Nana Badu Bonsu Basic School, established in 1950 and located in New Takoradi near the Poasi Methodist Church in the Western region, has long been a hub of academic excellence.

Over the years, it has nurtured countless students who have gone on to achieve remarkable success in Ghana and beyond. Recently, the 1993 year group returned to their alma mater to give back and explore ways to further support the school.

Thirty-two years after graduating, the old students arrived not just to reconnect but to make a tangible impact. In line with tradition, they did not visit empty-handed. Their donation included a set of jerseys, three footballs, a pump, and three ceiling fans—items meant to enhance both the school’s sports activities and classroom conditions.

Speaking on behalf of the group, their spokesperson highlighted the significance of the visit. “We are here to bond with the school, reminisce, and network. We also want to see how we can contribute to the well-being of our younger ones. Having left here 32 years ago, we see a remarkable transformation, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. We are calling on all past students—our mates, seniors, and juniors—to come back and support the school.”

The headmistress, Mercy Appiah, expressed profound gratitude for the support but emphasised the school’s ongoing challenges. “We are very grateful for this generous donation. The footballs and jerseys will encourage our students, many of whom are talented in sports. However, we need more. We need computers, improved facilities, and additional support from the government, corporate bodies, philanthropists, and religious leaders. These little ones deserve the best foundation possible.”

Despite the school’s progress over the years, the call for assistance remains urgent. The 1993 year group has pledged to further discuss how they can provide sustained support. Meanwhile, the headmistress continues to appeal to stakeholders, urging them to invest in the future of the students.

For those willing to contribute to the school’s development, the time to act is now. Every effort counts in shaping the next generation of leaders from Nana Badu Bonsu Basic School.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Yam exports to be affected by 10% tariffs

The imposition of trade tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to negatively affect Ghana’s export of various commodities across multiple sectors of the economy.

President Trump recently announced a 10% tariff on imports from Ghana, alongside sweeping new tariffs targeting nearly all U.S. trading partners.

China, for instance, has been hit with a 34% import tax, while goods from the European market face a 20% levy, measures that analysts warn could undermine key pillars of the global trade system and trigger broader trade conflicts.

The move is expected to impact global trade significantly, increasing the cost of both exports and imports.

According to a report by myjoyonline.com on April 4, 2025, the following Ghanaian industries may be severely affected:

Apparel Industry: Over 5,000 young workers depend on exports to the U.S. The new tariff threatens both jobs and profits in a sector that has long struggled to establish itself in international markets.

Cocoa Exports: Although raw cocoa beans enter the U.S. duty-free, processed cocoa products, such as powder and paste, which make up nearly 30% of cocoa exports, are likely to be affected by the tariff. This could discourage value addition in the sector.

Yams: A staple among Ghanaian exports to the U.S., yams currently benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). However, a 10% tariff could erode this advantage, making Ghanaian yams less competitive in American markets.

SSD/MA

Watch the latest edition of BizTech below:

Click here to follow the GhanaWeb Business WhatsApp channel

Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo

The Supreme Court will, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, hear a case challenging the procedure by President John Dramani Mahama to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office.

The suit, filed by the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, questions the constitutionality of the process initiated by President Mahama following the receipt of three separate petitions seeking her removal.

Through his legal representative, former Attorney General Godfred Dame, Assafuah is asking the apex court to declare that the Chief Justice must be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against her before the President consults the Council of State, as stipulated in Article 146(6) of the Constitution.

On March 29, 2025, President Mahama directed the Chief Justice to submit a preliminary response to the removal petitions within 10 days.

He also condemned the unauthorised leakage of confidential documents related to the case.

JKB/MA

Watch as family member of former President Kufuor breaks silence over claims by 51-year-old man

Executive Secretary of Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Asaki Awingobi

The Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Asaki Awingobit, has described the United States’ 10% tariff on imports from Ghana as a major setback for the country’s trading community.

He warned that the measure would adversely affect exporters and hinder business growth.

Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Awingobit expressed hope that the government would step in to address the issue.

“I must say it is a big blow to the Ghanaian business community, especially the exporters,” he said.

“We believe that the Government of Ghana will definitely have to tell us something about what they are going to do to salvage the situation at this point in time,” he added.

On April 2, 2025, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced tariffs targeting several countries, including a 34% tariff on Chinese imports, a 20% tariff on goods from the European Union, and a 10% tariff on exports from Ghana.

According to the White House, the tariffs are intended to counter perceived unfair trade practices.

Awingobit emphasised that traders are keenly awaiting action from the government to mitigate the impact.

SA/MA

Watch the latest edition of BizTech below:

Click here to follow the GhanaWeb Business WhatsApp channel

Environmental advocacy group AROCHA Ghana has commended the government for its decisive action in transferring all regional, divisional, and district police commanders serving in mining communities.

The reshuffle targets officers who have served extended periods in these areas without making significant progress in addressing illegal mining. The move is seen as a timely step toward strengthening the fight against the menace.

Speaking on Newsfeed on Channel One TV on Friday, April 4, Deputy National Director of Operations at AROCHA Ghana, Daryl Bosu, said the decision will promote accountability among police commanders and other key stakeholders.

“It is very good to hear the government taking these issues very seriously as one of the key measures to deal with galamsey. For a long time, we have tended to put pressure on MMDAs and let the police command get away with it.

“I am really happy to hear that we are now going to demand accountability from the various divisional commanders in the galamsey-prone areas. It is about time we get everybody in the chain of leadership to be responsible for what is happening.”

Despite welcoming the move, Bosu expressed concerns about the overall approach to fighting illegal mining, describing it as inadequate given the scale of the problem.

According to him, a more forceful and uncompromising approach is needed to deal effectively with the crisis.

“They have been on the street with us, when we were calling for a state of emergency and the repealing, all of these were commitments and promises they made. So we are very happy with the way and manner they handled the fight so far.

“But again, in the fight, it has not been as we expected. We expected them to be more brutal, ruthless, and very persistent to get them out of the field.”

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has reassured Ghanaians that key U.S.-funded health programmes would not be affected by President Trump’s new tariffs.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News on Thursday, April 3 2025, she indicated that programs addressing infant and child mortality, maternal health, malaria, HIV, essential medicines, and vaccines would be spared.

Her remarks come in response to a series of new tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, including a 34% levy on Chinese imports and a 20% tax on goods from the European Union. These measures have heightened global trade tensions and sparked mixed reactions from world leaders.

“Many of the programmes have been reviewed and changed, but Ghana has done better than many places. I’m very pleased that the life-saving programmes will continue,” she said.

She expressed confidence that Ghana’s key exports, such as gold and gas, would remain vital to global trade and would not be significantly affected by U.S. policy shifts.

“We have the historical and cultural [ties]. Also, more than $3 billion in bilateral trade investment is one of the key pillars. There are also goods and services—gold coming from here, gas coming from here—and we have automobiles and pharmaceuticals coming from the United States.

“So, it is something that builds prosperity in all the countries. It is all to say that no matter the changes in language and no matter the change in focus, Ghana remains an important part of the United States, and we will continue to be so,” she emphasized.

Ms. Palmer noted that the United States remains committed to Ghana’s economic recovery, citing upcoming initiatives such as a major U.S. trade mission and a planned U.S.- Africa Business Summit. “The United States is behind Ghana’s economic recovery through things like the World Bank and IMF, but also American company interest in coming here,” The ambassador noted.

The US Ambassador to Ghana’s assurance reinforced the enduring strength of the two countries even as global trade policies evolve.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has assured Ghanaian students in Benin of improved conditions and enhanced support from the government.

The Minister, who engaged with the students, during an official visit to Benin, emphasized his commitment to addressing their challenges and ensuring their welfare.

Ablakwa revealed that upon arrival in Benin, he immediately inquired about the state of Ghanaian students and was provided with a comprehensive report by the Acting Head of Mission.

He acknowledged the financial struggles faced by the students and pledged to take action upon his return to Ghana.

“I have asked that the Director of the Scholarship Secretariat sees me when I return so that we can improve your conditions,” he stated.

Ablakwa also pointed out that the students’ monthly stipend had remained unchanged for several years and described it as “too big,” hinting at a review.

The Minister highlighted the establishment of student desks in all Ghanaian missions worldwide as a measure to provide specialized consular support for students.

“Students, in my estimation, are the most vulnerable. They are young, away from their parents, not working, and not earning. They deserve special attention,” he noted.

Ablakwa assured the students that the government would not only establish these desks, but also follow up to ensure they translate into tangible improvements in students’ lives.

He pledged to make their well-being a personal project, promising to take immediate action to address their concerns.

Additionally, the Minister mentioned his intent to explore ways to contribute to a student fund, similar to the support provided to embassy staff.

He encouraged continued engagement with the students before concluding his visit.

For the first time in five years, there’s a new richest woman on Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list. With an estimated $101 billion fortune,

Alice Walton has taken back the title from L’Oréal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of France, who had claimed the crown since the 2021 list and who now ranks as the world’s second-richest woman (estimated net worth: $81.6 billion).

The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992), Alice Walton is $28.7 billion richer than last year, thanks to a 40 per cent increase in the value of her estimated 11 per cent stake in the retail giant, which saw shoppers flock to its “Every Day Low Prices” amid high inflation. 

Bettencourt Meyers, on the other hand, is $17.9 billion poorer, after those same market forces helped send shares of the cosmetics conglomerate her grandfather Eugène Schueller (d. 1957) founded spiraling by nearly 20 per cent.

Walton, 75, is one of 15 members of the $100 Billion Club—those with fortunes spanning 12 digits—this year. She’s the second woman to ever reach centibillionaire status, following Bettencourt Meyers, 71, who accomplished the feat in June 2024.

Walton ranks as the 15th richest person in the world, a few spots behind her brothers Rob Walton, 80, and Jim Walton, 76, who are worth $110 billion and $109 billion, respectively.

After graduating from Trinity University in Texas in 1971, Alice Walton worked briefly as a buyer of children’s clothes at Walmart, before taking a job in New Orleans as a stockbroker for E.F. Hutton.

She returned to her family’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas during the 1980s to run investment operations at the Waltons’ Arvest Bank, before launching a lending and brokerage shop of her own called Llama with $19.5 million of family money. When Llama shut down in 1998, Walton moved back to Texas and shifted her focus to curating art.

She chaired the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville for a decade, before handing the reins to her nephew Tom Walton’s wife, Olivia Walton, in 2021. Alice is credited with founding the museum, which sits on 120 acres and features works by the likes of Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe, after realizing there wasn’t anything like it within 300 miles of her family’s hometown. Nearly all of the $1.6 billion it cost to open the facility in 2011 came from trusts in the names of her late brother John Walton and mother Helen Walton (d. 2007).

Alice Walton has ramped up her own philanthropy over the past decade, however, pouring more than $5.8 billion into five family charitable foundations that have doled out an estimated $1.7 billion of her funds to date. That includes an estimated $400 million gifted through the Walton Family Foundation (which her parents founded on Walmart’s 25th anniversary in 1987) to organizations focused on education reform, the environment and the region surrounding Bentonville. 

It also includes more than $500 million that Alice’s Art Bridges Foundation has spent acquiring and loaning out works of American art to more than 230 museums across the country—including the Art Institute of Chicago, the MoMA in New York City and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.—since its founding in 2016.

Last August, Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation reported that it had gifted another $249 million to help fund a new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville that will “enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles.” The school is set to enroll its first class of 48 students in July.

“I want to create opportunities that help people and communities achieve their dreams,” says Walton, in a quote posted to her namesake foundation’s website. “It is the joy of my life, and a privilege to do so.”

By Florence Afriyie Mensah

Kumasi, April 4, GNA – Inadequate lecture theatres, seminar rooms and laboratories at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), is impeding the enrolment of more medical students at the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

Professor Akwasi Antwi-Kusi, Dean of KNUST-SMS, who stated this, said the School had the potential of admitting more students, but the lack of adequate teaching and learning infrastructure, such as lecture theatres and seminar rooms at KATH was hindering the plans.

The School, this year alone, shortlisted some 1,040 applicants with aggregate six (6) to eight (8) for interview to be admitted, but were able to admit only 240 of them, denying almost 800 brilliant students the opportunity to read medicine at the KNUST.

Speaking at the 50th Anniversary of the KNUST-SMS in Kumasi, he pointed out that, after five decades, the School was yet to have its own office accommodation for lecturers at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

“Again, even though our combined class of the medical and dental students stands at 320, our classrooms at KATH can only accommodate 120 students.

Our clinical students, therefore, shuttle between the University and the KATH for lectures and examinations, a distance of 15 kilometres.

Aside from the wear and tear and huge transport running cost, the effect on the students and their clinical work cannot be quantified” Prof Antwi-Danso bemoaned.

He said the alumni of the school were embarking on a legacy project to construct a 400 capacity multi-purpose lecture theatre at KATH.

The project estimated at GH₵50,000,000.00 will have offices, seminar rooms, students’ clinic and a canteen among others, to enhance learning and research ensuring that medical professionals were equipped to meet the evolving needs of the healthcare system, including equitable distribution of doctors across Ghana.

Prof Antwi-Danso used the occasion to call on stakeholders to generously contribute towards the project, while urging corporate organizations to invest in medical education as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

On other matters affecting delivery of quality service, he called on the government to review the fees for medical education and give special loans to medical students.

He explained that underfunding had been one the greatest challenges since medical education was expensive.

According to him, in the United States of America, average medical school tuition was $60,000 a year, while in Ghana it was only GH₵10,000.00 leaving medical schools underfunded in Ghana affecting infrastructure, equipment, faculty salaries and resources.

The Anniversary is being held on the theme: “A Glance at the Past, A Glimpse into the Future.”

GNA

KOM/CA

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has stressed the importance for the government of Ghana to address payment arrears to American companies to improve its business climate.

Ranking Member of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator James E. Risch, recently claimed that Ghana owes approximately $251 million in arrears to several U.S-based businesses and demanded that the US leverages its position as the IMF’s largest shareholder to ask the IMF to get Ghana to repay its debts to American entities.

Speaking to journalists in Accra, the US ambassador, Virginia Palmer, noted that the country’s indebtedness to American companies remains a major concern.

Ambassador Palmer highlighted the need to prioritise the payment of arrears despite being under an IMF programme.

“I’m saying on the one hand, you know, stick with your IMF program – fiscal conservatism on one hand, and please pay American companies. But that’s a liability. It’s a debt, like other debts. And it’s important that the government knows that before new investors come, they call their friends, and the word will get out. Well, you know, it’s a great place, well-educated workforce, wonderful place to live, peaceful, stable, democratic,” she stressed.

The government of Ghana’s unpaid debts has placed a significant financial burden on US businesses in Ghana and could jeorpadise their operations and investments.

“I’m owed hundreds of millions of dollars, and no company can sort of face their shareholders with that kind of liability. Indeed, now it’s gotten to the point where it is a break on. I think further investment and the government of Ghana acknowledges that, and so, it has been open to some kind of creative solutions for resolving the debt, as companies have been,” she explained.

The US Ambassador also identified disregard for contract sanctity as a major worry for investors.

“Contract sanctity is even more complicated than that. My predecessor used to talk about contract sanctity, and I thought it meant, I thought it was ‘Diplo speech’ for corruption, and it’s not. It’s landlords even saying, oh, well, I have a lease with you, but I like this lease better, so you’re out of luck. It’s just sticking with whatever contract you have”, she added.

Ambassador Palmer, however, reaffirmed the strength of the partnership between Ghana and US, stressing that Ghana remains an important partner to the United States, with economic and social cooperation continuing to be a priority.

MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

The Minority in Parliament has urged the government to take immediate steps to secure exemptions from the newly imposed 10% tariff on Ghanaian exports to the United States.

According to them, the tariff poses a serious threat to Ghanaian businesses that depend on the U.S. market and could significantly weaken the country’s export sector if swift diplomatic action is not taken.

Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, called on the government to initiate urgent diplomatic engagements with U.S. authorities to negotiate a waiver.

In a statement posted on his social media platforms on Friday April 4, 2025, he warned that the tariff would increase the cost of Ghanaian goods in the U.S. market, making them less competitive.

“The newly imposed 10% tariff on Ghanaian exports to the U.S. will undoubtedly raise the prices of our products in that market. Ghanaian goods risk losing their competitive edge—an outcome that could severely impact businesses and livelihoods reliant on exports,” he stated.

Oppong Nkrumah also emphasised the need to leverage Ghana’s economic diplomacy, particularly through frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to address the issue.

“At a time when economic diplomacy was significantly advanced under the previous administration through initiatives like AfCFTA, Ghana must now engage the United States and pursue a tariff waiver for our nation,” he added.

The Ofoase Ayirebi MP also linked the tariff issue to the government’s proposed 24-hour economy initiative, noting that a vibrant export sector is critical to its success.

He stressed that inaction could derail efforts to boost productivity and economic growth.

As of now, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not issued any official response.

However, industry stakeholders and business associations are expected to voice their concerns in the coming days.

MA