Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has intensified its citywide decongestion exercise ahead of the Christmas festivities, with the launch of ‘Operation Let the Traffic Flow’ to clear traders from bus stops, pavements and other unauthorised spaces.

The exercise, which began over the weekend, follows a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Assembly on November 4, 2026, directing all traders occupying designated bus stops across the metropolis to vacate.

Enforcement had already begun at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Achimota and parts of the Central Business District (CBD) before the 48-hour notice expired.

The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, together with the Korle Klottey Municipal Chief Executive, Alfred Allotey-Gaisie, led AMA officials and security personnel in an enforcement exercise at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to remove traders occupying unauthorised bus stops and public spaces.

The task force dismantled unauthorised structures erected on road pavements and seized items displayed by street traders as part of efforts to clear the streets. According to the AMA Mayor, the operation forms part of efforts to clear the bus stops and surrounding areas to reduce traffic congestion as well as ensure the smooth movement of vehicles and commuters.

The exercise is also aimed at restoring order at the busy Circle transport hub, where roadside trading has contributed to congestion and obstructed pedestrian and vehicular movement.

The Welfare Secretary of Neoplan Lorry Station, Kasim Alhassan, expressed satisfaction with the exercise, commending the Mayor and his task force. He said the ongoing operation would help improve traffic flow and restore order within the area.

The directive follows concerns raised by commercial drivers, particularly the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), over the obstruction of designated stopping points. The drivers had threatened industrial action by the end of November 2026 if the government failed to clear traders occupying designated bus stops across the country.

When President John Mahama eventually spoke about the many scandals which have bedeviled his government, there was no doubt that it was an issuance of a positive testimonial to his appointees.

None of them has done anything untoward and that accusations being levelled against them are useless efforts at hunting for non-existent scandals.

By the testimonial so given and publicly, the President has dismissed the scandals as fake and concocted to tarnish the image of his appointees.

Embattled Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and even Sports Minister Kofi Iddi Adams have cause to celebrate the President’s bill of good health.

This milestone in our country’s history is heartbreaking and we dare state that the President has disappointed even the hawks among his loyal supporters.

Good governance has witnessed a nosedive and would take great efforts to reverse the unenviable low it has reached. That can come about only when this government exits power.

Ghanaians would have to learn to live with the poor governance of the President until change comes through the ballot box.

Seeking scandals where these are non-existent is an insult to the integrity of journalism in the country, and we can state without any shred of doubt that had the same remark been uttered by his predecessor, President John Mahama, then opposition leader, would have mounted rooftops to fire his verbal attacks.

His silence about the emerging scandals prompted thoughts about what he could be up to until he showed up at the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) awards’ function over the weekend.

The adversarial position of journalists, as he went on to say, does not show deference to the practice of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Journalists are not on the ground to scratch the backs of politicians for pittances. The interest of Ghana supersedes all else.

It is the duty of the media to keep the government on their toes, and so to hunt for scandals when there is suspicion should not be described as adversarial, as the President sought to imply. As a trained journalist, we wonder what in his estimation was wrong with the JoyNews story regarding the scandals about both the South African evacuation and the diplomatic and service passports for sale.

In any case, what informed the interdiction of the Director of Passports if, indeed, there was nothing untoward happening under the stewardship of the Foreign Affairs Minister? Isn’t it appropriate to determine the role of the Minister in the moral mess?

To think that journalists would fold their arms as bad politicians exploit whatever situation that crops up for their selfish and personal gains, including their political parties, is to display foolishness on the part of leadership.

Subtly rubbishing a report which had the potential of winning an award, the expose about the financial mess surrounding the South African evacuation and diplomatic and service passports for sale, but did not according to the estimation of the panel, is to be unduly protective of the poor stewardship of the President and his team.

If the President thinks that there was nothing wrong with using fictitious details to issue diplomatic and service passports, then God save this country from the hands of bad politicians.

As for the Minority in Parliament and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in general, let them continue to expose the scandals, but they should remember that under the presidency of President John Mahama and the speakership of Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, there would be no committees or probes set up to audit the scandals.

Gbe La has emerged as the overall winner of the Accra Zonal Hackathon of the 2026 MoMo Fintech Lab, leading five teams shortlisted for the programme’s National Mentorship Programme.

The solution, whose name means ‘the voice’ in the Ewe language, is designed to address language barriers in digital financial services and make mobile money and other financial services more accessible to users.

The five shortlisted teams are Gbe La, Autosave, Frictionless Tolling, EcoTrust and Adawise. Each team received GHS5,000 and will join other successful teams from the Northern and Middle Zones for the next stage of the programme.

The hackathon, organised by MobileMoney Fintech Limited (MMFL), brought together 10 teams to pitch their innovations to a panel of industry experts after three days of intensive training, pitching sessions and mentorship at the Accra Bootcamp.

The 10 teams were selected from 19 ideas presented during the bootcamp. The other competing teams were Recyclink GH, Lebe Finance, ESOG, Connect App and FiNora Cash.

Chief Products and Services Officer of MobileMoney Limited, Sylvia Otuo-Acheampong, said innovation must be driven by customers’ needs rather than assumptions made by organisations.

She said businesses needed to develop solutions that addressed everyday challenges and improved customer experiences.

‘Innovation is something every organisation needs. For me, as Chief Products and Services Officer, the question is always: How do we make life easier for our customers? How do we remove friction, solve real problems and address the challenges they face every day?’ she said.

She noted that the traditional approach, where organisations developed products based on assumptions about what customers wanted, was giving way to a more customer-centred model.

‘We have moved beyond the days when a small group of people would sit in an office, assume they knew what customers wanted and develop products based on those assumptions. Today, we are bringing innovation from the outside in,’ she said.

Mrs. Otuo-Acheampong said the MoMo Fintech Lab offered students, developers, entrepreneurs and innovators an opportunity to move beyond conceptualising ideas to demonstrating their practical applications.

The programme is expected to culminate in a National Demo Day on December 3, 2026, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Auditorium.

At the event, six finalist teams will showcase their solutions and compete for cash prizes of up to GHS100,000, digital devices and other support to advance the development and implementation of their innovations.

A THIRD-year Chemical Engineering student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), David Osei Agyapong, has died following a tragic incident at the university’s swimming pool.

The deceased reportedly entered the swimming pool from one of the upper diving boards at about 5:10 p.m. last Saturday, November 7, 2026, but failed to resurface, throwing the university community into mourning.

A statement issued by KNUST Management said pool attendants retrieved Agyapong from the water after a few minutes and immediately rushed him to the university hospital for emergency medical attention.

However, efforts by medical personnel to resuscitate him proved unsuccessful.

The university said preliminary reports indicated that the deceased was an experienced swimmer who regularly used the swimming facility and was also a member of the KNUST basketball team.

His sudden death has been described by management as a painful loss to the university community.

Meanwhile, the KNUST Police have commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The university disclosed that the family of the deceased had been informed, while his body had been deposited at the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) morgue pending an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

The statement, signed by the University Relations Officer, Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, expressed management’s deepest condolences to the bereaved family, friends, teammates and colleagues.

Management has also appealed to the public to respect the privacy of the bereaved family and refrain from speculation or circulating unverified information as investigations and medical examinations continue.

A 31-year-old female undertaker, identified as Elizabeth Sackey, has died under bizarre circumstances.

The mother of three and resident of New Takoradi, in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, was found motionless in her purported boyfriend’s room at Essikado, within the metropolis.

She was rushed to a nearby health facility but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

According to information gathered, the deceased had told her mother on Thursday that she was travelling to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region for an undertaking job.

However, she instead went to her boyfriend’s house in Essikado.

It was further gathered that the boyfriend, popularly known as ‘King’-a mason by profession-left the deceased in his room on Saturday morning to go to work.

Sources stated that later in the day, some of King’s friends went to visit him at his house and discovered the woman lying motionless with foam coming out of her mouth.

They quickly rushed her to the Essikado Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, the alleged boyfriend has been arrested and detained by the police as investigations into the tragic incident continue.

The Founder and Vice-Chancellor of Family Health University (FHU), Prof. Enyonam Yao Kwawukume, has challenged newly admitted medical students to be diligent and strive for excellence as they work towards becoming professional doctors.

Speaking at the Matriculation and White Coat Ceremony of Family Health University, Prof. Kwawukume said the matriculation marked the beginning of a demanding intellectual and professional journey for the students, hence the need for them to be disciplined in order to deliver quality health care.

The ceremony, held under the theme, ‘The Making of Tomorrow’s Doctor: Intellectual Curiosity, Diligence, Bulldog Tenacity of Purpose and Clinical Excellence,’ saw a total of 85 students from the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) and the Regular six-year Medical Programme matriculated to start their professional journey.

Prof. Kwawukume emphasised the importance of understanding the principles behind what they learn, noting that medical education should connect teaching, research and clinical practice, while encouraging them to manage their time effectively.

According to him, Family Health University is committed to providing an academic environment that promotes lifelong learning, teamwork, integrity, compassion, innovation, leadership, professionalism and inclusiveness, encouraging parents to continue to support their wards given the number of years they were required to learn.

Dean of the University of Ghana Medical School, Prof. Yvonne Dei-Adomakoh, challenged the students to embrace continuous learning and compassion, which she stated were essential for the students to achieve their goal of becoming competent medical professionals.

She observed that medicine was constantly evolving, with new diseases emerging, treatments developing and scientific understanding of the human body expanding and, therefore, cautioned the students against limiting their studies to lecture notes and examination requirements, but should rather read extensively, participate in research and take advantage of mentorship opportunities.

She noted that lecturers could only provide students with a portion of the knowledge required, making independent learning and intellectual curiosity essential to their professional development, adding that medical training required commitment and discipline, while encouraging them to embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and medical research.

Council Chairman of Family Health University, Brigadier General Daniel K. Frimpong (Rtd), who congratulated the newly admitted students, urged them to allow the values of the institution to shape their character and professional conduct as they pursue their academic journey.

He also disclosed that the university continues to attract significant interest from prospective students, describing the institution’s growing demand as a blessing.

Among the dignitaries present include Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Family Health Hospital and Founder of Family Health University, Dr. Susu Bridget Kwawukume; Pro-Vice Chancellor of Family Health University; Professor Philip Odonkor, Dean of the Family Health Medical School; Dr. Sylvester Y. Oppong, Registrar of Family Health University; Mrs. Rita Kaine and several other faculty members.