Latest politics stories from Ghana's newsrooms
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has publicly lauded Sarah Adwoa Safo, the daughter of the late Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, for her resilience in managing her father's funeral amid intense family disputes. This endorsement comes at a pivotal time for the Dome-Kwabenya constituency, where current NPP parliamentary candidate Mike Oquaye Jnr has addressed rumors of Safo’s potential return to the race for the 2028 elections. While flyers suggesting her candidacy have circulated online, Oquaye Jnr emphasized the need for party consensus and stated he is awaiting direct confirmation from Safo herself. Safo has also shared that her father foresaw the legal and traditional battles currently splitting their family and church, describing the "Woman King" title given by Bawumia as a recognition of her strength during these trials. In the broader political and social sphere, the relationship between governance and the media has come under scrutiny. During the Ghana Journalists Association’s 77th anniversary, Minister of State for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu and veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr highlighted the essential role of ethical journalism in Ghana’s democracy. Pratt urged media practitioners to resist the digital-age pressure for sensationalism, arguing that the profession’s integrity depends on serving public needs rather than competing for social media attention. This call for professional standards is mirrored in the religious sector, where the Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, has challenged the government to deliver on its campaign promises, stating that voters expect tangible improvements rather than excuses based on the failures of previous administrations. Leadership transitions have also been observed across religious and military institutions. Rev. Stephen Yenusom Wengam was overwhelmingly re-elected as the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, securing nearly 90% of the vote. Similarly, the Methodist Church Ghana endorsed Alfred Sakyi as its new Lay President. In the security sector, Commodore Stephen Billings Nyam has officially taken command of the Western Naval Command, succeeding Commodore Samuel Ayelazono. Meanwhile, local traditional governance faced upheaval as the Wenchi Traditional Council indefinitely suspended Twafohene Nana Akora Tua Adutwum Kyeremeh Siasaa Kufour IV due to alleged breaches regarding land administration, signaling a crackdown on authority violations within traditional structures. On the international front, several significant events are shaping the global political landscape. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu is set to face a treason trial for allegedly inciting election boycotts, while in North America, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faces mounting pressure to secure favorable terms in a trade dispute with the United States. Additionally, the FBI is seeking to keep records secret regarding a drug-trafficking probe involving President Bola Tinubu. As these domestic and international narratives unfold, Regal Prophet Bismark Nana Boateng has issued a spiritual warning to Ghanaian parliamentarians, advising them to seek guidance to avert potential attacks and subsequent by-elections. These converging stories highlight a period of intense scrutiny, transition, and accountability for leaders across Ghana and beyond.
Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, has announced a definitive timeline for the restoration of the original power transmission arrangement at the Akosombo control station, targeting completion by next month. This move is intended to resolve recent nationwide system disturbances caused by a fragile temporary setup implemented after a previous fire incident. The Minister explained that while a temporary solution was necessary to avoid a total six-month shutdown of the Akosombo facility, the current arrangement has proven susceptible to transmission line trips. With four out of six critical components now restored, the Ministry expects the finalized repairs to significantly enhance the resilience of the national grid. Parallel to these infrastructure repairs, Dr. Jinapor inaugurated a new head office for the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in Accra, marking a significant milestone in the commission’s 25-year evolution. The modern facility is equipped with specialized monitoring rooms and training areas designed to strengthen regulatory oversight across the electricity, water, and natural gas sectors. During the ceremony, the Minister emphasized that the PURC must look beyond mere tariff reviews to rigorously evaluate the commercial performance of utility providers, specifically the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), to ensure financial sustainability and improved service delivery for consumers. However, the government’s efforts face scrutiny from civil society. Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has asserted that the persistent power outages are a solvable technical challenge that requires better leadership prioritization rather than just engineering fixes. Speaking on the impact of the blackouts, Bentil highlighted the life-threatening risks posed to essential services, citing recent outages at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. He urged the administration to realign its spending priorities to ensure that reliable electricity—a cornerstone of both economic activity and public health—is maintained through consistent resource allocation to the nation’s engineers. On the international stage, Ghana is simultaneously bolstering its strategic position ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has launched the National Roster of Experts on Climate Negotiations to institutionalize the country's negotiation capacity and secure greater access to international climate finance. This initiative aims to address existing challenges in developing bankable project proposals that meet stringent international standards. By unifying national positions and mobilizing diverse stakeholders, Ghana intends to advocate more effectively for developed nations to honor their funding commitments, ensuring that the country’s green transition remains financially viable and inclusive of its most vulnerable sectors.
In a series of decisive moves by the Mahama administration, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior have rolled out new measures to safeguard Ghanaian lives at home and abroad. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed a critical agreement with the Russian government to halt the illegal recruitment of Ghanaian youth into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, following reports of significant casualties among citizens. Simultaneously, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak has issued a stern directive to the Ghana Police Service to dismantle all unauthorized vigilantism and self-defence groups, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach to illegal security structures that threaten national stability. The situation regarding the Russia-Ukraine war has become a matter of urgent concern, with Minister Ablakwa revealing that up to 62 Ghanaians have died and 15 remain missing due to illicit recruitment efforts. Beyond addressing these tragedies, the Minister’s bilateral engagements with Russia have yielded positive diplomatic outcomes, including a pledge from Moscow to double scholarships for Ghanaian students and a commitment to cooperate on nuclear energy development and other global issues. These developments signify a push for stronger mutual benefits while prioritizing the protection of citizens from foreign military exploitation. On the domestic front, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak has prioritized national peace by ordering a crackdown on vigilantism, particularly those groups formed by political parties, traditional authorities, and private individuals. Invoking the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), Mubarak warned that these groups pose a direct threat to the state’s authority and public safety. The Minister also raised alarms over the unauthorized sharing of security training materials on social media, directing police commanders to enforce stricter controls to preserve the professional integrity and tactical secrecy of Ghana's security forces. To support humanitarian and regional stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also provided essential logistical aid to the Ghana Refugee Board. Minister Ablakwa oversaw the donation of decommissioned passport-processing equipment—including printers, cameras, and lamination machines valued at GH"539,574—to bolster the Board’s operations following funding cuts from the UNHCR. This support coincides with a new travel advisory issued on August 21, 2026, urging Tijjaniya Muslim pilgrims to fly to Senegal instead of using road corridors, citing heightened security risks in West African overland routes. These combined efforts reflect the government’s multifaceted strategy to navigate regional instability while maintaining its historical commitment to service and security.
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