Author: Political Desk

The executive management and senior staff of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have voluntarily agreed to salary reductions in response to the current liquidity challenges facing the cocoa industry. The decision, announced for the 2025/26 crop year, was outlined in an official statement dated Monday, February 16, 2026. According to the statement, the executive management has taken a 20 percent pay cut, while senior staff have accepted a 10 percent reduction in their respective salaries. “The executive management has taken a 20 percent cut, while senior staff have taken a 10 percent reduction in their respective salaries,” the statement read.…

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has disclosed that he was confronted by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, following calls by the Minority Caucus for the minister’s resignation over a controversial lithium agreement. In an interview on Channel One TV’s Point of View programme on Monday, February 16, 2026, Afenyo-Markin recounted the incident, emphasizing that the demand for Buah’s dismissal was not personal but stemmed from a policy failure. According to Afenyo-Markin, the confrontation occurred around Christmas when Buah approached him, asking in Fante, “Maye wo dzen” (what have I done to you?).…

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new applications for Tier 1 and Tier 2 gold buying licences, as well as the Self-Financing Aggregator Licence, effective immediately. In a press release issued on February 16, 2026, GoldBod described the suspension as a key step in ongoing strategic reforms aimed at modernising and strengthening Ghana’s gold trading and buying regime. “The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced the immediate suspension of applications for specific categories of gold buying licences as part of a strategic reform process aimed at strengthening and modernising Ghana’s gold buying regime,” the statement…

Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has described the Minority Whips as the backbone of his leadership, crediting them with keeping the opposition caucus organised, disciplined, and effective in holding the government accountable. In an interview on Channel One TV on February 16, 2026, Mr Afenyo-Markin emphasised that leading the Minority in Parliament can be overwhelming without a strong and coordinated whip team. “In opposition you can be overwhelmed because when you are Minority Leader, the most powerful person, your right-hand man who gets you going, is your Chief Whip,” he stated. He gave special praise to Frank Annoh-Dompreh, MP…

President John Dramani Mahama has announced bold reforms aimed at achieving greater economic sovereignty, including ending foreign financing for cocoa purchases and phasing out the export of raw mineral ores by 2030. The President made the declaration at the closing session of his high-level side event titled “Accra Reset’s Addis Reckoning,” held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a statement from the Ghana Presidency, Mahama outlined plans to shift cocoa purchases to domestic financing in Cedis, breaking away from long-standing arrangements he described as exploitative. “One…

Ghana is set to host a high-level national consultative meeting on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), as part of efforts to strengthen civilian protection amid growing global concerns over the devastating humanitarian impacts of such weapons. The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA), in collaboration with the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Article 36, will organise the meeting. The announcement was made in a press release dated February 16, 2026, from NACSA. The high-level National Consultation Meeting aims…

Authored by Nana Bempong Amankwah What should you study in the age of Artificial Intelligence? It is the question keeping students, parents, and educators awake at night. For students, it is even more worrying. You do everything “right” i.e., you choose a course, attend lectures, write exams, earn a degree yet the question remains: what next? Across the globe, technology is redefining jobs. I dare say many of the jobs today’s graduates are preparing for may not even exist by 2027. Roles that existed a decade ago are disappearing, while new ones are emerging at a pace that makes long-term…

Opinion Piece By John Ayernor Nanor (MPH) Ghana does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. We suffer from a shortage of disciplined implementation. For decades, successive governments have introduced ambitious and well-designed policies aimed at transforming agriculture, industrialization, education, and youth employment. Many of these initiatives were conceptually sound. Some were even visionary. Yet too often, their execution was fragmented, rushed, politicized, or poorly coordinated. The result? Public disappointment and eroded trust. Agricultural reforms were meant to boost food production and reduce imports. Industrial policies were designed to stimulate district-level manufacturing and create jobs. Youth employment initiatives sought to…

Pressure group Democracy Hub has filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra seeking to halt the planned Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election scheduled for March 3. The suit cites alleged vote-buying and inducement during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary that produced the party’s candidate for the by-election. The action, filed on behalf of the group by lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor on Monday, February 16, names the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Electoral Commission (EC), and the Attorney-General’s Department as defendants. The plaintiff is seeking, among other reliefs, an interlocutory injunction to restrain the EC from proceeding with the by-election…

The Minister for Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, has announced details of the terrorist attack that occurred in Titao, northern Burkina Faso, where seven Ghanaian traders were killed. In an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, February 16, he disclosed that the bodies of the seven deceased traders have been laid to rest, as the government intensifies efforts to rescue the surviving victims. According to Mubarak, the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and had begun decomposing, forcing authorities to proceed with burial arrangements in Burkina Faso. The Ghanaian government had hoped its diplomatic mission could be present to witness…