President John Dramani Mahama urged civil society organisations and faith leaders on Friday to shift the focus of Ghana’s crime-fighting strategy from arrested youths to the criminal “kingpins” who, he said, run the operations behind them. Addressing the meeting with CSOs, President Mahama acknowledged the human cost of a heavy-handed approach to prosecution. “I like that somebody raised that, what are we doing to the kingpins? Because most of those 1,400 who have been arrested are young youth who are looking for something to be able to look after themselves,” he said. “And we’ll prosecute them, we’ll imprison them, but...

Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2501 will soon be presented to Parliament to annul the contentious L.I. 2462, which has faced widespread criticism for permitting mining operations in forest reserves. Speaking at President John Mahama’s meeting with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the galamsey crisis on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine emphasized that reforming the legal and regulatory framework is central to government’s strategy to combat illegal mining. “In terms of the legal steps, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has underscored the fact that legal and regulatory reform...

The government has unveiled sweeping measures to intensify the fight against illegal mining, announcing plans to establish specialized tribunals to fast-track prosecutions. So far, more than 400 arrests have been made in the nationwide crackdown. At a meeting with civil society organizations and faith leaders , Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine highlighted the difficulties law enforcement faces under the current system. He noted that the constitutional requirement to arraign suspects within 48 hours often results in bail being granted, with many offenders returning almost immediately to mining sites. Citing a recent case in Kumasi, Dr. Ayine said nine suspects who...

The Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that charges against the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako widely known as Chairman Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining, have been finalized and endorsed. He stated that Mr. Boasiako has been instructed to appear in Accra on Monday, October 6, 2025, for the charges to be formally presented. Dr. Ayine cautioned that failure to comply with the directive would lead to his arrest. Addressing civil society groups during President John Dramani Mahama’s meeting on illegal mining in Accra on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine declared: “The...

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced new and enhanced security protocols for the acquisition of Ghanaian passports, following a high-level meeting convened yesterday by the Minister, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The move comes in response to the growing international value of Ghanaian passports, which now enjoy 10 visa waivers and the recent reversal of U.S. visa restrictions. These diplomatic gains, officials say, have made Ghanaian passports a target for individuals seeking to obtain them fraudulently. “We are determined to ensure that only eligible Ghanaians are issued our high-value passports,” Hon. Ablakwa stressed, vowing that government will...

 The Parliamentary Select Committee on Information and Communications has undertaken a monitoring tour of agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Technology and Innovation, as part of its oversight mandate. The Committee visited the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), the Ghana Domain Name Registry, and the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission. The agencies briefed the Committee on their operations, challenges, and future plans. At GIFEC, Administrator Mr. Sofo Tanko Rashid announced that government has released GHS 60 million to advance the Rural Telephony initiative. He disclosed that 461 communication sites...

The Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, yesterday received a high-level delegation from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at his office in Accra. The delegation, led by Hon. Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie — Commissioner responsible for the promotion of human rights in Ghana and Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa — commended Ghana’s prison education system, which allows inmates to pursue both academic and vocational training while serving their sentences. Discussions centered on pressing issues within the country’s prison system, including overcrowding, feeding challenges, and alternative sentencing measures. The delegation expressed particular interest...

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has directed all shops and markets within the metropolis to remain closed on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 6 a.m. until the completion of the first official National Sanitation Day clean-up exercise. The directive follows the launch of the National Sanitation Day initiative by the President, which mandates the first Saturday of every month to be observed as a nationwide clean-up exercise. The move is part of efforts to rid the city of filth, improve public health, and promote a safer and more resilient environment. According to a statement issued by the Assembly, the operation...