President John Dramani Mahama has approved a reorganisation of the National Security Council Secretariat, resulting in new appointments and reassignments of key security officials.

The changes, announced by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, take immediate effect.

Under the reorganisation, retired Major General William Ayamdo, former Chief of Army Staff, has been appointed Deputy National Security Coordinator in charge of Operations.

Former National Security Coordinator, Yaw Donkor, has also been reassigned as Director of Intelligence and Research at the Office of the National Security Advisor.

Mr. Adamu Saaka has been appointed Director of Logistics and Transport, while Ms. Faustina Effah-Boadi takes charge of the Human Security Department as Officer in Charge.

DCOP (Rtd.) Peter Ndekugri has been appointed Officer in Charge of the Special Investigations Unit.

Meanwhile, ACP Alhassan Osman has been reassigned to the Ghana Police Service for further deployment.

The Presidency said the appointments and reassignments form part of efforts to reorganise the National Security Council Secretariat and take effect immediately.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku has launched the Ghana Agricultural Fund for Educational Transformation (GAFET), an initiative aimed at strengthening agricultural education, research and skills development to support Ghana’s agricultural transformation agenda.

Speaking during the launch, the Minister insisted, GAFET is not merely another funding programme but represents a collective national effort to build institutions capable of producing the skilled workforce needed to transform the agricultural sector.
“This programme is not merely another launch but building on institution with collective commitment that will outlive all of us and serve generations unborn,” the Minister stated.

He said the initiative would support the development of agricultural engineers, extension professionals, researchers, technicians, entrepreneurs and agribusiness leaders to make Ghana’s agricultural sector more productive and competitive.
The Minister noted that the transformation of agriculture goes beyond roads and mechanisation, stressing the need for investment in irrigation, finance, machinery, research and human capital.

He explained that GAFET seeks to enhance food production, modernise farming, strengthen mechanisation, expand irrigation, promote agro-processing, reduce dependence on food imports, increase exports and create sustainable jobs, particularly for young people in agribusiness.

The Minister also stressed the importance of strengthening Ghana’s agricultural colleges, saying these institutions have for decades produced professionals whose expertise and technological knowledge underpin modern agriculture.
However, he acknowledged that many of the institutions require renewed investment in laboratories, workshops, demonstration farms, modern machinery, digital learning tools, research, scholarships and industry-responsive curricula.

He therefore reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting the institutions to attain their rightful place in Ghana’s agricultural transformation.
According to him, the GAFET fund will provide a dedicated national platform through which government, the private sector, development partners, financial institutions and citizens can collectively invest in agricultural education and sustainable agribusiness.

The Minister commended Mr. Steven Nhyira Odarteifio and Hon. Kwesi Etu Bonde, for their efforts in bringing the vision to life.

He called on all stakeholders to support the initiative, emphasising that national development is a shared responsibility.
“Government cannot do it alone; government must lead, society must build. National development is a shared responsibility,” he said.

In wrapping up Hon. Opoku commended the five Ghanaian based agribusiness namely , GrowForMe, FarmerLine Ltd, New age, Agrisolve Consult and Tradeline Consult for providing Ghc 3.5 million as seed fund for the GAFET initiative. The fund he said is expected to reach Ghc 10 million by December 2026 and Ghc 100 million by the year 2028.

By Maurice Otoo

The Attorney-General has filed processes opposing an application by convicted illegal miner Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, for bail pending the determination of his appeal.

The State argues that Mr Boasiako’s intended appeal has no reasonable prospect of success and therefore does not provide sufficient grounds for his release from custody.

According to the Attorney-General, there are also no special circumstances that would warrant granting the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) bail while his appeal is pending.

Mr Boasiako’s bail application follows his conviction and sentencing by the Accra High Court over offences linked to illegal mining activities at Samreboi in the Western Region.

On July 20, 2026, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay sentenced Mr Boasiako to 20 years in prison with hard labour after finding him guilty of offences including assigning mineral rights without the required approval and facilitating unlicensed mining.

The court also imposed a fine on Akonta Mining Company Limited, in which Mr Boasiako is a shareholder and director. It further ordered the confiscation of mining equipment, firearms and cash seized during investigations.

Following his conviction and sentence, Mr Boasiako filed an appeal challenging the High Court’s decision and subsequently applied for bail pending the determination of the appeal.

His lawyers maintain that there are grounds for the appellate court to review the conviction and sentence and have asked the court to release him while the legal process continues.

The Attorney-General, however, has rejected the application, insisting that the proposed appeal does not have a reasonable chance of success.

The State’s latest filing will now be considered by the court as it determines whether Mr Boasiako should be granted bail or remain in custody until his appeal is heard.

The case arose from investigations into alleged illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession. Mr Boasiako was charged alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and another accused person in connection with the activities.

Source:myjoyonline

The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, has clarified that Ghana’s legal vacation should not be interpreted as a period during which lawyers can unilaterally decide whether court proceedings should continue.

According to him, the legal vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30 each year, is intended to significantly reduce the workload of the superior courts but does not amount to a complete shutdown of the judiciary.

Dr Srem-Sai explained that the period represents a traditional reduction in judicial activity rather than a suspension of the operations of the courts.

His comments come after a letter from the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, urging him to ensure that judges respect what the association described as established traditions governing the legal vacation.

The GBA has raised concerns about lawyers being directed to appear in court during the vacation period despite informing the courts that they would be unavailable.

The association argued that Vacation Courts were traditionally established to deal with urgent and interlocutory matters and were not intended to conduct trials.

The GBA further maintained that where a lawyer has indicated an inability to appear during the legal vacation, the affected matter should be adjourned instead of proceeding in the lawyer’s absence.

Dr Srem-Sai, however, disagreed with the interpretation that the legal vacation amounts to a holiday for lawyers or a period when court activities must come to a halt.

He stressed that the legal vacation is not a lawyers’ vacation and that the courts remain operational throughout the period.

He explained that the Chief Justice determines which judges will sit during the legal vacation by issuing warrants authorising them to perform judicial duties during the period.

“The key point here, however, is that the courts scale down on work significantly – they do not shut down,” Dr Srem-Sai said.

He explained that the scope of proceedings a Vacation Judge may handle depends on whether the case originates from the judge’s own court or from another judge’s court.

According to him, a Vacation Judge may hear both interlocutory and substantive proceedings in cases that originated from the Vacation Judge’s own court.

However, where a case originates from the court of another judge, the Vacation Judge may generally be limited to dealing with interlocutory matters.

Dr Srem-Sai said this distinction is important because the substantive judge assigned to a particular case remains the judge responsible for ultimately determining the matter.

He maintained that the existing arrangement is intended to strike a balance between reducing the workload of the superior courts and ensuring that the administration of justice continues without unnecessary interruption.

The Deputy Attorney-General also noted that the arrangement allows judges to take their own vacation periods at appropriate times while ensuring that the courts retain sufficient capacity to deal with matters that require judicial attention.

The clarification comes amid the ongoing discussion between the Ghana Bar Association and the judiciary over how court proceedings should be managed during the legal vacation.

Source:myjoyonline

Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central, Hon. Joana Gyan Cudjoe, has urged residents of the constituency to reject unverified allegations and social media misinformation and instead focus on the development challenges facing the area.

In a detailed message to the people of Amenfi Central, the MP acknowledged concerns over poor roads, unreliable telephone and internet connectivity, electricity challenges, inadequate healthcare and educational infrastructure, water shortages, unemployment, limited government services, security and a lack of investment opportunities.

She said residents were justified in demanding better services and infrastructure, stressing that she accepted the responsibility of advocating for solutions to the challenges confronting the constituency.

However, she cautioned residents against treating allegations circulated on TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms as facts without evidence.

According to her, genuine criticism, questions and accountability were welcome, but allegations should be verified before they are believed or shared.

She encouraged residents to visit communities, speak to beneficiaries and assess projects, government approvals, interventions and results before forming opinions about her performance as MP.

“Judge Joana Gyan Cudjoe by facts, evidence and results — not social-media noise,” she said.

The MP also argued that many of the problems currently confronting Amenfi Central had existed long before she became Member of Parliament, noting that challenges involving roads, network connectivity, electricity, healthcare, education, water, unemployment, government services, staff accommodation and investment had accumulated over decades.

She said she had been MP for approximately one year, while many of the challenges had built up over about 32 years.

She acknowledged that the scale of the problems meant they could not realistically be eliminated within 12 months, but insisted that this should not be used as an excuse for inaction.

“I did not create these problems, but I accept responsibility for helping to solve them,” she said, adding that work had already started.

According to the MP, interventions during her first year in office had created or facilitated opportunities for more than 300 graduates and non-graduates. She also cited support for teachers and educational initiatives benefiting thousands of children, assistance to students with educational needs, efforts towards schools, boreholes, CHPS compounds and other community projects.

She said her office had also supported women, businesses and farmers, assisted people requiring medical treatment and surgeries and supported electricity-related interventions where possible.

She added that she had used personal resources where possible while lobbying government and other stakeholders for larger interventions that could not be financed by an individual MP.

Cudjoe identified roads, telecommunications and internet connectivity, electricity, healthcare and education as the five most urgent priorities for Amenfi Central.

On roads, she said improved road networks were essential for farmers transporting produce, children and teachers travelling to school, patients accessing healthcare, businesses operating and investors coming into the constituency.

She also described reliable telephone and internet connectivity as critical to communication, education, banking, business, healthcare, emergency services and participation in the digital economy.

On electricity, she called for attention to extensions, transformers, meters and reliable services through government and the relevant institutions, including the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Healthcare, she said, required more than buildings. She called for CHPS compounds, health centres and better hospitals equipped with doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratories, ambulances, medicines and other equipment.

She also stressed the importance of electricity, water, connectivity and staff accommodation to ensure health professionals could work effectively and remain in the constituency.

The MP said Amenfi Central should undertake a professional assessment of its long-term healthcare needs, including the possibility of developing or upgrading several strategically located major health facilities, with an ambition of approximately five major facilities where justified.

Education was another major priority identified by the MP. She said development should cover the entire education chain, from kindergarten, primary and junior high school through senior high school, TVET, STEM, ICT, teacher education, nursing and midwifery training, agricultural, mining, environmental, technical and business education and eventually universities, university campuses and other accredited tertiary institutions.

She stressed that education required more than classrooms, pointing to the need for qualified teachers, libraries, laboratories, computers, internet access, electricity, water, sanitation, teaching materials and technical workshops.

She also called for teachers’ quarters and appropriate staff accommodation, particularly in communities where housing difficulties make it difficult to attract and retain qualified teachers.

As secondary and tertiary education expands, she said the constituency would also require suitable student hostels and boarding facilities with safe accommodation, electricity, water, sanitation, internet access and study spaces.

Cudjoe further called for improved access to clean and reliable water through the relevant government and community-water institutions, including Ghana Water Ltd., where applicable, as well as boreholes and other appropriate solutions.

She also proposed bringing government services closer to residents through stronger institutional presence and improved facilities.

Among the institutions she mentioned were the Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana Water Ltd., Lands Commission, Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority, Forestry Commission, Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service and NADMO.

She also called for stronger local services in health, education, agriculture, cocoa-sector development and business support.

According to her, an institutional audit should be conducted to determine which institutions already have a presence, what is missing, which facilities require renovation or expansion and which services need to be brought closer to residents.

She suggested that government could renovate existing facilities, expand them, rent suitable premises, acquire appropriate properties or construct purpose-built facilities where necessary.

She also proposed exploring the development of an Amenfi Central Government Services and Administrative Complex in the long term.

Cudjoe stressed that establishing government offices alone would not be enough, saying institutions needed the resources required to perform their mandates effectively.

These, she said, included proper offices, qualified personnel, accommodation where necessary, vehicles, motorbikes, equipment, technology, electricity, water, internet connectivity, operational resources, maintenance and appropriate funding.

She said police officers, teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, ambulance personnel, engineers, regulators, agricultural officers and other essential workers needed suitable working and living conditions.

According to her, the constituency must become a place where professionals are willing to live, work, raise families and build careers rather than an area they immediately seek to leave after being posted there.

She also called for operational vehicles, motorbikes and logistics for government agencies because communities are spread across the constituency.

She said police must be able to respond to calls, ambulances must reach patients, the Fire Service must respond to emergencies, agricultural officers must reach farmers, health workers must access communities and environmental and technical officers must be able to conduct inspections.

The MP further highlighted Amenfi Central’s natural resources, including gold, cocoa, rubber and agricultural land, and said these resources should contribute to responsible investment, job creation and sustainable development while protecting communities and the environment.

She said residents needed accessible information on legal requirements, mining licences, land registration, environmental regulations, taxes and lawful fees, and where to obtain reliable government information.

She also called for stronger services from institutions such as the Minerals Commission, Lands Commission, EPA, GRA, Forestry Commission and Ghana Geological Survey Authority.

Cudjoe said road development should also be accompanied by improved road safety and emergency-response services, including appropriate DVLA services, road-safety education, policing, Fire Service, ambulance and disaster-response capacity.

She said the police also needed adequate personnel, accommodation, vehicles, motorbikes, communication equipment and other logistics to protect residents.

The MP linked infrastructure and institutional development directly to job creation, explaining that road projects would require workers, hospitals would need health professionals and support staff, schools would employ teachers and other workers, government offices would require staff and construction projects would create opportunities for masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, drivers and suppliers.

She also appealed to banks and regulated financial institutions to expand their services in Amenfi Central to support farmers, women, young entrepreneurs and businesses.

She said the constituency was open to responsible investment in agriculture and processing, mining-related services, healthcare, education, technology, housing, logistics, manufacturing, hospitality and other suitable industries.

However, she noted that investors would require an enabling environment, including good roads, electricity, water, internet connectivity, security, healthcare, education, skilled workers, housing, banking services and accessible government institutions.

Cudjoe stressed that the scale of the development agenda meant that one Member of Parliament could not finance the transformation alone.

She therefore called for partnerships involving the Government of Ghana, ministries and government agencies, the private sector, banks, responsible investors, contractors, telecommunications companies, mining and agricultural companies, universities, healthcare organisations, NGOs and foundations, embassies and diplomatic missions, development partners, international organisations, philanthropists and the Amenfi Central diaspora.

She urged potential partners to bring expertise, investment, connections, technology, opportunities and practical solutions to the constituency.

The MP also called for political unity, saying development should not be divided along NDC and NPP lines.

She noted that bad roads, poor network connectivity, electricity challenges and inadequate healthcare affect residents regardless of their political affiliation.

She therefore urged residents to treat poor roads, inadequate connectivity, electricity problems, healthcare challenges, poor education, water shortages, unemployment, poverty and lack of opportunities as common problems that require collective action.

Cudjoe proposed a 13-to-20-year development roadmap for Amenfi Central, arguing that the scale of the constituency’s needs required long-term planning rather than short-term political promises.

She said the roadmap should cover roads, telecommunications, electricity, healthcare, education, water, government institutions, staff accommodation, security, jobs, agriculture, responsible mining, environmental protection, land administration, banking, housing, investment, skills development and universities.

She stressed that a long-term roadmap would not mean residents would have to wait 20 years before seeing results.

Instead, she said work should begin immediately, with one-year, four-year, medium-term and long-term targets established and measured.

“Every year must show progress,” she said.

She also called for regular accountability through development scorecards that would show what the constituency inherited, what had been started, what had been approved and funded, what had been completed, what remained ongoing, what was outstanding and what would come next.

She said such assessments should be based on facts, evidence, timelines and measurable results.

Cudjoe also criticised the use of social media as a platform for political arguments that do not contribute to development.

She said TikTok arguments could not build hospitals, Facebook insults could not extend electricity and WhatsApp rumours could not construct roads or create jobs.

She therefore urged residents to stop spreading misinformation, verify claims, recognise genuine progress and focus on solutions.

She invited residents to contribute constructively by bringing ideas, connecting the constituency to investors and development partners and offering technical expertise.

“Don’t only tell us what is wrong — help us build what is right,” she said.

The MP acknowledged the importance of faith alongside planning, discipline, diplomacy, lobbying, investment, partnerships, government support and hard work.

She prayed for God’s wisdom, grace, protection and favour for Amenfi Central and asked for genuine partners and responsible investors to support the constituency’s development.

Cudjoe concluded by acknowledging that residents were tired of underdevelopment and had every right to expect progress.

She, however, appealed to them to recognise the scale of the task and work with her to turn their expectations into measurable results.

She urged residents not to expect approximately 32 years of accumulated challenges to disappear within one year, but said her performance should be measured through a clear plan and actual results.

“Our answer to rumours: FACTS. Our answer to misinformation: EVIDENCE. Our answer to division: UNITY. Our answer to political distraction: FOCUS,” she said.

She added that the response to decades of challenges must be planning; unemployment must be addressed through opportunity; while underdevelopment requires infrastructure, institutions and investment.

Cudjoe ended her message with a call for residents and stakeholders to bring ideas, partnerships, investment and solutions to Amenfi Central.

She said the development agenda was bigger than her, bigger than the NDC and NPP and ultimately about the future of Amenfi Central.

She described the vision as one people, one vision, one roadmap and a stronger Amenfi Central, stressing that the goal was not simply to prepare for the next election but to build for the next generation.

She signed the statement as Hon. Joana Gyan Cudjoe, Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central.