Electricity Company of Ghana logo

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has endorsed the liberalisation of the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the State-owned electricity distributor, for private sector participation.

The Fund is of the view that private sector participation would attract the much-needed investment and technical expertise to address legacy debts, making the energy sector financially sustainable.

This was in the IMF July country report on the fourth review of the Ghana’s US$3 billion-three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement, which identified the energy sector as a major source of fiscal risk.

The Electricity Company of Ghana is responsible for distributing electricity in the southern part of Ghana, covering six administrative regions: Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Ashanti, Western and Central.

According to the Fund, in the absence of any policy action, the annual energy sector shortfall is estimated to reach US$2.2 billion in 2025.

That reflected ECG’s large commercial and technical losses and slow electricity tariff adjustment in the face of exchange rate fluctuations and higher power generation costs, notably due to reliance on costly liquid fuels, the IMF observed.

“Staff welcomes the cabinet decision to open the electricity company’s operations to the private sector, and the efforts made towards the energy sector’s financial sustainability -including resuming the quarterly electricity tariff increases,” the Fund stated in its appraisal on the ECF programme.

The IMF observed progress in reducing the energy sector challenges including the 14.75 per cent increase in electricity tariffs in April 2025 by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and compliance improvement with the Cash Waterfall Mechanism somewhat in 2025.

Nonetheless, the report indicated that “some IPPs received less than expected, as fuel payments and the addition of an IPP diluted Cash Waterfall Mechanism distributions.”

There were significant deviations between ECG’s validated and declared collections (GHS5.3 billion) and between CWM allocations and actual payments (GHS3.9 billion), the report noted.

To reduce the energy sector shortfall in the short term and enhance efficiency, the Bretton Woods institution recommended a full and consistent implementation of the Cash Waterfall Mechanism.

That implies the country ensuring regular payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and fuel suppliers, addressing legacy arrears, and improving transparency, governance and accountability.

The IMF urged the Government to accelerate the implementation of the Energy Sector Recovery Programme measures, including conducting a multi-year tariff assessment to reflect changes in the costs of energy production by end-September 2025, enhance revenue collection and limit arrears accumulation.

In an earlier interview with the Ghana News Agency, Nana Amoasi VII, the Executive Director, Institute for Energy Security, said privatisation could bring in expertise, investment, and efficiency improvements that are needed to address infrastructure challenges and improve service delivery in the power sector.

Referring to the 2019 failed agreement with Power Distribution Services (PDS), he called for a well-designed, transparent, and best practices to avoid the pitfalls experienced in the past deal.

The failure of PDS to achieve certain pre-conditions led to the country missing some US$190 million in investment under the second tranche of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) power compact.

Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of MCC, on Thursday, May 9, 2024, stated that the Corporation had no immediate plans, but remained opened to working with Ghana for long-term sustainability of related infrastructure and financial recovery in the energy sector.

St. Peter’s Methodist Church in Odorkor is seriously considering withdrawing its premises as a collation centre for future elections, citing significant safety concerns and property damage inflicted during the volatile Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun on Friday, July 11.

The decision by the church leadership underscores the escalating challenges faced by public and private institutions that offer their spaces for Ghana’s electoral processes, often bearing the brunt of political tensions.

Rev. Ebenezer Kofi, the church’s overseer, confirmed the contemplation of this drastic step, expressing deep distress over the events that marred the rerun.

His announcement highlights a growing disillusionment among community institutions that provide vital support for Ghana’s democracy but often receive little protection or compensation when violence erupts.

Friday’s rerun in Ablekuma North, held across 19 polling stations to resolve a protracted electoral dispute from the December 7, 2024, general elections, was fraught with tension from the outset.

Their forceful entry disrupted the voting process, causing widespread panic among voters and leading to a temporary suspension of polling.

The assailants violently assaulted key figures of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including the party’s parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, and former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson.

Eyewitnesses described the incident as “well-coordinated and deliberate”, suggesting premeditation rather than spontaneous unrest.

Police struggled to restore order, further emphasising the challenges in controlling politically motivated violence at polling centres.

Speaking in an interview with Citi News on Saturday, July 12, Rev. Kofi articulated the church’s resolve.

“A decision has to be taken by the leadership of the church where we will take the collation centre from here, and by extension, we will take the polling station from here to prevent further incidents,” he stated, indicating a broad consensus within the church leadership.

He confirmed that the church intends to formally request the Electoral Commission (EC) and security agencies to relocate both the collation centre and the nearby police post from the church premises.

Rev. Kofi also shed light on the cumulative impact of hosting electoral activities, revealing that the December 2024 general elections had also left a trail of damage at the church, yet the EC had offered no compensation.

“Most of our assets were vandalised and destroyed because of the collation… even yesterday I was told that the residence of one of the ministers was also damaged,” he lamented.

This lack of redress for damages often deters institutions from offering their facilities in subsequent elections, potentially forcing the EC to use less suitable venues.

The incident in Ablekuma North is not an isolated one but forms part of a worrying trend of increasing electoral violence in Ghana.

The 2020 general elections, for instance, were marred by multiple incidents of violence that resulted in at least eight fatalities, prompting widespread calls for accountability that largely remain unanswered.

The December 2024 elections also saw at least six deaths, alongside numerous reports of assaults on journalists and political figures.

Organisations like the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) have consistently highlighted the entrenched nature of electoral violence and the prevailing culture of impunity.

Despite the NPP officially boycotting the rerun, its candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, defied the party’s directive and contested the election.

She ultimately lost to Ewurabena Aubynn of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by a narrow margin.

The rerun’s outcome shifts the balance of power in parliament, but the violence that accompanied it leaves a deeper scar on Ghana’s democratic fabric.

The incident at St. Peter’s Methodist Church in Odorkor serves as a potent reminder of the need for the Electoral Commission, political parties, and security agencies to proactively safeguard electoral venues and ensure accountability for violence.

Without robust measures to protect these critical democratic spaces and compensate for damages, the integrity and accessibility of Ghana’s electoral process remain at risk.

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.

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.

Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson

The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, is expected to appear before Parliament on Thursday, July 24, 2025, to present the 2025 mid-year budget review.

This announcement was made by Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, while delivering the Business Statement on Friday, July 11, 2025.

“The mid-year budget will happen on the 24th of July. I believe the committee on the selection issue, Right Honourable Speaker, has been engaging with it. He is currently out of the jurisdiction, and once he returns, I’m confident the matter will be resolved,” he said on the floor of the House.

The presentation forms part of the government’s legal obligation to update the nation on its economic performance for the first half of the year.

It is in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).

The budget presentation will also include updates on debt servicing, spending, income mobilization, and the macroeconomic climate as a whole.

Meanwhile, The Bank of Ghana has confirmed that it has received US$367 million from the International Monetary Fund as part of the 5th disbursement under Ghana’s US$3billion economic recovery programme.

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In recent years, Ghana has witnessed a surge in cyber-related offenses, as well as organized robbery syndicates, posing fresh challenges to national security and public safety.

To address this, the Police Administration has initiated a comprehensive review of its operational capacity to effectively respond to rising sophisticated crimes such as cyber fraud, armed robbery, and other emerging security threats.

As part of the strategy, the Service is placing renewed emphasis on professional development, specialized training, and orientation for both new recruits and existing officers.

The review process includes tactical training, cybercrime investigation modules, intelligence gathering techniques, and the use of modern surveillance tools.

According to Commissioner of Police (CoP) Asumadu Okyere-Darko, the Director-General, Police Professional Standard Bureau, the review aims at equipping personnel with modern policing techniques and digital forensics skills to stay ahead of evolving criminal activities.

He stated these on Friday at the passing-out parade of the third batch recruits of the Regional Police Training School – Kenyasi, where a total of 239, including 25 cardet officers, passed out.

CoP Okyere-Darko noted that the nature of crime is changing rapidly and criminals are becoming more organized and technologically inclined, so their officers must evolve too.

The Director-General said the police administration is collaborating with local and international institutions to ensure its personnel are not only technically capable but also ethically grounded.

He reiterated the commitment of the service to maintaining law and order, assuring the public that it is poised to restore confidence through proactive policing and strategic reforms.

Dr Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi North Constituency, in his congratulatory message, urged the recruits to be good ambassadors of the service in contributing their quota to ensuring law and order in society.

He expressed gratitude to the Kenyasi No. 1 Traditional Council (KTC), presided over by Nana Osei Kofi Abiri, the Paramount Chief, for their massive investment in infrastructure and human resource development of the training school.

“They could have channeled their resources to other sectors of society but in collaboration with Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation, the school was built from scratch to its present state” the MP indicated.

General Constable Mattew Ediaba Mensah, the overall best recruit of the batch, on behalf of the recruits, assured their readiness to serve Ghana with humility, love and integrity to ensure the safety of residents and property.

He stated that “we are not going out there to impose our authority on the people through harassment and intimidation. Policing is our joy and passion. We will serve with dignity”.

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.

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.

The Minority in Parliament is calling on the government to take immediate action to resolve a worsening financial crisis affecting Ghanaian scholarship beneficiaries studying overseas.

The caucus has expressed deep concern over distressing reports that government-sponsored students in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and parts of Eastern Europe are facing threats of eviction, deregistration, and even deportation due to unpaid tuition and living expenses.

Led by the Member of Parliament for Offinso North and a member of the Education Committee, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, the Minority is urging swift government intervention to avert further hardship.

“Many have had to begin paying their rent in the dire circumstances. Equally worrying are parallel reports emerging from students in the UK and Eastern Europe facing similar threats. Some are already skipping meals,” he said.

Dr. Asamoah appealed directly to the Presidency, the Scholarship Secretariat, and the Education Ministry to act immediately to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

“We urge the government of Ghana through the Office of the President, the Scholarship Secretariat and the Minister for Education to immediately initiate payment plans, restore open communication with institutions and release funds to regularise the status of Ghanaian Scholarship Secretariat abroad,” he added.

The call follows growing public pressure for government accountability regarding the welfare of students sponsored under the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat’s programs.

$10bn ‘Big Push’: Oil revenues will be disbursed transparently – Mahama

Food and Drugs Authority logo

The Upper East Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has rid the Bolgatanga main market of unregistered and unwholesome products to promote public health and safety.

The exercise, which was conducted on a market day, saw officials of the FDA spread across the entire market including shops in the main lorry station in the municipality.

Even though the traders on sighting the FDA officials tried to hide the unregistered products, the officials still fished out the products.

They did not spare traders, who pleaded and shouted, “Please fear God and spare us.”

The unregistered products, some of which had stickers of male sex organs, included herbal products, aphrodisiacs, ointments, hand sanitisers, herbal concoctions, body enhancement and other pharmaceutical products.

The exercise lasted several hours.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the exercise, Abel Ndego, the Acting Regional Head of the FDA, reiterated the Authority’s core mandate to ensure the Region remained in regulatory compliance.

“We have been doing our underground work to ensure that we raid the Region to get rid of all forms of unregistered, unwholesome products and anything that has the potential of causing public health threats,” he said.

Ndego said the Authority noticed the infiltration of unregistered and unwholesome products into the Region despite several sensitization programmes for traders over the years on the dangers and penalties for such business.

“We had earlier on done some work on it but noticed that it appears we have a lot of recalcitrants in the system who still find ways of getting these unapproved products through unapproved routes into our Region.”

“And as part of our mandate to ensure public health and safety, it is imperative that we undertake exercises like this to ensure that we maintain the safety ratings of our Region and possibly beyond,” Ndego said.

Jiah Jiato Juah, the Regulatory Officer 1 (RO 1) of the FDA, who led the team of officials to conduct the exercise, told the GNA that the Authority, as part of investigations to ascertain how the products entered the Region, visited Senkase, a community in Northern Togo, which shared border with Pulmakom in the Pusiga District where the products were smuggled into the Region.

He disclosed that Ghanaian traders crossed the border to Senkase on Thursdays and Fridays to buy the unregistered products.

He said: “We tried to find out how they bring them. Unfortunately, they don’t pass through the border because we have an officer stationed at the Pulmakom border.

“Our checks revealed that they use unapproved routes with motorbikes through Bawku and Garu.”

Juah added that their checks further revealed that a lot of the products were also found in Dakola, a community in Burkina Faso, and smuggled into the Region through unapproved routes at Paga in the Kassena-Nankana West District.

Mr Juah insisted that per the regulatory law, once the products were not registered, they could not be manufactured, distributed, imported or exported.

“Unfortunately, these products are not registered. Even the pictures on the products are clear that the FDA will never register such products,” he said.

The Regulatory Officer expressed concern that despite the health risks, some members of the public were convinced to buy and use the unregistered products, and admonished residents to be wary of the dangers of such products.

An elderly woman, Rose Akaribire Atindoo, who witnessed and appeared visibly happy with the seizure of the unregistered products by the FDA, commended the officials for the action saying, “I am happy with what the officers are doing.”

She bemoaned the indiscriminate sale and use of unregistered and unprescribed drugs, especially tramadol among the youth saying, “I am old, and it’s sad that the young ones who should take over from us, the older ones, abuse these products, and eventually die prematurely from strange health conditions,” Atindoo said.

By Benjamin Akoto

Sunyani, (Bono), July 12, GNA – Professor Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, Vice Chancellor of Sunyani Technical University (STU), has appealed to the government to grant financial clearance for the recruitment of additional lecturers and staff.  

“We request that the government, through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) grant prompt approval for the replacement of exit lecturers and staff,” Prof Adinkrah-Appiah stated.  

 Addressing the seventeenth congregation of the University in Sunyani, Prof Adinkrah-Appiah said the institution spent over GHC250,000 monthly from their constrained Internally Generated Fund (IGF) on part-time lecturers.  

 The congregation was on the theme: “Employability and Job Creation: Leveraging Technical and Entrepreneurial Skills Training”.  

In all, 1,012 graduates who pursued various programmes in Master of Technology (MTech), Higher National Diploma and Diploma in the 2023/2024 academic year were awarded certificates.  

 Prof Adinkrah-Appiah emphasised that the IGF alone was insufficient to support the “hiring of the required number of lecturers needed to meet the academic demands of our institution.”  

 He said: “Our ability to recruit immediately upon staff departure is essential to sustaining academic quality and institutional efficiency.”  

 The Vice Chancellor said despite the marginal increase in faculty strength from 249 in 2024 to255 in 2025, the STU continued to grapple with lecturer-to-student ratio challenges.  

 Prof Adinkrah-Appiah added that with an enrollment nearing 10,000 students, the various Departments struggled to meet the ratio prescribed by GTEC across various programmes.  

 He said the Management had developed a strategic plan to enhance faculty quality and capacity, which included recruiting part-time staff and investing in the development of lecturers.  

 He said the university, in collaboration with the Edinburgh College, United Kingdom, with support from the British Council recently held a staff training in entrepreneurship programme.  

The training, he said, had equipped the staff with the required skills to guide students in engaging in start-up ventures before graduation.  

 Mr Francis Tornyevide, a past student who was the guest speaker, urged the graduates to prioritise innovation and adaptability, saying, “It’s not just the certificate you hold, but what you can do to change society.”  

 He urged the graduates to reflect deeply, retool and pursue “what will give us fulfillment, and invest our energy into productive ventures.”  

GNA  

Edited by Dennis Peprah/Benjamin Mensah  

THE PRESIDENT, John Dramani Mahama, has appointed Dr. George Kojo Owusu as Acting CEO of the National Ambulance Service.

The appointment was made in accordance with Article 195 (1) of the Constitution and Section 18 (1) of the National Ambulance Service Act 2020 (Act 1041).

Dr. Owusu is a distinguished healthcare professional and a highly experienced Emergency Physician Specialist, chartered administrator, and clinical lecturer, with 20 years of experience in delivering quality specialist emergency medical services.

He also holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Health Law and Ethics from the University of Ghana School of Law. Until recently, he was the Medical Director of Health Services at Takoradi Technical University.

His appointment comes at a pivotal time as the Service continues to strengthen its operations, expand nationwide coverage, and enhance response capabilities to meet the evolving emergency health needs of the country.

The National Ambulance Service in a statement welcomed Dr. Owusu’s appointment and expressed confidence in his leadership to drive innovation, institutional growth, and strategic reforms aimed at improving service delivery across all regions.

The Management and staff of the National Ambulance Service in the statement further pledged their full support to Dr. Owusu in his new role and remain committed to the shared mission of saving lives through timely, efficient, and professional emergency medical services.

By Prince Fiifi Yorke

DVLA CEO, Julius Neequaye Kotey

The Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has disclosed that a total of 6,850 excavators have been registered across the country as of July 8, 2025.

The update forms part of efforts to streamline the operations of heavy-duty machinery, particularly in the mining and construction sectors, and to enhance accountability in the use of excavators, which are often linked to illegal mining and environmental degradation.

Kotey noted that the registration exercise is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and other relevant state agencies.

He emphasised that the initiative is critical for improving national data on earth-moving equipment and ensuring compliance with existing regulations.

“The registration of excavators is a key step toward regulating their operations and addressing the environmental and security challenges posed by their misuse,” he stated.

The DVLA CEO further encouraged all stakeholders, especially owners and operators of unregistered excavators, to comply with the ongoing registration process to avoid sanctions.