President John Dramani Mahama will host King Mswati III, Ingwenyama of the Kingdom of Eswatini, next week for a four-day state visit to Ghana.

A statement issued by the Presidency, copied to the Ghana News Agency said the visit was scheduled for Tuesday, 24 June to Saturday, 28 June 2025, spanning four days of official engagements.

King Mswati is expected to arrive in Accra on Tuesday, 24th June.

The statement said upon his arrival, the King would be welcomed at the Presidency for bilateral discussions with President Mahama and a high-level Ghanaian delegation.

It noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries was anticipated to be signed during this meeting.

It said on Tuesday afternoon, the King was scheduled to meet with officials at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Accra before departing for Kumasi later in the day.

While in Kumasi, the King would be the distinguished guest of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The statement said the itinerary in the Asante capital includes official visits to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and a tour of the historic Manhyia Palace Museum.

It said King Mswati was also scheduled to address the National House of Chiefs and attend a grand durbar of chiefs organised in his honour at Manhyia Palace.

The statement said a Royal Banquet would be held in Kumasi on Friday evening in honour of the visiting King.

It said on Saturday, the final day of the visit, King Mswati would join the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at a ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) before departing from Ghana.

The statement said King Mswati’s visit was expected to significantly strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between Ghana and the Kingdom of Eswatini and deepen the historical and cultural links between the Asante Kingdom and the southern African nation.

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Media personality and mother of four, Kokui Selormey

Media personality and mother of four, Kokui Selormey, has urged parents to stop avoiding uncomfortable conversations with their children—especially on topics such as sex, body awareness, and digital exposure—warning that silence can be more dangerous than discomfort.

Speaking at A Convergence of Mothers in Accra, Kokui made a strong case for open, age-appropriate discussions at home. She noted that children today live in an internet-driven world where information—accurate or not—is constantly at their fingertips.

“Children as young as five are already sexually aware,” she said. “We have to stop giving body parts nicknames or acting like certain topics are forbidden. If you’re not talking to your children, someone else is—whether it’s a friend, a stranger, or the internet.”

Kokui revealed that her parenting strategy involves frequent check-ins and guided conversations with each of her four children, aged between five and fourteen.

She encourages them to come to her first with anything they’ve seen or heard, so she can shape their understanding from a place of truth.

“I like to lead with, ‘So what do you know about this?’ They always surprise me. It can be shocking, but I’d rather they hear it from me first than pick up false or harmful information elsewhere.”

She added that the desire to protect children must also include accountability and honesty—even admitting when the child may be the problem.

“Let’s be honest: not every child is innocent. Sometimes your child could be the bad influence. If we’re unwilling to accept that possibility, we may be failing them.”

Kokui emphasized that parenting in today’s digital age requires patience, intentionality, and the courage to have what she called “man-in-the-mirror conversations”—confronting both the child’s behavior and the parent’s own blind spots.

“Being a parent today means guiding your child to survive the world as it is, not as we wish it were. That means honest talk, active listening, and being available—even for the uncomfortable stuff.”

The event, organized by media personality MzGee and themed “Yesterday’s Daughters, Today’s Mothers,” brought together mothers across generations to reflect on their parenting journeys. The forum featured open conversations and expert sessions on motherhood, parenting, mental health, legal responsibilities, and more—within Ghana’s evolving social context.

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Ghana has announced plans to expand the area in which small-scale fishers can operate, in response to persistent violations by industrial trawlers encroaching into this zone.

The country’s inshore exclusion zone, or IEZ, will now extend 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from shore, up from 6 nmi (11 km) currently. Emelia Arthur, Ghana’s newly appointed fisheries minister, made the announcement at the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, France, last week.

Small-scale or artisanal fishing is a significant part of Ghana’s economy, employing more than 200,000 people and operating some 12,000 canoes, and the IEZ is legally reserved for small-scale fisheries. However, industrial trawlers have increasingly violated this zone, often using destructive methods such as bottom trawling. These activities have severely depleted fish stocks and damaged artisanal fishing gear.

The decision to expand the IEZ aims to safeguard the livelihoods of artisanal fishing communities, said Arthur, who also announced more rigorous enforcement against encroaching vessels and those practicing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The new rule will need parliamentary approval, but Arthur said legal reforms are underway. “We are then going to enforce that regulation so severely that semi-industrial vessels and industrial vessels are not going to be permitted to operate in this zone,” she said. 

“We have a big issue with IUU,” Isaac Okyere, a researcher from the University of Cape Coast, told Mongabay by phone. “There are instances where the vessels have two different gears: one is licensed and one is not licensed — with that they catch pelagic fish. It is a booming business.”

Okyere said the average annual catch by artisanal fishers in Ghana is 20-25 metric tons, but a study estimated that in 2017, illegal catches of juvenile pelagic fish exceeded 100,000 metric tons. Much of this is believed to have been illegally transshipped in a practice locally known as saiko, where industrial trawlers transfer fish to canoes at sea, which then gets sold unrecorded at local markets.

In March, the Ghanaian government suspended the licenses of four Chinese trawlers for violations, including transshipment and catching of juvenile fish.

Despite laws prohibiting foreign ownership of industrial trawlers, the Environmental Justice Foundation found that around 90% of Ghana’s trawl fleet is Chinese-owned, operating through Ghanaian front companies. These vessels often violate rules restricting them to fishing demersal or bottom-dwelling species outside the IEZ.

The proposed IEZ expansion is expected to be included in the revised Fisheries Act, currently under review.

Okyere told Mongabay that once passed, “this law must be rigorously enforced to prevent further encroachment.”

Ghana’s Fisheries Commission has in recent years denied license renewals for several industrial trawlers due to noncompliance. The fisheries ministry has also initiated gear reform, and issued a moratorium on the entry of new boats into the overloaded canoe fishery.

The fisheries ministry hadn’t responded to Mongabay’s questions by the time of publication. 

Banner image of artisanal fishing boats in Ghana by MPIMPIMHENE Nana Gyetuah Eric via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ghana’s recent improvement in foreign reserves has been driven by strong financial and monetary policy discipline, not necessarily a broad-based recovery in the real economy.

That’s the key message from economist and University of Ghana professor, Patrick Asuming, on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, June 19.

“The financial and the monetary side of the economy have performed better,” Prof Aning declared, emphasising that government’s aggressive moves to stabilise finances were yielding visible results.

“Government has been very quick to try and put its finances in order, and that has reflected in the Treasury Bills rates.”

He noted that Ghana’s reserve position has benefited from a combination of deliberate policy choices and fortunate global trends.

“A combination of policy direction in terms of our reserve position, as well as some luck in terms of what has happened with global prices of some of our export items, we have done well,” he explained.

“That has boosted our foreign reserve position.”

Prof Aning pointed out that the decision to “cash in” on those reserves at the right time also helped improve headline macroeconomic indicators.

However, he warned that the improvements, while real on paper, don’t tell the full story.

“If you look at how the economy ended in 2024, our macroeconomic indicators are looking way much better than where we were before,” he said.

“But we still have to understand that even though the first quarter GDP performed [above] expectation, there are still lingering weaknesses.”

Breaking down the GDP numbers, he revealed that out of Ghana’s 20 economic subsectors, five actually declined.

“But the weightier subsectors grew strongly, so it made up for the decline,” he explained.

“That’s why we are beginning to see stronger growth numbers. But there is a disconnect between the numbers and how people are feeling in their pockets.”

Prof Aning also offered a reality check on inflation and prices, especially with regard to recent Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers.

“We have moved from around 18 to around 10,” he said. “But prices are still rising. They haven’t declined. There is a rate of price increase that has reduced. We have to be clear about that.”

He cautioned that the strengthening cedi alone doesn’t mean prices will fall.

“The currency has gained and strengthened, but look at the other components that go into production. Tariffs keep going up, wages are not coming down, and domestic cost of production is rising,” he explained.

The former economist urged policymakers and the public not to mistake macroeconomic stabilisation for a full recovery. “The real side of the economy seems to be lagging behind,” he stressed.

“That tends to give you a disconnect between how people are perceiving the economy and what the macro numbers are showing.”

While acknowledging progress on the financial front, Prof Aning warned that economic management must now focus on ensuring the real economy catches up.

Until then, he said, ordinary Ghanaians may continue to feel little relief—even as the country’s reserves and credit ratings improve.

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Patrick Yaw Boamah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei Central

Patrick Yaw Boamah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei Central, says, reduction of passport fees, will not be feasible without Parliamentary approval.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, had earlier told Parliament of the government’s intention to reduce passport prices.

The government pledged to reduce passport prices from GH¢500 to GH¢350, but the reduction is yet to be implemented.

However, addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps on Wednesday, in Parliament House, Mr Boamah said: “The minister had previously indicated that passport prices will be reduced, but it has become clear that he did not have the authority to unilaterally make such a decision.”

“The minister does not have the power to unilaterally reduce passport prices without legislative approval. “The finance minister will determine whether passport prices can be reduced based on revenue projections,” he added.

According to the MP, the finance minister was expected to return to Parliament in August with the proposed legislation and until that, the intended reduction could not happen.

“I said the other time that the Minister did not have the authorization to unilaterally reduce passport prices. From the answers he gave today, it confirms that passport prices have not been reduced.

“It still remains a pledge of the government, not an implemented policy. We must make it clear to the Ghanaian public not to be carried away,” he said.

He noted that Ghanaians were patiently waiting, and it was the hope to see whether the Minister will follow through by August.

Agricultural Research Scientist, Professor Roger Kanton is proposing a major structural reform that will place all agricultural research institutions under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

He argues that the existing arrangement which puts these institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) is not only a disconnect that stifles the agricultural advancement of the country but one that is also counterproductive to Ghana’s quest for agricultural transformation.

He was speaking at the Agric Forum organised by Citi FM and Channel One TV on Thursday June 19, 2025 at Alisa Hotel as part of the 2025 Citi Business Festival.

“I know the research institutions like CSIR are under MESTI. Throughout my working career, I have always challenged this. You have Food and Crops Research, SARI and others funded by the Agric Ministry. These are typically agrarian institutions but they sit with MESTI. So if they are under MESTI, their focus will not be on Agric.”

Prof. Kanton was worried about the overlapping roles and competing loyalties, noting that while MESTI priorities broader environmental and scientific direction, agricultural research institutions often lack the direct policy guidance and alignment needed to drive food production and innovation.

“MESTI goes to EPA, gold mines and others to make a lot of money. We are with Agric and the MESTI Minister also sits there. So our loyalty is not with the Agric Ministry but MESTI. Our products and services do not align to these. I question that and we really need to return”, the Research Scientist added.

Vegetable Crop Research Institute 

Ghana’s overreliance on imported vegetables was also a key concern raised by Prof. Kanton.

He revealed that the country spends an estimated US$2 million weekly on tomato imports and a staggering US$400 million annually on onions – figures he described as economically unsustainable.

To reverse this trend and promote food self-sufficiency, he suggested the establishment of a dedicated Vegetable Crops Research Institute.

“We need targeted research on vegetables like tomatoes, onions, pepper, okra, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and leafy greens. Such an institute will help reduce our dependence on imported canned and fresh vegetables, and also ensure local seed development.”

A vegetable-focused research hub according to the agricultural scientist would be critical to Ghana’s ambition of cutting down on imports, boosting domestic production and achieving long-term food security.

The Agric Forum was to explore agribusiness as a pillar of economic growth, while pushing for policy reforms, strategic investment and innovation in the sector.

It was on the theme: “Harnessing Agribusiness Potential for Economic Growth: Expanding Agricultural Frontiers and Maximising Productivity in Ghana.”

Albanian club KF Iliria have completed the signing of promising Ghanaian youngster Abdul Latif

Albanian club KF Iliria have completed the signing of promising Ghanaian youngster Abdul Latif Yakubu from Marks Holmes Football Academy.

The young attacker becomes the latest African talent to join the Balkan club’s ambitious project.

Yakubu, who impressed during trials last month, has signed a multi-year deal with the Albanian second division side.

The pacy winger caught scouts’ attention with his explosive dribbling and eye for goal during academy tournaments in West Africa.

The Albanian club’s technical director praised Yakubu’s “raw potential and fearless attacking mentality,” suggesting he’ll be integrated into their first-team plans immediately.

For Marks Holmes Academy, this transfer validates their youth development program that has now exported a number of players to in the past.

GHANASoccernet.com understand several Scandinavian clubs had been monitoring Yakubu before Iliria moved decisively to secure the deal.

The Ghana Association of Banks CEO, John Awuah, has challenged the widely held view that constitutional reform is the key to solving Ghana’s developmental woes.

He insists instead that what the country truly needs is a transformation of values and enforcement of existing laws.

In a thought-provoking post on LinkedIn, Mr Awuah argued that Ghana’s real enemy is not the Constitution, but the entrenched culture of impunity, corruption, and weak law enforcement.

“While I do not oppose the ongoing work on Constitutional Review,” he wrote, “I am of the firm view that the Constitution is perhaps the least of the challenges confronting Ghana or our democracy.”

He pointed out that some nations without even a codified constitution have succeeded in building strong institutions and high-functioning democracies by relying on “laws, conventions, legal precedents, and traditions that have evolved.”

For him, the issue is not the document but what people choose to do with it.

“Our leaders who want to do good can do a lot of good with the constitution we have,” Mr Awuah said.

“The Constitution does not support corruption, yet we are corrupt. It has provisions for dealing with the dispensation of justice, yet we see a lot of injustice. It abhors crime, yet depending on who you are, you can be a walking criminal on our streets.”

With rising calls for constitutional amendments, the banking CEO urged Ghanaians not to fall into the trap of blaming the Constitution for systemic failures.

“We can have a Constitution that is written by God, and a bad leader will have clauses to pursue personal interest and misrule,” he stated bluntly.

What Ghana needs, he emphasised, is a fundamental reset in values.

“Values are guided and nurtured with the strict application of the laws we already have.”

He cited examples from developed countries where citizens are not inherently more virtuous, but behave appropriately because the system punishes wrongdoing consistently.

“They don’t enjoy paying rent or loans,” he said, “but the consequences of not doing so—like being blocked from the financial system—deter them. They fear corruption because their laws don’t respect personalities. The laws know only the law.”

According to John Awuah, impunity has become so normalised in Ghana that those who try to do the right thing are often mocked or vilified.

“We have the reverse law syndrome in Ghana. The wrong is now right, and the people in the wrong have more strength and power, especially if they have managed to amass wealth through that wrongdoing.”

He warned against scapegoating the Constitution for the country’s moral and institutional collapse.

“So don’t paint our Constitution black and make it the cause of our woes—we are our own demons. A lot of good can be done with a bad constitution, and a lot of bad can be done with a good constitution.”

In his final verdict, he listed Ghana’s top three problems as: “1) Corruption, 2) Corruption; 3) Corruption.”

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The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year with temperatures passing 32C, as part of the country entered a heatwave.

A temperature of 32.2 °C was recorded in Kew and Heathrow, London, higher than the previous record for 2025 of 29.4 °C in Suffolk on 13 June.

Suffolk became the first place in the UK to officially enter a heatwave on Thursday after temperatures passed 27C for the third day in a row.

Amber heat health alerts are in place across the whole of England until 09:00 BST on Monday, as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned that increased pressures on health and social care services were likely.

The heat is expected to build towards a high of 33C on Saturday, with central and eastern England seeing the peak temperatures.

Parts of the country could experience “tropical nights” over the weekend, when temperatures remain above 20C, the Met Office said.

Wales saw its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday, with temperatures of 30.2 °C recorded in Trawsgoed and Cardiff. Northern Ireland also registered a new record for 2025 – 25.7 °C in Castlederg.

In Scotland, Glasgow Bishopton reached 24.4C °C – lower than its record for this year of 25.5 °C in May.

For a heatwave to be declared by the Met Office, a threshold temperature needs to be met for at least three consecutive days.

The threshold varies from 25C across the north and west of the UK, to 28C in parts of England.

In Suffolk, where the threshold is 27C, a temperature of 29.3C was recorded in the village of Santon Downham on Thursday. This was the third day in a row the county’s threshold had been breached, resulting in a heatwave being declared.

In London, where the threshold is 28C, a heatwave could be declared on Friday, as the temperature has now passed that figure for two days in a row.

At Royal Ascot, which takes place in Berkshire, outside of London, race organisers confirmed dozens of attendees required medical assistance because of heat-related illness.

The alert system works in conjunction with the Met Office but has a focus on health risks using four levels of warning: green, yellow, amber and red.

An amber warning means the whole health service is likely to be affected by the hot weather.

Among examples given by UKHSA are difficulties managing medicines, the ability of the workforce to deliver services and internal temperatures in care settings exceeding the recommended thresholds.

The agency also refers to a possible rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 or over or with health conditions, as well as health risks to the wider population.

The rising temperatures are down to an area of high pressure situated across the UK, which with a south-easterly wind, draws in hot weather from other parts of Western Europe.

Friday will again see temperatures widely in the mid to high twenties across the UK, with a few spots in South East England once again exceeding 30C.

Northern and western parts of the UK will see a slight fall in temperature on Saturday, with the risk of some showers or thunderstorms.

For central and eastern England, Saturday will be the peak in the heatwave with temperatures rising to between 30 and 33C, although the Met Office has suggested the peak could be as high as 34C.

Regional fire services have issued warnings about water safety amid the high temperatures.

Pam Oparaocha, assistant commissioner for prevention and protection at the London Fire Brigade, warned that strong currents, underwater hazards and cold water shock “can be deadly”.

“With warm weather and school holidays on the horizon, we want people, especially young people, to enjoy our waterways safely, and that starts with education,” she added.

“It’s important to know the risks and to familiarise yourself with lifesaving equipment like throwlines, which are available along many of London’s waterways.”

Other organisations have also provided advice over recent days.

British Heart Foundation (BHF) told those with heart conditions to take precautions as high temperatures can put extra strain on the heart.

Age UK encouraged people to check in on older relatives, friends and neighbours.

A change in wind direction to a westerly on Sunday is set to cause the heatwave to break and all parts will be a little cooler.

Although eastern areas won’t be as hot, temperatures will still be in the mid to high twenties.

Climate change is continuing to drive global temperatures upwards and make extreme weather events more likely.

Leading scientists on Thursday warned that there were as little as three years left to limit global warming to 1.5C – the target that had been set by the Paris agreement in 2015.

Nearly 200 countries agreed to try to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above levels of the late 1800s, with the aim of avoiding some of the worst impacts of climate change.

Last year was the hottest year on record and the first above the threshold – though a single year does not constitute a breach of the agreement.

The Met Office said heatwaves were 30 times more likely to occur than before the industrial revolution – and were projected to become even more common, potentially occurring every other year by the 2050s as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise.

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President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok’s sale in the US for a further 90 days.

The video-sharing app has faced questions over its future after the US passed a law last year requiring the app to be banned unless sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Lawmakers said it posed a risk to national security – something TikTok denies.

Trump, who vowed to save TikTok during his presidential campaign, signed an executive order on Thursday which has delayed the date for enforcing the law for a third time.

In a statement, TikTok said it was “grateful for President Trump’s leadership and support” in keeping the app online for its 170m US users.

“We continue to work with Vice President Vance’s Office,” it added.

A deal for the sale of TikTok in the US by ByteDance must now be reached by 17 September, Trump said in a post on his platform Truth Social.

The further delay was an expected development in the long-running process of securing a buyer for TikTok.

It is thought the authorities in Beijing will need to approve any sale or part sale of the app by its parent company.

The law was prompted by fears in the US that TikTok or ByteDance could be forced to hand over data on US users by the Chinese government.

Trump said on Tuesday he expected there would be a further delay.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that a further 90-day extension would “ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”

‘Flouting’ the law

Trump tried to force a sale of TikTok to an American buyer in 2020, during his first term in office.

But last year, he signalled he’d had a change of heart, saying the platform had helped him win the 2024 presidential election.

“I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points,” Trump said in December, although most young voters backed the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

The law was supposed to take effect on 19 January, a day before Trump’s inauguration to a second term in office.

TikTok challenged its constitutionality in the courts. The Supreme Court upheld the law days before it was due to take effect.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat, criticized Trump’s decision.

“Once again, the Trump administration is flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks posed by a PRC-controlled TikTok,” Warner said in a statement.

“An executive order can’t sidestep the law, but that’s exactly what the president is trying to do,” Warner added.

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