Bissue, a former Secretary to the now-dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining

An Accra High Court has granted an application filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for its first prosecution witness to testify in camera in the case involving Charles Cromwell Nanabayin Onuawonto Bissue and others.

The Court cited a significant risk to the witness should his identity be publicly disclosed.

They are accused of bypassing procedures of IMCIM to benefit a company deemed unqualified.

The case stems from a media investigation and a subsequent complaint to the OSP, which triggered their arrests and the current prosecution.

The witness is said to be an undercover journalist working with TigerEye Pl

Maame Akua Adiyiah, the lead prosecutor in the case for the OSP, said the witness had genuine fear for his safety.

The prosecutor argued that the court had the authority to grant protection to the witness, allowing him to testify with his face only shown to the parties involved in the case.

She said the witness’ safety was paramount and that the court should not wait until something happened before taking action.

“The OSP believes that refusing this application may deter the witness from testifying, which would not be in the interest of justice,” she added.

Lawyers for the accused persons argued that the witness’s employer, TigerEyePI, was not a registered entity, and there was no evidence to support the witness’s claim of fear.

They also argued that the prosecution’s application was inadequate and did not meet constitutional and court act criteria.

They questioned the witness’s status as an undercover investigator, noting that his employment details did not mention that.

Bissue, the former Secretary to the now-dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, and two others are standing trial for allegedly receiving bribes and illicit gifts to unlawfully fast-track the issuance of a mining concession sticker for an unlicensed company.

They are accused of taking bribes and other illicit benefits to expedite the issuance of a mining concession sticker for an unlicensed company.

The accused persons face six counts of using public office for profit and three counts of corruption by a public officer.

The matter has been adjourned to January 12, 2026, for trial.

File photo of create of eggs

The National Vice President of the National Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Dr Boris Baidoo, has cautioned egg sellers and food vendors against profiteering in the sale of eggs, following a significant reduction in poultry feed prices under the leadership of President John Mahama and his hardworking Minister for Agric Eric Opoku.

Speaking in a phone interview with Chief Jerry Forson on Accra 100.5 FM’s morning show, Dr Baidoo said that with the current decrease in production costs, no vendor has the right to sell a single egg for more than GH¢3 or two for GH¢5.

He stressed that both fried-egg sellers and cooked-egg vendors must comply with the new pricing guidelines set by the Association.

According to him, vendors who cook and sell eggs should price them at two eggs for GHS5, describing it as fair to consumers and still profitable for producers.

He emphasised that a crate of eggs contains 30 pieces, and with feed prices now lower, poultry farmers can break even, earn reasonable profits, and pay their workers without inflating egg prices.

Dr Baidoo reaffirmed his support for the National Chairman, the national leadership of the Association, and poultry farmers across the country as they work to stabilise egg prices.

He also commended the President of Ghana for the renewed attention given to the poultry sector, stating that the government’s support is helping strengthen local production.

With curtailed importation and improved monitoring, the sector can grow more sustainably.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has revealed that none of the long-term investment proposals submitted by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) made it into the latest tariff adjustment.

Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Shaffic Suleman, stated that only the most critical short- and medium-term projects were approved.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, he said the economic climate made it impossible for PURC to pass on the full investment burden to consumers, despite acknowledging the urgent need for expansion and upgrades in the power sector.

Dr Suleman said the Commission applied a strict filtering process that required ECG and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to justify the impact of every project they proposed.

“They must indicate the outcome of the investment,” he explained.

“Assuming they are building a BSP in this particular area, they must tell us the current load for the area, the benefit of the new investment, and most importantly, how the new investment will influence the improvement of quality of service to the consumers?”

He said ECG complied with the request, but the Commission had to take a tough decision due to the harsh economic realities.

“Unfortunately, because of the economic conditions and the least of that, well, we couldn’t allow all those investments to pass through the tariff,” he said. “We have to carefully select the most critical ones.”

Dr Suleman revealed that the Commission rejected every long-term investment proposal submitted by ECG. “As for the short-term investment, we didn’t consider them at all,” he said. “The long-term investments none of them were accepted.”

He said PURC considered only medium- and short-term projects, with a focus on those that were already ongoing.

“Medium and short-term investments, we only considered those that are ongoing, but all those that are yet to commence have also been taken,” he explained. What made the cut was “the most important or critical investment.”

These decisions, he said, culminated in the 9.6% tariff adjustment approved for ECG, a figure he admitted would not make operations easy for the utility. “It will not be easy for them as well,” he said.

“They will also be having issues as to whether more should have been allowed, but it’s a balancing act.”

Addressing the water sector, Dr Suleman said the 15% adjustment for GWCL was designed to sustain current operations and support essential upgrades.

He said the Commission approved investments in new laboratories to test water quality, chemical purchases for treatment, and selected pipe extensions.

“We added a reasonable amount of investment that will allow them to be able to improve on their services,” he said.

But even that, he admitted, remains inadequate.

“The most important issue, as I’ve indicated, is the investment,” he said, adding that the PURC had to protect consumers while safeguarding system stability.

The Commission, he noted, had to strike “a balancing act, and that is not easy at all.”

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.

File photo of couple making love

The Chairperson of the Commercial Drivers Wives Association of Ghana, Gifty Ayanrinka, has expressed excitement over the improved sexual performance of their husbands, attributing it to the current performance of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

She argued that the improved economic conditions under the current NDC government have restored happiness and intimacy in many homes.

Speaking to Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, she lamented that their husbands, who are drivers, experienced extreme hardship under the previous NPP administration.

She was emphatic that this had a direct impact on their marriages and family lives, especially sex.

Gifty Ayanrinka stated that financial stress, high fuel costs, unbearable spare parts prices, and the depreciation of the cedi made many drivers emotionally and physically drained.

“In the worst cases, our husbands came home frustrated, tired, and without hope. They could not satisfy us in bed because of the pressure and frustration from economic hardship. But the story has changed for the better; their homes are happier, and their husbands are more relaxed. The sex has also improved.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana (C-DAG), William Osei, also known as Paa Willie, has commended the government for stabilizing the cedi against the dollar and other major currencies but, like Oliver Twist, they are demanding more.

He further praised the administration for stabilizing fuel prices, strengthening the cedi, and embarking on massive nationwide road construction, which, they say, has eased operational pressure significantly.

However, the association appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to provide modern vehicles to help boost the public transport system.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu narrowly survived a crucial test on Tuesday as the country’s divided parliament voted in favour of a 2026 budget bill.

If Lecornu had failed to win a majority in the National Assembly for his social security budget, it would have gravely weakened his hand ahead of the main budget vote, which is due by the end of the year.

But in the end, the bill passed by 247 votes to 234. It will now go back to the upper house or Senate before returning for a final reading in the Assembly.

“It’s a good sign that a majority has been found. The immense likelihood now is that the (social security budget) will be adopted definitively,” said Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet.

Appointed in September by President Emmanuel Macron, Lecornu has devoted himself exclusively to the uphill task of guiding 2026 budget legislation through the two chambers of parliament.

Since snap elections called by Macron in June 2024, the more powerful chamber, the National Assembly, has been split into three roughly equal blocs – centre, left, and far-right – none of which is capable of commanding a majority.

Lecornu is Macron’s fourth prime minister since then – the two previous incumbents Michel Barnier and François Bayrou were both forced to resign after trying to rein in France’s burgeoning debt. Barnier stepped down exactly a year ago after failing to push through his 2025 social security budget.

In the French system, there are two budgetary laws – one that raises and allocates money in the social security system, including hospitals and pensions; and the principal one that covers everything else, from defence to education. For years both have run on massive deficits.

Widely acknowledged for his discretion and diligence, Lecornu had to convince enough deputies from 11 different parliamentary groups that failure to vote for the budgets would plunge the country into even deeper financial gloom.

His main target was the Socialist Party (PS) with around 70 MPs, many of whom are uncomfortable in their erstwhile electoral alliance with the far-left France Unbowed party (LFI).

In major concessions to the PS, Lecornu promised to suspend Macron’s key second-term reform increasing to 64 the statutory age of retirement, and also to refrain from using a government power (known as 49-3) to force through the budget laws without a vote.

Socialist leaders Olivier Faure and Boris Vallaud praised Lecornu’s sense of compromise and led their MPs in voting for the budget.

But by giving ground to the centre-left, Lecornu lost support in his own camp on the centre-right, where important figures such as former prime minister Edouard Philippe said the bill would do little to redress the country’s fast deteriorating public accounts.

Bruno Retailleau, who leads the conservative Republican party with 40 or so seats, described Tuesday’s bill as a “fiscal hold-up” because of the concessions made in it to the left.

“This is a budget which will allow Macron to stay in power a little longer, but which leads France into a wall,” he said after the vote.

Mathilde Panot of the far-left LFI accused the Socialists of betraying their principles. “At least they have made a clear choice in voting for the budget. We know now that they’re now no longer in opposition.”

Also voting against the bill was Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally, the biggest party in parliament with around 120 seats.

Attention now shifts to the main budget vote which must take place before the end of the year. Analysts had given Lecornu little chance of winning it if he first failed to get the social security budget passed, and even now it is far from certain he will succeed.

If he fails to get the main budget through, he will be obliged to introduce a special law to allow the state administration to continue functioning from January 1 using 2025 allocations. The same procedure was used at the start of this year.

But Tuesday’s vote was widely interpreted as a victory for the Lecornu method, consisting of a dogged behind-the-scenes hunt for votes from across the political spectrum.

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.

Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is the Minister of Finance

Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has charged staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to scale up domestic revenue mobilisation efforts, stressing that Ghana’s economic recovery must now be supported by stronger and more efficient tax collection rather than repeated tax increases.

Dr Forson made the call during a working visit to the Osu Tax Service Centre on Monday, where he commended recent progress in expenditure control and praised the stabilising role of the Bank of Ghana, but cautioned that revenue performance must now “rise to the challenge.”

He was emphatic that his visit was meant to motivate staff and not interfere with their professional responsibilities.

“I will not obstruct revenue collection, no matter whose ox is gored,” he assured.

Seth Terkper calls for improved funding and infrastructure for UESD

Dr Forson criticised the overreliance on tax increases as a revenue strategy, describing it as both unsustainable and unfair to compliant taxpayers.

“It pains me anytime we resort to higher taxes instead of widening compliance and improving collection..We cannot keep piling taxes on an already burdened taxpayer,” he said.

To support the revenue effort, Dr Forson announced that the Ministry of Finance will roll out new electronic tools next year to modernize revenue administration, improve efficiency, and support frontline tax officers.

In a direct incentive to staff, he pledged to authorise all legitimate bonuses due revenue officers, contingent on meeting agreed performance targets.

“Together, we can build a fairer, stronger, and more sustainable revenue system for Ghana,” he stated.

The Acting Commissioner for the Domestic Tax Revenue Division, Dr Martin Kolbil Yamborigya, welcomed the Minister and said the visit had boosted morale among staff.

Similarly, Chairman of the GRA Workers’ Union, Theophilus Ehun, assured the Minister of the staff’s dedication to meeting and surpassing revenue targets.

The visit forms part of Dr Forson’s broader drive to strengthen compliance, modernise tax administration, and reduce Ghana’s dependence on tax hikes by improving efficiency, fairness, and accountability within the revenue system.

Similarly, Chairman of the GRA Workers’ Union, Theophilus Ehun, assured the Minister of the staff’s dedication to meeting and surpassing revenue targets.

The visit forms part of Dr Forson’s broader drive to strengthen compliance, modernise tax administration, and reduce Ghana’s dependence on tax hikes by improving efficiency, fairness, and accountability within the revenue system.

All you need to know about Ghana’s new vehicle number plates | BizTech:

Oswald Okaitei is the author of this article

In the quietness of time, while commemorating, with great joy, one year of Ghana’s second Independence, let us as a family pause and ask ourselves the right questions and endeavour to answer them right without picking on people.

How have the soldiers that stood on the battlefront for the overwhelming victory been catered for?

What is the state of their hopefulness—that even without appointments, they would benefit from the resources (human and/or capital) they invested in that needed warfare?

What is their value in the Party’s ecosystem?

Well…I WRITE FOR THE “CREATIVES FOR NDC”: those who with their little or ‘restricted’ finances and BIG or small fame/popularity walked the streets of Ghana campaigning for the change we have now. Those who didn’t run for positions but campaigned for the sector for the love of the party, President (then candidate), country and prayer to see the sector grow?

The simple question during the commemoration of the 1-year anniversary of the NDC 2024 Elections victory is……

“Who has taken the pain to even give them the ‘befitting’ audience—towards seeing to it that AS THE PRESIDENT DESIRES, the betterment of creatives/artists is experienced by them?

Creatives who stood with the party suffered victimization in the last eight years and the irony is that their party is in power and STILL, they’re in opposition—as those (NPP creatives) who enjoyed during the past 8 years for affiliating to the NPP have broken their 8. Sad situation.

In the corridors of most NDC creatives are whispers of disappointment and sorrows. Grand disappointment. No one REGARDS them. They have to force themselves to be noticed. SAD REALITY!

What is the plan to assist the NDC Creatives towards building them for the next elections? Or it is the case again that “after elections we are all Ghanaians”?

Hmmmmmm.

Anyways, it is just too early to have NDC Creatives murmur in regret for sacrificing their little earned fame and time and resources to campaign only to be treated as Second class Party members.

For me, and in all sincerity one group of people to be easily assisted to help others are the creatives; it doesn’t take much to do so. It takes simple ideas, grand plans, little resources and actions to do it.

1 year is dead. After next year, the ‘Market season’ begins. The retailers that have no relevance today, time would remind all of their relevance at that time of the ‘Marketing Season’.

Some of us are surviving the bile and well braced for it but true is; MAJORITY can’t wrap their heads around it. If this situation is left to run its natural course, then we should be magnanimous in mocking the NPP and rather learn the art of surviving their present as our immediate future.

The ground is very slippery. Friction REQUIRED!

The truth is bitter and very difficult to tell ourselves; but if we don’t tell it to ourselves, who would?

The Creatives for NDC have been ABANDONED even by their own. It is WORRISOME.

#NDCCreativesMatter

#InternalResetNow

#SupportCreativesforNDC

Oswald Okaitei

News Ghana formally retracts its 3 December 2025 article and apologises to Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) CEO Mrs. Justina Nelson for published allegations.

News Ghana hereby fully retracts the article titled “Plot To Frame Former MIIF Executives Uncovered” which was published on 3 December 2025.

The article contained serious allegations regarding Mrs. Justina Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund.

We acknowledge that these allegations were unfounded and should not have been published. We extend an unreserved apology to Mrs. Nelson for the distress and reputational harm caused by the article.

The article has been permanently removed from our website and all associated digital platforms.

News Ghana remains committed to the highest standards of journalistic integrity, accuracy, and fairness.

We undertake to exercise greater diligence in our editorial processes to prevent such occurrences.

Our goal is to provide credible and responsible news to our readers, and we regret this lapse.

Seth Terkper is the Presidential advisor on the economy

The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) has marked its fifth anniversary in Somanya, with its council chairman, former Finance Minister Seth Terkper, acknowledging the university’s rapid growth while highlighting persistent infrastructure challenges.

Speaking at the institution’s second congregation ceremony, Terkper said UESD had grown “from a modest beginning to a vibrant institution,” with student enrollment rising from 78 in 2020 to more than 1,330 this academic year.

He noted that new graduate programs, an expanded staff base, and a growing network of academic partnerships had strengthened the university’s standing in environmental sciences and sustainable development.

President Mahama appoints Seth Terkper as Presidential Advisor on the economy

But Terkper admitted the growth had brought “significant pressures.” Many students have had to live off-campus due to stalled accommodation projects, forcing some to walk long distances to lectures.

He added that community members had stepped in, converting commercial spaces into accommodations or opening their homes to students “at very short notice.”

“These challenges have slowed our start-up and limited our strategic momentum,” Seth Terkper said.

“We still have critically uncompleted physical development projects preventing us from achieving our full potential,” he added.

He also cited funding disruptions, including the diversion of funds meant for university projects, which the council has formally referred to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

“We do not recount these circumstances to sour a joyful occasion,” he said, “but they are realities we must confront.”

Terkper pointed to recent government commitments as signs of progress. Two new 450-bed hostel blocks have been approved, which he described as an “initial intervention” to ease accommodation challenges.

He also acknowledged the assistance of past and current Education Ministers, particularly former minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, whose “critical assistance” helped the university navigate difficult periods.

Established in 2015 under Act 898, UESD was designed to serve as a centre of excellence for environmental studies and contribute to Ghana’s pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Terkper said the university’s first five years had remained true to that mandate, crediting faculty and staff for building “a place where knowledge meets responsibility and innovation meets environmental consciousness.”

Addressing the Class of 2025, he urged graduates to carry that ethos into their careers.

“Your education is a tool for service. Let the principles of sustainability guide your every action and decision. The world awaits your ideas, your energy, and your integrity,” he said.

Looking ahead, Terkper said the council was reviewing the university’s five-year strategic plan, focusing on continuity rather than overhaul.

“We took a cautious decision not to jettison progress under the old plan and we will build on what has been achieved to ensure the university remains agile and impactful,” Terkper noted.

He concluded by thanking community leaders, families, faculty, and government agencies for their support.

“With your partnership, we will continue to strengthen governance, expand infrastructure, and attract investment in research and innovation,” he said.

“Our task is to nurture a university that contributes meaningfully to regional, national, and international development.”

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Regional Maritime University (RMU), Accra, Ghana, Dr Jethro Brooks, has called on African maritime training institutions to collaborate in developing home-grown solutions to tackle the sector’s education and manpower challenges.

Brooks, while making the call at the 2025 graduation ceremony of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, in Akwa Ibom State, said it was time for African maritime trainers to move beyond isolated national efforts and work collectively to strengthen standards, improve employability and address the rising unemployment among African youths.

Going through the history and evolution of RMU, Brooks said the institution was founded in 1957 as the Ghana Nautical College before transitioning to the Regional Maritime Academy in 1983, with five participating countries.

He said the institution attained university status in 2007 and has continued to expand its regional footprint.

According to him, RMU now serves six member countries, including Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Brooks further attributed the wide international acceptance of Ghana’s Certificate of Competency (CoC) to strict professionalism, quality staffing and strong internal control systems that ensure consistent training standards.

“Our focus has always been quality. The people we hire, the systems we run and the checks and balances we have put in place have helped us build credibility over the years,” he stated.
He also praised the close working relationship between RMU and the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), describing it as a strong partnership built on mutual dependence and regulatory discipline.

“We are the training arm and they are the regulators. Without the GMA, it would be difficult for us to operate, especially in areas of CoC and STCW compliance. We have a very good working relationship,” Brooks added.

Brooks commended the management and cadets of MAN for their dedication, describing the institution as a school with strong potential for growth, saying, “They can still develop, but they are on the right path.”

He further disclosed that both institutions are at an advanced stage of discussions to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would formalise cooperation between RMU and MAN.

According to him, the proposed partnership would focus on joint research, student and faculty exchange programmes and broader collaboration in maritime education and capacity building.

By Iddi Yire

Accra, Dec 9, GNA – Otumfuo Osei Tutu Il, the Asantehene will on Tuesday, December 16, present the report on the mediation in the Bawku conflict to President John Dramani Mahama. 

A statement issued by Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Presidential Spokesman and Minister of State in-charge of Government Communications, said the event would take place at 16 hours at the Presidency in Accra. 

GNA 

Edited by Christian Akorlie  

The National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation (MoCDTI) and Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2025 at the NCA Tower in Accra under the theme “Assistive Technology: Empowering Lives, Advancing Inclusion”.

Delivering his remarks, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George stated that the theme “reminds us that accessible technology is not a privilege; it is a human rights obligation, affirmed in the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Minister acknowledged that uneven access across regions, limited maintenance services, and digital platforms that still fall short of universal design requirements continue to hinder full inclusion. He stated that the Ministry recognises its central role in bridging these gaps. Hon. Sam George promised two important things: first, to improve accessibility on all government digital platforms by following global standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); and second, to collaborate with the National Communications Authority (NCA) and telecom companies to create affordable data options, enhance customer service access and encourage investment in technologies that include everyone.

As part of the Minister’s commitment, he announced that as the Ministry rolls out the One Million Coders Programme next year, 50,000 fully-funded training allocations have been reserved for persons with disabilities. “The Ministry will ensure regional equity in the distribution of these slots by working closely with the Ministry of Gender and the Federation to identify eligible persons across all regions who will be able to undertake the training,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey (MP), Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, indicated that to ensure inclusivity, there must be sustained collaboration that actively dismantles barriers and creates an inclusive digital future where no one is left behind. “It’s a collective and shared responsibility; hand in hand, we will walk this path and ensure that inclusivity is a reality,” she said.

The Acting Deputy Director General of the NCA, Mr. Suleman Salifu, stated that the enabling Act of the NCA, Act 769, enjoins the NCA, as part of its best practices, to perform its functions, having regard to the needs and interests of persons with disabilities, the elderly, low-income earners, and the vulnerable.

“It is in this light that at an inaugural stakeholder engagement a few weeks ago with mobile terminal device manufacturers and dealers to design a new minimum specification for terminal devices for Ghana by 2026, one of the key and prominent minimum specifications that every terminal device should have before being type approved and permitted entry into Ghana is an accessibility feature,” Mr. Suleman Salifu remarked.

A panel discussion on fostering disability-inclusive societies to advance social progress, moderated by renowned disability activist Madam Patience Atipoka Atuah, enriched the event with insightful perspectives.

Ensure that disability inclusion is integrated into every aspect of national development –  Joseph Atsu Homadzi, GFD

Speaking on behalf of the GFD, Mr. Joseph Atsu Homadzi expressed his gratitude to the President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, as well as to partners and donors for the continuous support extended to the GFD over the years in championing the cause of persons with disabilities in Ghana. He further urged other institutions to follow this example and ensure that disability inclusion is integrated into every aspect of national development.

The post NCA, GFD lead national celebration of IDPD 2025 on assistive technology and inclusion appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

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