right people,’ she said.

Ms. Mensah-Poku explained that the competition would help businesses improve their operations, explore digital opportunities and build valuable connections within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

She encouraged business owners nationwide to participate and urged industry partners, business associations and the media to help extend the opportunity to entrepreneurs in communities across the country.

MTN Ghana’s Senior Manager for SME Sales, Partnerships and Business Broadband, Mohammed Abu Bakar Siddiq, said the nationwide initiative followed the success of the company’s Business Pitch programme, which had been organised over the past two years.

He explained that the programme had reached about three regions this year, with positive feedback from participants prompting its expansion to all 16 regions.

Mr. Siddiq announced that the competition would begin in 2027 and run throughout the year, with the national grand finale expected towards the end of the year.

Under the arrangement, three businesses will be selected from each region, bringing the total number of participants to 48. One winner will emerge from each region and receive GHS30,000, while the overall national champion will take home GHS300,000.

He said the competition was open to eligible registered businesses owned by entrepreneurs of different ages and genders, with independent judges assessing participants throughout the selection process.

Outlining the application requirements, MTN Ghana’s Manager for Enterprise Segment and Product Development, Maame Ama Simpson, said interested businesses must be legally registered and have operated for at least one year.

Applicants must also conduct business in the region where they register for the competition.

She added that applicants could provide evidence of business activity through a Mobile Money account or a MoMo merchant account.

Popular American streamer, IShowSpeed, has premiered a new documentary, ‘The Eyes of Ghana’, which tells the story of Ghana’s historic cameraman, Chris Tsui Hesse.

The 90-minute film, which premiered on Wednesday, October 28 in New York, is directed by Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. It follows 93-year-old Chris Tsui Hesse, who filmed Ghana’s independence era and is now working with his protégé, Anita Afonu, to preserve over 1,300 reels of historic footage.

Streamer Darren Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, who has Ghanaian roots, joined the project as a producer after a personal visit to the country. He said his aim is to share Ghana’s rich history with a wider global audience.

At the premiere, Speed shared emotional moments with family and supporters ahead of the film’s one-night theatrical release in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ghana.