Author: TNRgh

Says Days of Political Cover For Illicit Gold Are Over’ By Leo Nelson In a moment of startling candour that cut through the usual political platitudes, President John Dramani Mahama has admitted that the fight against illegal mining, the environmental scourge, known as galamsey is complicated by the fact that actors within his own political network are complicit. Addressing a delegation from Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, the President laid bare the uncomfortable reality of a clandestine economy that adapts and survives by purchasing protection from whichever party holds power.“And so I don’t kid myself that we…

as Ghana Nears IMF ExitBy Gifty Boateng President John Dramani Mahama has served notice that Ghana’s impending departure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme will be a low-key affair, pointedly distancing his administration from the celebratory excesses of the past. Addressing a presidential dialogue with Organised Labour on Tuesday, Mahama stated that the exit, expected around June, would be marked with nothing more than a formal announcement.In remarks laden with subtext for his own team, the President cautioned against any triumphalism, joking that emerging from a Fund programme should not be equated with completing a prison sentence. “We are…

The Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Alex Mould, has raised serious concerns about neglected agricultural infrastructure assets across Ghana’s Middle Belt following a week-long field assessment tour of key farming zones. Mr. Mould made the remarks during a seven-day field assessment mission of key farming areas, which covered parts of the Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo, and Bono East Regions, where the MiDA team evaluated water resources, irrigation potential, agricultural value chains, and institutional coordination mechanisms to identify areas for strategic investment. The MiDA team engaged traditional authorities, regional and district officials, and private agribusiness operators, while also…

By Philip Antoh The political landscape in the Central Region is tilting. In a move that underscores the volatile realignments taking place nationally, Joseph Kofi Nyarko-Damptey, a perennial thorn in the side of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Assin South, has defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with a claimed entourage of over 15,000 supporters. The defection, formalised at the party’s constituency office at Assin Ngresi, is being hailed by the ruling party as a tangible dividend of President John Dramani Mahama’s first-year performance, but it speaks to deeper, more intricate currents of local power struggles.Nyarko-Damptey is no…

By Prince Ahenkorah A high-level encounter between Ghana’s finance minister and a top World Bank official has underscored the lender’s growing confidence in the Mahama administration’s economic management, even as Accra grapples with persistent structural challenges. When Paschal Donohoe, the World Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, sat down with Ghana’s Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson in Washington last week, the conversation marked more than a routine diplomatic exchange. It signalled a significant shift in the international financial institutions’ perception of Ghana’s post-crisis trajectory. Donohoe, a seasoned Irish finance politician who now holds one of the Bank’s most…

By Prince Ahenkorah The World Bank’s decision to back Ghana’s secondary education overhaul with $300 million signals deepening trust in the Mahama administration’s reform agenda, but also exposes the high stakes involved in the government’s bid to link schooling with jobs.When Paschal Donohoe, the World Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, visited Osu Mahean Basic School in Accra last week, the photo opportunity carried more weight than the usual development diplomacy. Behind the scenes, donors and government officials had been negotiating the terms of what would become one of the largest education investments in Ghana this decade.The result: a…

By Leo Nelson The Ghana Stock Exchange’s extraordinary rally, delivering 78 percent returns in just over two months, has confounded sceptics and delighted investors. But the geopolitical storm gathering over the Middle East threatens to test whether domestic fundamentals can withstand global shocks. When coordinated strikes erupted on February 28 involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, international markets braced for turbulence. Oil prices spiked toward the $120 per barrel range on fears of Strait of Hormuz disruptions. Emerging market currencies wobbled. Capital fled to safe havens. Yet in Accra, the Ghana Stock Exchange Composite Index (GSE-CI) barely blinked. By…

By Leo Nelson Legal practitioner and social activist Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor has argued that democracy should not be seen as a guarantee of progress but rather as a system that creates space for citizens to struggle for justice, accountability, and social advancement. In a reflection on the meaning of democratic participation, Barker-Vormawor said the essence of democracy lies in the opportunity it gives citizens to contest power and demand improvements in governance and social welfare. According to him, democratic systems do not automatically deliver rights or development. Instead, they provide a framework within which citizens must continually engage institutions and…

and in full force’ as critics question pace of prosecutionsBy Leo Nelson The Mahama administration has pushed back against mounting criticism that its flagship anti-corruption initiative has run out of steam, insisting that Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) remains fully operational and is making headway through proper legal channels. Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has dismissed claims of failure as ‘political propaganda’ designed to undermine the government’s efforts.Kwakye Ofosu acknowledged growing public frustration over the speed of prosecutions but blamed long-standing judicial delays rather than government inaction. ‘ORAL is not dead. It is active and in full force. What we…

as Middle East tensions escalateBy Prince Ahenkorah Government has ordered its citizens in Qatar to reconfirm their participation in an emergency evacuation by the end of Tuesday, as fears mount that the widening conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran could engulf the Gulf region.The directive, issued by Ghana’s embassy in Doha, requires nationals wishing to return home to submit passport biodata pages by email, marking the final phase of preparations for what officials describe as a “strictly one-way” operation. The evacuation decision, first announced on March 6, reflects growing alarm in Accra about the spillover effects of the Middle…