Author: THE NEW REPUBLIC

By Lawrence Odoom President John Dramani Mahama has issued a decisive directive for contractors to return to site and recommence construction on the long-stalled New Eastern Regional Hospital project, signaling renewed governmental resolve to fortify healthcare infrastructure. The announcement was made on Thursday, June 11, by Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey during her keynote address at the official launch of the Eastern Regional Hospital’s Centenary Celebration in Koforidua. She described the President’s intervention as a clear manifestation of government’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare for residents of the Eastern Region. “His Excellency has given directives for…

By Lawrence Odoom Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang received Mr. Martin Guettler, Resident Director of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Ghana, in a high-level engagement centered on deepening democratic inclusion and accelerating sustainable social progress. For decades, FES has distinguished itself through an unwavering commitment to elevating quality of life, advancing equity, and creating pathways for marginalized communities to thrive. Commending the foundation’s enduring partnership, the Vice President applauded FES for its crucial role in advancing women’s leadership across the country. She urged the organization to intensify its capacity-building and training programmes to equip more women with the tools to participate…

By Leo Nelson Ghana’s government has commenced the repatriation of 327 Ghanaian nationals stranded in Côte d’Ivoire following a mass demolition exercise undertaken by authorities in the Port Bouët Municipality in Abidjan. In a press release on June 12, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that significant progress had already been made in bringing the affected citizens home safely. According to the Ministry, 228 of the stranded Ghanaians arrived in the country on Thursday, June 11, while arrangements had been finalized for the remaining returnees to travel back to Ghana the following day. The affected individuals had been residing…

The Director of Communications for the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah has rejected suggestions that a plea bargain amounts to an admission of guilt in the case involving Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi. He argued that legal processes must be assessed on evidence and judicial outcome. The Communications Director stated that discussions surrounding the matter should remain grounded in the facts before the court. Ahiagbah stressed that no determination of guilt has been made and urged caution against conclusions that could mislead the public. Ahiagbah explained that the plea bargain option did not originate from Chairman Wontumi or his…

By Leo Nelson Many of the flood disasters experienced across the country could have been prevented through the implementation of long standing national development planning documents. This is the argument of Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Board Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). He explained that Ghana has already developed detailed infrastructure frameworks that address drainage systems, flood control measures and coastal protection strategies. The NDPC Chairman noted that the plans contained specific recommendations for Accra and other urban centres many years ago. According to him, the proposals cover drainage master plans, flood forecasting systems and institutional arrangements aimed…

By Leo Nelson Ghana’s National Development Planning Commission Chairman, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has renewed calls for the country to embrace long-term national planning, warning that successive governments have failed to implement major development blueprints prepared over the past decade. Speaking before Parliament’s Committee on Economy and Development, Dr Thompson argued that misconceptions surrounding long term planning had contributed to policy discontinuity and stalled national transformation efforts. “Don’t listen to the propaganda of the past, where people rejected long-term planning. There’s not a single country out there that doesn’t have a long term plan, they all do.” Countries that have…

Teacher unions in Ghana are threatening industrial action by July 17, 2026, if the government and education authorities fail to resolve long-standing issues concerning teacher promotions, service conditions, and collective bargaining agreements. The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) expressed frustration over what they describe as deliberate delays and a “provocative” recent directive from the Ghana Education Service (GES) Headquarters for staff personal files for a job evaluation. This directive, according to the unions, undermines previous efforts and directives from the National Labour Commission and President John…

By Kwesi Benyi Randolph Johnson When Sankofa in fisheries management is mentioned, some mistakenly assume it is merely the name of a project. In truth, Sankofa is a philosophy rooted in African Indigenous wisdom that teaches us to return to the past, retrieve what is valuable, and use it to build a sustainable future in fisheries, agriculture, health, and environmental governance. [1] Sankofa represents the deliberate recovery of Indigenous knowledge systems, local practices, spiritual ecology, and community-based norms that sustained our societies long before colonial and post-colonial disruptions. Indigenous ecological knowledge has been increasingly recognised in sustainability scholarship as essential…

By Leo Nelson Torgbiga Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional area, has warned that any attempt to delay, weaken, divert, or reassign the Government’s Big Push Road Project from Tokor Junction to Aflao would be a “serious disservice to the people of Aflao and a direct compromise of long-term national interest.” In a strongly worded statement, Torgbui Fiti V stressed that development must not be reduced to political convenience. “Development cannot be treated as political convenience; it must remain a matter of principle, equity, and survival,” he said. The Paramount Chief reiterated earlier calls on the…

By Lawrence Odoom The Office of the President has released its Annual Report on staffing architecture for the period spanning January 1 to December 31, 2025. Prepared pursuant to Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463), the report furnishes an exhaustive disaggregation of political appointees, civil servants, and public sector operatives stationed at Jubilee House and its ancillary offices. Politics The document establishes that the aggregate staff strength at the Presidency totals 808 personnel. This cadre comprises 233 political appointees and 575 civil and public service professionals. Here is the complete breakdown of the staffing positioning at…