Minister for Gender and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has shared how community work and faith led her to public service in a revealing account of her unconventional path into politics

The 49-year-old PhD holder from the University of Ghana detailed her transition into politics and meteoric rise to a ministerial position in an interview on JoyNews Personality Profile.

Naa Momo began her political career in 2000, serving as an assemblywoman and later as the presiding member of the Krowor Municipal Assembly.

The Nungua native contested the December 2016 elections under the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) but lost to Elizabeth Afoley Quaye of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who won the Krowor seat.

With the spirit of perseverance, she contested again in the 2020 election under the same umbrella party and won. She retained her seat in 2024 and was later appointed as substantive minister to oversee gender and social protection.

According to Naa Momo, politics was never her dream.

“If it’s not divine orchestration, then I’ll say I stumbled on it,” she reflected about her political beginnings. “This wasn’t something I planned for. People who knew me from the past are often surprised I’m in politics; they would never have associated me with it.”

Describing herself as “more of an introvert”, she admitted politics was never her ambition. Her journey began through church activities with the Assemblies of God congregation and subsequent civil society work.

“Through my charitable work with fishmongers, they eventually pushed me into politics,” she explained. “I was teaching them about leadership through a model training programme when the opportunity came to serve as a chief executive.”

The turning point came when community members challenged her to practise what she preached about local government leadership. “They said, ‘You’ve been teaching us we can start from the local government level; now here’s your chance.’ It completely threw me off board,” she recalled.

Despite initial setbacks – including being told she wasn’t partisan enough – she persevered. “I took it in good faith… When the opportunity came to serve as a government appointee, I was encouraged to contest as presiding member. By God’s grace, I won. That’s when my political journey began.”

Her story highlights how grassroots engagement and community pressure can sometimes create unexpected paths to public service, even for those who never envisioned political careers.

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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.

Akrobeto escaped the accident unscathed

Ghanaian actor and television personality Akwasi Boadi, popularly known as Akrobeto, has shared his gratitude after surviving a severe car accident on the Accra-Kumasi Highway on Friday, May 23, 2025.

In a video released some hours after the accident on Friday, May 23, 2025, Akrobeto recounted the incident, which occurred near Konongo in the Ashanti Region, just a short distance from the town while he was traveling to Kumasi.

He described the accident as “fatal,” explaining that a heavy-duty truck collided with his Toyota SUV and dragged his vehicle for about 30 meters before coming to a halt. The impact caused a significant crowd to gather within minutes, blocking the main road from Accra to Kumasi.

“The car rammed into mine and dragged me for about 30 meters before the articulator came to a halt for me to also come to a stop. The entire place became crowded in less than five minutes,” Akrobeto stated.

Despite the severity of the crash, Akrobeto emerged unscathed, as did a passenger he was giving a lift to. He was taken to Kumasi Hospital, where doctors evaluated him.

“After looking at my car and myself, the doctor told me, ‘Your God is a big God.’ Nothing bad happened to me,” he said, expressing his gratitude to Ghanaians for their love and support following the incident.

While indicating his willingness to shoot the weeks edition of his Real News show, Akrobeto indicated that the management of Despite Media had asked him to take a break for the week.

Eyewitness accounts reported that the accident occurred when a tricycle, locally known as an Aboboyaa, suddenly crossed the path of a vehicle, leading a heavy-duty truck to crash into Akrobeto’s car to avoid a collision. The actor’s vehicle sustained significant damage, but no casualties were reported.

Akrobeto, known for hosting The Real News on UTV, noted the outpouring of concern from fans, stating, “This accident has given me the opportunity to appreciate how people love me. I am grateful to the entire Ghana.”

I’m grateful for the outpouring of love. Unfortunately, there will be no ‘Real News’ tonight — Akrobeto speaks out following a near-fatal accident. #RealNews#UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/OjTL3pJQAr

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) May 23, 2025

GA/KA

NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Antwi Boasiako ‘Wontumi’

Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, has justified the presence of armed security personnel at the residence of Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, during an operation on Friday morning in Kumasi.

In an interview with Citi FM, Terlabi stated emphatically that the security services acted on intelligence and had no intention of harming the politician.

“The security services are on top of their job; they know what they are about, and there is nobody in this country who is above the law,” he said.

“When you fall foul of the law, the law will come for you,” he added, defending the rule of law and the authority of security institutions to act when necessary.

According to the deputy minister, the operation was intelligence-led. “Yes, the information is that the security team went there. I am yet to get the details, but what I am saying is that they did not go to Wontumi’s house without intel, and I don’t think I can share all those details on air,” he disclosed.

Responding to concerns raised by Wontumi about the heavy security presence and the use of armed personnel for what he claimed should have been a mere invitation, Terlabi said such precautions were necessary given the public conduct of the NPP chairman.

“My brother, I am sure you and I would call the security services names if they went there unprepared. The kind of things he [Wontumi] says on air—to the extent that there was a time he even challenged the security personnel and the sitting President—if he was trying to do something untoward, the security services must be prepared. That is not to say they were going there to shoot him down,” he clarified.

He further emphasized the seriousness of the situation, likening the approach to the caution taken when dealing with a dangerous animal.

“Because the gentleman in question has made all manner of statements, if you are to go and catch a wild dog, you don’t go there without arming yourself,” he said.

Terlabi also revealed that, although the initial intent was to invite Wontumi, the decision was later made to reschedule the engagement.

“They did not go there to kill him; they went there to invite him. So, if at the end of the day they decided otherwise—that he should be brought in on Monday—so be it,” he concluded.

Vice Presidential candidate for the Movement for Change in the 2024 elections, Kwame Owusu Danso

Vice Presidential candidate for the Movement for Change in the 2024 elections, Kwame Owusu Danso, Esq., has slammed critics, particularly members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) who have questioned the use of a private jet by Vice President Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

Some NPP members, including the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, have criticised the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for what he described as extravagant spending in the face of national hardship.

According to him, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang returned from a medical trip to the United Kingdom on Thursday, May 22, aboard a luxury chartered VistaJet that cost the country over $170,000.

Assafuah made the claim in a post on social media, citing the country’s erratic power supply, lack of medical equipment in hospitals, and ongoing strike actions by university lecturers as more pressing areas that deserve funding.

“While students study by candlelight, lecturers are on strike, and hospitals lack gloves, Ghana’s Vice President touched down from London on a VistaJet, a luxury chartered flight,” he wrote.

“Cost? Over $170,000 (20 billion old cedis). This is enough to:

Pay 250 striking university staff for a month.

Complete a CHPS compound or stock a hospital pharmacy for a year.

Fund electricity for 50 SHSs for a whole term.

Buy 150,000 exercise books for basic schools.”

Responding to the accusations by the NPP during a panel discussion on Pan Africa TV, Kwame Owusu Danso, Esq., dismissed the criticism, questioning whether the NPP expected the Vice President to arrive in the country using a commercial vehicle.

“Let’s talk about the propaganda some people in the NPP have been pushing—that she flew in with a private jet. I wonder if they wanted her to fly in with an STC bus. I wonder if they expected the Vice President to return home to us in an OA bus or a Sprinter. I wonder. She is the Vice President, for crying out loud.

But when you were in government, you had people flying abroad just to watch Arsenal and Manchester [United] play. One weekend, they would fly in and fly out. Are those people more human than the Vice President?

We had people who flew out to buy pizza and returned the same day. They would charter a plane, fly out to buy pizza, and then come back to Ghana. And those people—are they more human than the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana?

Ghanaians, we don’t respect. Did we expect her to come in a trotro? What is this?” Kwame Owusu Danso, Esq., who is the husband of Ama Pratt, spokesperson to the Vice President, questioned.

Was the vice president supposed to return home with an STC Bus??? I wonder…. pic.twitter.com/fdgat8EByE

— kwame Owusu Danso, Esq. (@kwameowusud) May 23, 2025

KA

 The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has called on industry players to ensure that product advertisements strictly adhere to the guidelines established by the Authority.

According to the Authority, a lot of advertisers were not respecting the guidelines on advertisement.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDA, Dr Delese A.A. Darko, who made the call in Accra on Wednesday said it was important for industry players to follow the consolidated guidelines as advertisements.

She added that advertisement had the power to influence consumers’ choices as well as the public health outcome of those choices.

“Advertising guidelines must uphold ethical standards and align with ethical requirements, providing clear direction to help meet all stakeholders confidently and allow them to meet their regulatory requirements and obligations,’’ she said.

The consolidated guidelines, she said, brought together requirement for several product categories ranging from cosmet­ics to medical substances in relation to their advertisement.

Additionally, Dr Darko explained that the consolidated guidelines had not been designed to stifle creativity but to thrive in a space where the public was “in­formed, protected, and respected.”

She said that some of the core values that the consolidated guidelines sought to promote, were “truthfulness and ethical standards” that aligned with clear regulatory directions.

“Strong advertising guidelines are not about control. They are about building trust . When consumers believe that a brand prioritises their well-being, they respond with loyalty and confidence,” Dr Darko said.

Dr Darko reaffirmed the commit­ment of the Authority to responsible advertisements that were impactful and promote public health and safety.

For her part, Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, the head of Communications and Public Education, FDA, in an inter­view with journalists, said that the Au­thority had been able to settle on some areas for improvement in the advertising space following the consolidation of the guidelines after engagements with the stakeholders over the past month.

Among the areas, she said, were the approval of an advertisement where industry players would now have a two-year option to have their advertise­ments approved instead of the one year approval.

Mrs Appiah noted that the FDA had decided on a scheme to ensure that all created advertisement content uploaded on social media were regulated.

“We didn’t have a strict regulation or clear guideline on how to regulate content creation and uploads on social media. This is a place that is fluid, and people will always want to churn out content.

As a result of this engagement, we have decided on a certain scheme where you do not need application for each content, but rather there is a way you can lump all your promotional campaign documents for the year and present it to the FDA,” Mrs Appiah said.

She noted that failure to adhere to the consolidated guidelines would attract various sanctions, including prosecution under the Public Health Act.

 BY EUGENE AMPIAW  

The newly inaugurated Board of the National Insurance Commission (NIC) have been urged to work hard to help expand insurance coverage and access to all segments of Ghanaian society, especially the informal and agricultural sectors.

The Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minis­ter for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, expressed concern about Ghana’s low insurance penetration rate, currently below 2 per cent.

“We must think differently, act boldly, and innovate deliberately to build a thriving and inclusive insurance ecosystem,” the minister emphasised.

He said it was important to extend insurance protection to the informal sector, which constitut­ed nearly 80 per cent of Ghana’s economy.

Dr Forson called on the insurance companies to develop products that were tailored to the everyday realities of farmers, artisans, market traders, and other underserved groups.

“When a farmer in Garu loses a harvest to floods, or a trader in Makola loses stock to fire, the absence of insurance becomes an economic vulnerability,” he noted. “We cannot afford to leave the majority of our population unpro­tected.”

He emphasised the vital role of insurance in strengthening national resilience, supporting disaster re­covery, and safeguarding long-term economic stability.

“Insurance must be a tool for climate resilience, a buffer for shocks, and a safeguard for our gains. This is why embedding environmental, social, and gov­ernance principles into insurance operations is no longer optional,” Dr Forson stated.

He urged the NIC and industry stakeholders to improve enforce­ment of compulsory insurance laws such as those for motor vehi­cles and commercial properties by leveraging technology and systemic reforms rather than relying solely on punitive measures.

Mr Christopher Boadi-Mensah who chairs the NIC Board, ex­pressed gratitude to the President, John Dramani Mahama, for the confidence reposed in them and pledged the Board’s commitment to transformative leadership.

“We accept this honour with humility and a strong sense of pur­pose, we are inspired by the call to make insurance more inclusive and accessible, especially to the many Ghanaians in the informal and agricultural sectors who remain unprotected.”

He outlined some core priorities that will guide the Board’s man­date, including expanding access to insurance nationwide, deepening market penetration and awareness through education and outreach, fostering innovation and digital transformation to modernise service delivery and ensuring the insurance sector contributes mean­ingfully to employment, economic growth, and national well-being.

The other members of the board are the Commissioner of Insurance, Dr Abiba Zakariah, Ms Jean-Marie Formadi, the Presi­dent’s nominee, Simoan Akibange Aworigo, President’s nominee, David Clotey Collison, Emmanuel Amofa, Matthew Kweku Attai Aidoo.

 BY TIMES REPORTER

Muntaka (in white fugu) with the GIS boss to his right cutting the tape to open the facility

The State Housing Company Limited (SHCL) has officially handed over a newly-completed four-storey, 24-unit apartment complex to the Ghana Immigration Service at Savelugu in the Northern Region.

The facility, commissioned by the Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, is a major milestone in SHCL’s ongoing commitment to support national security through sustainable and dignified housing.

This project, initiated in 2016 under an agreement between SHCL and the Ghana Immigration Service, was designed to provide modern residential accommodation for junior-ranked officers stationed at the Tamale International Airport and within the northern security corridor.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Muntaka commended SHCL for delivering a high-quality facility that does not only meet housing needs, but also enhances the morale and welfare of security personnel.

He emphasised the government’s belief of providing secure and comfortable housing for officers, which is geared towards enabling them to serve the nation more efficiently and with greater dedication.

Speaking at the event, the Acting Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, Samuel Basintale Amadu, expressed appreciation to government and the State Housing Company for the much-needed intervention.

He highlighted the severe accommodation challenges faced by the Service in the region and noted that this project brings welcome relief to officers and their families.

Managing Director of State Housing Company Limited, John Bawah, reaffirmed SHCL’s dedication to delivering affordable and durable housing solutions across the country, especially for frontline workers and essential service personnel.

This project, according to the MD, stands as a testament to SHCL’s capacity to execute quality government-led housing interventions that promote national development.

In a further demonstration of the government’s housing agenda, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka also performed a sod-cutting ceremony for a new 24-unit housing complex.

The second project is targeting senior officers of the Ghana Immigration Service, which will also be built at the same location.

SHCL has also been tasked to execute this second phase, which will include added amenities to serve the unique needs of senior staff.