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The 2025 Ghana Teacher Prize 1st Runner-Up, Sabina Ferguson-Haizel – a Kindergarten Teacher at Archbishop Andoh Roman Catholic Basic School in Tema – has expressed heartfelt appreciation to Prudential Bank for sponsoring her award.

Ferguson-Haizel received a brand-new 4×4 pickup truck in recognition of her outstanding dedication to teaching at the national ceremony held in Ho.

Speaking after receiving the award, an elated Sabina said, ‘I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to Prudential Bank for this incredible award. This vehicle will greatly enhance my mobility, allowing me to reach more learners and communities. I am deeply thankful for the Bank’s recognition of our hard work.’

This year’s event marked the sixth consecutive time Prudential Bank has sponsored the award, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to supporting education in the country.

The ceremony featured several distinguished guests, including Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who praised teachers for their hard work, resilience, and sacrifices in nurturing generations of learners.

Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, also commended teachers for their invaluable contribution to national development and reaffirmed the government’s pledge to strengthen teacher support systems and improve conditions of service.

Other notable awardees included Richard W. Tiimob of Savelugu Senior High School, who was named the Most Outstanding Teacher and received a three-bedroom house; Leticia Yawa Akabutoo of St. Catherine SHS, who took home a saloon car as second runner-up; Emmanuel Kofi Otchere-Larbi, recognised as Outstanding College Lecturer and recipient of a 4×4 vehicle; Michael Mensah Annang, who won Best in Leadership and Administration and received a saloon car; and Gifty Kwakoa Afari, who also received a saloon car as Best Non-Teaching Staff.

The Ministry of Education congratulated all teachers for their role in nation-building and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting them in delivering quality education to every Ghanaian child.

The Ghana Teacher Prize Awards celebrate the dedication, excellence, and service of teachers across the country.

We visit the hospital and consult a doctor when we fall sick. But when our animals: goats, chickens, cows, donkeys, dogs, fowls and even fish that feed and sustain millions of families are sick? They also have doctors: veterinary surgeons, or veterinary doctors. They complete the same demanding six (6) years at university as their human medicine counterparts, followed by a mandatory year of housemanship. Upon graduation, they bear the title Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and their contribution is just as critical to the health of human beings as that of animals.

Veterinary medicine is not about animals; it’s about protecting humans. Experiments have established that more than 60% of all infectious diseases in human beings have originated from animals, and more than 75% of new and emerging diseases (such as monkeypox, Ebola, COVID-19, and avian influenza) originate in animals before they spill over to the human population.

That is, with each vaccine each veterinary doctor gives to a dog, checks meat, conducts samples in the laboratory, or manages tsetse flies, they are indirectly safeguarding families, society, and the nation at large.

All the same, however, Ghanaian veterinary doctors are undervalued, underpaid, and under-equipped. This has precipitated a crisis that threatens not only animal health but also public health, food security, and national development.

Ghanaian Veterinary Doctors/Position

Ghanaian veterinary doctors are mostly recruited by the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) and deployed to work under the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. They serve in district and regional offices, border posts, laboratories, and Disease investigation farms across Ghana. They have numerous responsibilities:

Public health protection: Prevention of zoonotic infections such as rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, avian influenza, monkeypox, among others.

Trypanosomiasis and tsetse fly control: Minimising animal losses and sleeping sickness in humans.

Aquatic animal health protection: Protecting the emerging aquaculture industry from bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases.

Wildlife health management: Tracking diseases that spill over from wild animals to humans, such as Ebola and coronaviruses.

Food safety and meat inspection: Providing and ensuring safe meat, milk, fish, and egg supplies.

Quarantine and border control: Keeping dangerous animal diseases such as African swine fever out at Ghana’s borders.

Laboratory surveillance, research and testing: Detecting outbreaks early so that they can be stopped in their tracks.

Helping agriculture and the economy: Safeguarding livestock and fish industries, supporting livelihoods for millions.

When veterinary doctors execute their role appropriately, the whole health system benefits. Rabies vaccination in dogs, for example, prevents more than 95% of human rabies deaths. Control of brucellosis in animals prevents a chronic, disabling disease in people. And for every US$1 invested in animal health, the country saves up to US$5 on human health costs.

A Workforce in Crisis

Despite their critical role, veterinary doctors in Ghana face bleak working conditions. An entry-level veterinary doctor earns about GHS 4,000 a month (ie is salary plus critical professional shortage allowance), far less than their medical counterparts in the Ghana Health Service, even though both professions require the same years of training and mandatory housemanship. Unlike human doctors, veterinary doctors receive no allowances for housing, call duty, fuel, clothing, or professional development. There are no tax incentives to help them procure vehicles or essential equipment.

This poor remuneration and lack of incentives have caused a dangerous brain drain. Between 2022 and 2024, Ghana lost more than 35 veterinary doctors to opportunities abroad. At the same time, about 68 young veterinary doctors on government payroll continued to carry the weight of critical national functions at district and regional clinics, entry points, farms, and laboratories. Ghana only resumed employment of veterinary doctors in 2019 after a long 18-year break due to the absence of foreign-trained veterinary doctors. This forced the government to re-engage tired retirees to hold the fort. Now that young professionals are available since Ghana started training Veterinary Doctors with its first batch inducted in 2017, the nation is losing them again, this time to neglect.

The economic loss is significant. Training a veterinary doctor requires state investment in education, housemanship, and infrastructure. When they leave, Ghana not only loses this investment but also loses vital expertise. The country then relies on costly external consultants or overstretched retirees, an approach that is unsustainable for long-term development.

Human Impact of Neglect

The cost of under-funding veterinary services is not an abstraction, but a living reality. Each unchecked case of rabies risks killing a child through a dog bite. Each unquicked warning of bird flu threatens the poultry industry and the incomes of hundreds of thousands of farmers. Each failure to control tsetse flies eats away at cattle, drains meat and milk supplies, and drives rural communities further into poverty.

Aquaculture, the fastest-growing industry in Ghana, is also vulnerable to risk without veterinary control. Fish disease not only cuts down production but also leaves consumers to battle with hazardous products. Under the wildlife sector, uncontrolled diseases such as Ebola or coronaviruses would ignite future pandemics.

In short, veterinary doctors are the line defenders of public health, food security, and economic development. To neglect them is not only unjust, it’s risky.

Labour Relations and Fairness

To add injury to insult, even veterinary doctors have been left out of labour issues. For example, while the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) deducts funds as association dues from veterinary doctors’ salaries, they were left out of some allowances that were negotiated for, which made them feel abandoned. These paradoxes go ahead to demoralise an already demotivated staff that is lagging when it comes to compensation and appreciation.

A Call to Action

The Ghanaian veterinary doctors’ case must be acted upon right away. It is more about the survival of our public health sector and food security rather than justice. Government and stakeholders need to:

Ensure that veterinary compensation is brought to a level similar to medical doctors in the Ghana Health Service.

Create a cadred recruitment pipeline so that newly qualified veterinary doctors can be integrated into the Civil Service in good time.

Give incentive packages such as housing, risk, fuel, professional allowances, and vehicle and equipment tax relief.

Place veterinary work not only as an agriculture subsector but as a frontline public health sector under the One Health policy.

Conclusion

Veterinary Doctors are not only animal doctors: public health sentinels, food safety officials, border guards, and economic facilitators. Without them, Ghana is in danger of more zoonotic outbreaks, food safety catastrophes, and declining poultry, livestock and fish industries.

If Ghana were to invest in and equitably compensate its veterinary workers, the nation would not only be saving human health expenses but also protecting the health, livelihood, and future of its citizens. It is time.

Veterinarians are Ghana’s quiet guardians of health, food, and prosperity. It is time we gave them the recognition and the investment they deserve.

MATTHEW Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is confident the party will recapture political power in 2028, and return the country back to the path of prosperity.

Without mincing words, he stated emphatically that all the five NPP presidential aspirants are competent and far better than anyone that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) will present as their flagbearer for the crucial election.

Dr. Prempeh, nicknamed as ‘Napo’, described the NPP’s shocking electoral defeat in 2024 as just a temporary setback, stating categorically that the party learnt its lessons, and would therefore bounce back stronger in 2028.

According to Napo, he would willingly, wholeheartedly and actively campaign for any of the five candidates that the electorates would eventually settle on as NPP flagbearer on January 31, 2026, urging other party members to do so.

‘Any of the five NPP presidential candidates is much better than what the NDC can ever offer Ghana. So I’m much prepared to work for any candidate that will be elected as the NPP flagbearer,’ he stressed.

Napo was speaking during the NPP Manchester Youth Wing Conference in the United Kingdom (UK), which was under theme ‘A formidable youth wing, ready for power’. The event was graced by NPP members in the UK and beyond.

Touching on the outcome of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, he said, ‘Defeat is nothing but a lesson. How you learn the lesson and how you practice, will determine whether you will win or fail in your next match.’

According to him, the NPP has realised its shortfalls, which denied the party victory in 2024, promising that with unity and oneness, the NPP can strategise and campaign effectively to wrest political power from the ruling NDC.

‘The 2024 lessons have been learnt, it’s painful. Defeat cannot break our backbone. Don’t let the 2024 defeat paralyze you,’ Napo advised his party members, stating emphatically that the NPP would surely win power in 2028.

According to Napo, what the NPP needs most in order to win the next elections is total unity, ‘and that’s why I started a unity campaign immediately we lost the 2024 elections, because I know that with unity, we can recapture power.’

He pointed out that some aggrieved NPP members decided not to cast their ballots in 2024, and that helped the NDC to win power, saying that the ‘NDC didn’t win the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, NPP lost the polls.’

Napo stated that the youth have a major and crucial role to play to help the NPP to realise its ambitions of recapturing political power in 2028, urging the NPP youth to make themselves available and work assiduously for the party.

‘Coordinate your TESCON activities because a vibrant TESCON will make our work easier,’ he admonished. ‘Don’t get yourself in unnecessary camps, your camp is NPP camp so don’t let anybody buy your conscience,’ he advised.

Napo also urged the NPP youth to defend and promote the party on social media platforms, saying, ‘The youth wing should be active on social media. One of the core duties of the youth is to fight for the party but not individuals.’

Ghana will bid a final farewell to one of its greatest musical icons as the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba is laid to rest on December 6, 2025, in Kumasi. The burial will follow a grand funeral ceremony at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, where thousands are expected to gather in honour of the man whose music defined generations.

The announcement was made via the official Instagram page of the musician, born Charles Kwadwo Fosu, who passed away on July 26, 2025, at the Bank Hospital after a short illness. He was 60.

News of his death sent shockwaves across the nation, triggering an outpouring of grief and tributes from fans, colleagues, and statesmen – including current and former presidents.

In August, the Creative Arts Agency, in partnership with the Fosu family, organised a moving national candlelight vigil at the Independence Square. The vigil, held on August 2, saw thousands of mourners light candles and sing his classics, while simultaneous tributes took place in Germany, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and across Ghana.

A one-week memorial followed on August 30 at the same venue, drawing a star-studded and politically diverse crowd. Among those in attendance were former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and former MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong.

The event was filled with heartfelt performances of Daddy Lumba’s timeless hits – including Aben Wo Ha, Sika Asem, and Theresa – songs that continue to echo through Ghana’s cultural memory.

As the nation prepares for his final journey in December, one thing is clear: Daddy Lumba’s music will live forever, even as the legend himself ‘goes home.’

The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, has disclosed that nine months into President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, ministers, including himself, have not received their salaries.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, the Wa Central Member of Parliament (MP) explained that the delay was the result of ongoing reforms to the government’s payroll system, describing it as a ‘system of renewal’ aimed at addressing long-term inefficiencies.

‘It’s not that the money isn’t available. We’re trying to resolve the challenges within the entire system so that future payments – for ministers, teachers, and nurses alike – can be made seamlessly,’ he explained.

His comments come as newly recruited nurses and midwives continue to protest over salary arrears. The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives staged a demonstration in Accra last Thursday, demanding payment for nearly 7,000 members who claim to have worked for about 10 months without pay.

According to the group, while some 6,500 of their colleagues received their salaries in April 2025 following financial clearance and postings in December 2024, thousands remain unpaid despite repeated appeals to the government.

Dr. Pelpuo acknowledged the widespread frustration but maintained that the issue was systemic and affected multiple categories of public servants.

‘Yes, there’s a problem,’ he admitted and added, ‘But it’s not isolated. If ministers get paid and newly employed nurses and teachers don’t, that’s unfair. The solution must be holistic.’

He further explained that Members of Parliament who are not serving as ministers have been receiving their salaries since the parliamentary payroll system is separate and fully functional.

‘But those who are both MPs and ministers fall under the executive payroll, which is still being aligned,’ he said.

When asked whether other Article 71 officeholders outside the executive arm had been paid, Dr. Pelpuo said he could not confirm.

The minister also denied suggestions that the government’s inability to pay was due to a lack of funds. ‘This is not a cash flow problem. It’s a structural reform meant to ensure equity and efficiency across all sectors,’ he insisted.

Meanwhile, President Mahama recently directed all political appointees to donate one month of their salary to the MahamaCares Medical Trust Fund, a new initiative aimed at supporting the medical needs of vulnerable Ghanaians.

The directive was announced at the launch of the Code of Conduct for Political Appointees at the Jubilee House on May 5, 2025.

‘All appointees are to contribute one month’s salary to the MahamaCares Fund,’ the President stated. ‘This is a modest gesture to help those in medical need.’

The directive applies to ministers, deputy ministers, presidential staffers, chief executives of state institutions, board members, and other political appointees under the executive arm.

Additionally, the President warned that any government appointee who failed to declare assets by the extended deadline of May 7, 2025, would forfeit four months of salary – one month as a contribution to the MahamaCares Fund and three months as penalty for missing the earlier March 31 deadline.

In a related revelation, Dr. Pelpuo alleged that the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration left behind about 12,000 newly recruited but unpaid public sector workers, creating an additional burden for the incoming government.

He said the inherited payroll backlog, coupled with the ongoing system overhaul, has complicated efforts to regularise payments to all affected categories of workers.

‘The transition came with its own challenges,’ he said. ‘We’re working to fix what we met – not just for political appointees, but for everyone on the government payroll.’

MTN Ghana has marked this year’s Customer Service Week with persons with disabilities, focusing particularly on individuals with hearing and visual impairments in Accra.

The event, held at the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations in Accra, offered participants an opportunity to engage directly with MTN officials and share their challenges with Ghana’s largest telecommunications company.

The day was also used to provide essential services such as SIM number reconnection, MoMo reactivation, and other support services that participants would normally have had to visit MTN offices for.

Some of the key concerns raised included the absence of sign language experts at customer service centres, making it difficult for persons who cannot speak or hear to resolve their issues.

Others mentioned challenges such as dropped calls, wrongful data deductions, SIM blocks, and incorrect MoMo transfers.

Isaac Martey, General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, acknowledged the issues raised and assured participants that steps were being taken to address them.

He revealed that MTN had already employed a staff member proficient in sign language and was working to improve service accessibility for persons with hearing disabilities, estimated at about 470,000 in Ghana.

‘The fact that our current services don’t necessarily include them is a concern. So, coming here, we wanted to listen first to their problems and then see how together we can craft solutions to ensure they are fully connected, and not treated as an afterthought,’ he said.

Mr. Martey added that MTN intends to lead efforts to ensure the voices of persons with disabilities are reflected in national policies and encouraged other businesses to adopt inclusive practices.

‘Going forward, together with our teams, we’ll devise solutions that reach them as well. It won’t happen overnight, but understanding the problems is the first step. The next will be to co-create solutions that address their specific needs,’ he said.

National President of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Matthew Kubachua, in a speech read on his behalf by Programmes Manager Seidu Musah Akugri, commended MTN for dedicating the day to promoting accessibility and inclusion.

‘By listening to the experiences of Deaf customers and caring about their challenges, MTN Ghana is taking an important step to make its services accessible and inclusive,’ he noted.

He, however, appealed to MTN to establish a dedicated Deaf Customer Service Line staffed by individuals fluent in Ghanaian Sign Language, including deaf persons themselves.

‘Such a service will not only enhance digital inclusion for our members but also empower Deaf customers to access support independently and confidently,’ he added.

For years, Niger and China are friendly nations bound by a strong win-win cooperation covering various fields. China is Niger’s primary partner in terms of investments. On the international stage, Niger and China maintain excellent cooperation and mutually support each other. The two countries share a common vision of tirelessly working towards building a better, just, and equitable world. Notable examples include the exploitation of Niger’s oil by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) since 2011, marked by the launch of the Zinder Refinery Company (SORAZ) on November 1, 2023. This achievement was made possible by the construction of a roughly 2000 km-long pipeline from the Agadem oil fields in Niger to the port of Sèmè in Benin, constituting the longest pipeline in Africa.

It is crucial to note that Niger benefits from the investments of CNPC’ projects. Contrasting with European and American oil companies which only focus on investing in exploration and development of oil and natural gas, CNPC aims to help the host country build a complete industrial system through investment in not only upstream resource exploration and exploitation but also pipelines and refineries in the downstream. In addition, as a corporate citizen of African communities, CNPC has been committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities and promoting cultural exchange between China and Niger to cement public support for building a China-Niger community with a shared future. Dedicated to seeking win-win cooperation rather than simply obtaining resources from Niger, CNPC has continued unremitting efforts to blaze a trail for the local oil industry and contribute to local economic and social development based on technological and management experience accumulated over years. Oil cooperation projects are serving as bridges of friendship between CNPC and Niger.

However, from this year, Niger has announced a series of measures to tighten its oil cooperation with CNPC, citing CNPC’s failure to implement local content reforms and demanding a greater national presence in the sector. The deterioration of relations between China and Niger can lead to a breach of contract given that Chinese firms are entitled to recoup their investment. In June 2025, Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi hosted a high-level delegation from Niger in Beijing, urging them to handle the disputes with CNPC ‘properly and through dialogue’ and reminding them of Beijing’s expectation that they ‘ensure the safety and rights of Chinese companies and citizens in Niger.’While till now, the tensions still exist.

Investments rely on upholding the rule of law, stability, independent courts and means of arbitration, transparency, and predictability. Such environments are more committed to respecting contracts and protecting investors from arbitrary rules and decrees. When the rule of law is arbitrary, investors are at constant risk. The nature and quality of governance should be key considerations in investment decisions. In this matter, both of China and Niger need a reliable means of dispute resolution.

Dentaa Amoateng, CEO of GUBA Awards and a consultant to the Recording Academy’s CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., has urged more Ghanaians to become members of the Grammy Recording Academy to boost the country’s chances of recognition at the prestigious awards.

Speaking on Hitz FM with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio, Dentaa explained that the Grammy Awards are decided by members of the Academy, not by its executives.

‘The process of the Grammy Awards is that you have to be a member of the Recording Academy to vote. It is voted on by producers, musicians, and people in the industry,’ she said. ‘So more of us (Ghanaians) have to join to be able to vote.’

She also outlined the simple application process, noting that prospective members need two references – one from an existing member and another from a non-member who can verify their credentials.

Addressing concerns about non-Africans being eligible for the African Music Performance category, Dentaa said increased African participation in the Academy would help maintain the authenticity of the category.

Dentaa revealed plans to launch a campaign encouraging more Ghanaians to join the Academy, which currently has over 16,000 members, including more than 13,000 voting members.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian music executive Richie Mensah, CEO of Lynx Group of Companies, has been appointed as a voting member of the Recording Academy. His appointment has been widely celebrated as a major step forward for Ghana’s music industry.

Personnel of the National Security, in collaboration with the Fanteakwa South District Assembly in the Eastern Region, have arrested a landlord and four others for engaging in illegal mining activities.

The landlord (name withheld) is alleged to have sold his four-bedroom house at Osino for GHS800,000 to some individuals to undertake illegal mining.

According to preliminary findings, the suspects deceived residents by claiming they were digging a well, but it was later discovered that the pit had been expanded into a deep underground mine in search of gold.

Neighbouring residents immediately reported the development to the district authorities.

Acting on the tip-off, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Fanteakwa South, Mercy Korang, led security operatives to the site, resulting in the arrest of the suspects.

The team found the illegal miners actively working underground using washing equipment and other tools.

Upon arrival, it was also observed that several houses in the area had already been damaged or demolished, signaling preparations for full-scale mining operations.

Residents who spoke to the media said the illegal miners mostly operated under the cover of darkness to evade detection.

‘You can clearly see the extent of the damage caused by these illegal miners. It’s really traumatising. We are very worried our buildings could soon collapse due to underground mining operations,’ one affected resident said.

The DCE expressed shock and dismay at the incident, describing it as a ‘disturbing trend that must be stopped immediately.’

She vowed to intensify the district’s fight against illegal mining, warning that property owners and residents complicit in galamsey operations would face severe legal consequences.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has given all Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the region a two-week ultimatum to profile miners and their financiers operating within their jurisdictions.

The directive aims to pave the way for a major crackdown on those polluting water bodies and destroying forest reserves.

The suspects are currently in the custody of the Osino Police for further investigation.

Tragedy struck the farming community of Koben in the Adanse Asokwa District of the Ashanti Region when a 35-year-old man, identified as Joshua, allegedly murdered his 65-year-old father, Mr. Kwasi Akoma, following a misunderstanding over proceeds from their cocoa farm.

According to reports, the unfortunate incident occurred on Monday, October 6, 2025. Residents disclosed that the suspect and his father had been engaged in a long-standing dispute over how income from their jointly operated cocoa farm was being shared.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, some residents alleged that Joshua had been accusing his father of denying him a fair portion of the farm’s earnings. The disagreement reportedly escalated into a heated confrontation during which the suspect allegedly struck his father on the head with a pestle.

‘The two have been fighting recently over the cocoa farm proceeds. The son claimed the father wasn’t giving him his fair share. During a quarrel, he hit his father with a pestle,’ a resident recounted.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Police have since arrested the suspect to assist in investigations, while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.