Author: THE NEW REPUBLIC

By Leo Nelson Africa’s shea industry is at a strategic crossroads as policymakers and industry leaders push for a shift from raw exports to value-added production, a transition expected to unlock higher revenues, create jobs, and deepen industrialisation across producing countries. This was the central message at the opening of the Shea 2026 conference hosted by the Global Shea Alliance in Accra, where stakeholders from across the value chain gathered to chart a more profitable and sustainable future for the sector. Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said African economies continue to lose significant value by exporting raw shea nuts instead…

The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ghana has called for urgent and decisive state action following recent xenophobic attacks targeting Ghanaians in South Africa. The caucus described the incidents as deeply troubling and warned that the safety of Ghanaian nationals abroad must be treated as a matter of national priority. In a press release, the Minority said it had followed developments with “grave concern,” citing reports of coordinated violence against foreign nationals in parts of the country, including KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, and Gauteng. The release comes amid rising tensions linked to anti-immigration protests and economic…

By Lawrence Odoom Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has articulated a compelling vision for Ghana’s to shea industry, asserting that the government’s 24-hour economy policy will be pivotal in “boosting productivity, creating jobs, and strengthening value chains within the shea sector.” Speaking at the official opening of the SHEA 2026 Conference, convened by the Global Shea Alliance with support from the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Secretariat, the Vice President underscored the imperative of transitioning from raw commodity export to industrialized, value-added production. The Alliance, “inaugurated in 2011 by President John Dramani Mahama, has grown significantly over the…

By Lawrence Odoom Global cocoa prices are poised for a dramatic correction in 2026, with the World Bank projecting a precipitous drop of more than 50% after soaring to historic zeniths in recent years, according to its April 2026. The report anticipates that cocoa will tumble from approximately $7.80 per kilogram in 2025 to “roughly $3.80 per kilogram in 2026,” a staggering 51.3% contraction, before recovering marginally to “around $4.20 per kilogram in 2027.” The forecasted slump reflects expectations that global supply will progressively rebound following acute shortages that propelled prices to unprecedented heights over the past two years. The…

By Leo Nelson President John Dramani Mahama has visited communities affected by recent tidal waves in Fuveme in the Volta Region, assuring residents that the government will accelerate the implementation of the $150m World Bank-supported West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program aimed at protecting vulnerable coastal communities. The President toured sections of the affected coastline after reports of the sea breaking through parts of the area, causing concern among residents over worsening coastal erosion and flooding. “We heard that the sea is breaking through, and so today we decided to come and take a look at what is happening. All…

By Leo Nelson The Fisheries Commission has advanced its strategic agenda for national food security by recently hosting a high-level delegation from the Korean Maritime Institute (KMI). The meeting served as a critical review of the ongoing fish processing and distribution project in Tema, a cornerstone of the bilateral cooperation between Ghana and South Korea. According to the Commission, the engagement, held in Accra, signals the transition of the project into a more intensive operational phase, focusing on the practical application of modernized technology within Ghana’s bustling maritime sector. The partnership began in 2023 under the framework of South Korea’s…

By Leo Nelson Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has signaled a transformative era for the nation’s extractive sector by posting a monumental financial performance for the 2025 fiscal year, anchored by a total revenue of GH¢5.55 billion. This fiscal milestone, which includes a robust operational surplus of GH¢909.71 million, underscores the board’s evolving role in the gold value chain and its capacity to turn regulatory oversight into significant economic gains. The results highlight a sharp departure from previous years, as the institution successfully navigated expanded operations while maintaining a lean expenditure profile of GH¢109.38 million. “Notably, the institution recorded no finance…

By Leo Nelson Bright Simons , Vice President of IMANI Africa, has called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to release a comprehensive “White Paper” to clarify the deteriorating situation at the Bogoso-Prestea Gold Mine. The demand comes amidst growing public unease regarding a controversial $65 million financing and offtake deal with Swiss commodities giant Trafigura, which Bright Simons suggests reveals a deep lack of institutional trust in the mine’s current operator, Heath Goldfields. “The minister can’t keep quiet; there’s no such matter that the minister can’t keep quiet. You have to write a detailed white paper or…

By TNR News Desk Ghana is on the verge of exiting its International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme, with the final review underway in late April 2026 and completion targeted for August. The three-year, approximately $3 billion arrangement approved in May 2023 came after a severe economic crisis that culminated in a sovereign debt default in December 2022. But beneath the surface of this apparent recovery lies a more uncomfortable question: is the IMF programme truly saving Ghana, or merely delaying a deeper economic reckoning? Critics argue that while the intervention has restored a degree of macroeconomic…

By Leo Nelson Bright Simons, the Vice President of IMANI Africa and a renowned policy analyst, has raised a red flag regarding the government’s strategy for fostering local ownership within Ghana’s extractive sector, arguing that the current model sets indigenous companies up for failure. He contends that rather than nurturing national champions, the state is handing over technically depleted or operationally distressed assets to local players a move he describes as offering “poison chalices” to Ghanaian investors. According to Bright Simons , this trend prioritizes short-term financial engineering over the long-term strategic development of the nation’s mineral wealth. “In a…