An New Patriotic Party (NPP) member in the Ashanti Region, Kwabena Marfo, has expressed confidence that the party’s recent electoral process in the region will usher in significant changes under the leadership of Chairman Odeneho.
Speaking in a zoom interview on Kessben Maakye show in Accra,
Marfo said he was pleased with the manner in which the election was conducted and commended Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, for his strategy during the campaign.
“I am happy with the way the election was conducted especially in the Ashanti Region. I have worked closely with Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah (COKA) and I appreciate how he did his campaign,” he said.

According to him, politics should not be reduced to making noise, insisting that the new leadership would demonstrate its effectiveness through action.
“We are all going to see the change he will effect in the Ashanti Region,” Marfo stated.

He further described COKA as a strategic thinker and planner who understands when and how to implement his policies.
“COKA is a strategic thinker and planner. He knows how and when to effect his policies,” he added.
Marfo also urged members of the NPP to remain calm and adopt wisdom rather than resorting to unnecessary noise and confrontation.

He said the party had previously experienced situations where excessive noise did not produce the desired results, stressing that the focus should now be on strategy and effective planning.
“I am promising everyone that Odeneho is going to effect massive changes in the Ashanti Region,” he declared.

He also emphasized the importance of placing the right people in the right positions, warning that poor planning could undermine political success.
“If you are not a proper planner in politics, you can’t succeed. Don’t put square pegs in round holes,” he cautioned.

Marfo concluded by urging party members to support the new leadership and work strategically, saying the NPP should avoid returning to the kind of unnecessary noise that had characterized previous political activities.
“We wouldn’t be making the noise again,” he said.

By Maurice Otoo

A former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Organiser for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Kwadwo Yeboah, has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of damaging its reputation through what he describes as politically motivated acquittal and discharge of its members that are involved in one case or the other.

According to Yeboah, NDC communicators are misleading the public by claiming that a woman implicated in an alleged financial case, Sedina Tamakloe personally did not handle or pay the money involved to the beneficiaries. He contends that she only initiated the transaction and that the payment was allegedly made by her successor.

He further claimed that the matter involved Obaatanpa loans was a financial loss, questioning where the money was deposited after it was allegedly received at Baatsona Total filling station.

Yeboah argued that everyone implicated in criminal cases must be allowed to go through due process rather than being selectively targeted.
“The NDC should allow everyone involved in court cases to go through due process and be fairly acquitted where appropriate, instead of filing nolle prosequi for some people while prosecuting others,” he argued.

He further accused the NDC of equipping the opposition to take advantage of the current position of the government, warning that such actions could deepen political divisions.
“The NDC is speedily destroying the good name it has earned from the good people of Ghana, and that is dangerous,” he said.
His comments come amid heightened political debate over arrests and prosecutions involving opposition figures, with the NPP recently accusing state institutions of being used against its members—claims that have featured prominently in the party’s public statements

Managing Editor of The Hawk Newspaper, Charles McCarthy, has questioned the government over the whereabouts of former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, amid continuing public discussion about her case.

In a discussion on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, McCarthy stressed that he was not concluding that Sedina Tamakloe had committed any crime but argued that Ghanaians deserved clarity about her current location and the status of the matter.

According to him, Tamakloe was granted permission by the court to travel abroad for medical attention but did not return to continue with the court proceedings.
“Currently, no one knows the exact place Sedina is, before and after the court acquittal and discharge her. It is as if someone is just concocting stories for Ghanaians to believe,” McCarthy claimed.

He questioned how someone involved in such a high-profile case could remain outside the public eye without clear information about her whereabouts.
“Who will doubt if someone says Sedina is not even in the country? Who goes to court without being seen?” he asked.

McCarthy further argued that the government must communicate clearly on the matter to prevent speculation and avoid damaging public confidence.
He also questioned why Tamakloe had not engaged a lawyer to publicly communicate on her behalf, rather than leaving the government to respond to questions surrounding the case.
“Sedina’s issue is disturbing the reset agenda of the government. Where is she hiding, and why can’t anybody see or hear from her?” McCarthy questioned.

He predicted that a time would come when the government would have to provide Ghanaians with clear answers regarding the matter.

A forestry official in the Western Region, Nana Poku Bosompem, has called for a drastic change in Ghana’s approach to the fight against illegal mining, arguing that the sophistication and aggression of illegal miners require stronger measures to protect the country’s forests.

According to him, illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has become particularly severe in the Western Region, threatening forest reserves and major water bodies.
He noted that the Western Region has 19 forest reserves covering about 209,333 hectares, with eight of the reserves reportedly affected by illegal mining.

Nana Poku Bosompem explained that illegal miners have adopted a strategy of moving from one section of a forest to another whenever enforcement activities intensify, making it difficult for forest guards to permanently contain the problem.

He further disclosed that about 4,000 hectares of forest have been affected, stressing that the lucrative nature of gold mining continues to attract miners into protected areas.
“I subscribe to the shoot-to-kill agenda because the miners are robust and sophisticated,” he said, while commending forest guards for their courage in confronting illegal miners.

He also called for a major shift in the country’s strategy, advocating the establishment of permanent camps and armed security personnel within forest reserves to protect the areas from illegal mining activities.

In a zoom meeting on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, he emphasized that, illegal miners are highly organised and closely monitor the movements of enforcement teams, making conventional approaches increasingly ineffective.
He said authorities must identify and eliminate illegal mining hotspots while deploying permanent security personnel to prevent miners from returning to cleared areas.

Nana Poku also disclosed that a permanent camp had been established at Cape Three Point, where enforcement personnel spent eight days conducting operations.

He said the exercise resulted in the destruction of 59 illegal mining structures, involving both men and women. According to him, they have arrested 41 people with 4 women who were nabbed around 2am. In addition he said they also confiscated 202 industrial water pumps, 125 chanfan machines.

He further observed that many of those operating on the mining sites are citizens from various ECOWAS countries and acknowledged that local communities derive economic benefits from activities associated with illegal mining.

However, he stressed that the environmental destruction caused by galamsey poses a far greater threat to the country’s forests and natural resources.
He therefore urged authorities to strengthen the protection of forest reserves and adopt more effective strategies to permanently halt illegal mining in Ghana.

President John Dramani Mahama has nominated Klottey Korle Member of Parliament, Dr Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings, as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, as part of a cabinet shake-up aimed at filling key government positions.

Subsequently, the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has also been nominated for the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs. As part of the changes, President Mahama reassigned Kenneth Gilbert Adjei from the Ministry of Works and Housing to the Ministry of Defence.

Former Local Government Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, has been moved to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.

If Dr. Zanetor passes her vetting with Parliament’s vetting committee, she will then replace the late Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, and Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammed.

Dr. Zanetor’s appointment comes after months of speculation over her possible elevation to cabinet, as the legislator having served on Parliament’s Environment, Science and Technology Committee and advocated for measures to address environmental challenges, including flooding.

The nominations were submitted to Parliament on Friday, August 7, 2026, in accordance with Article 78(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires parliamentary approval before ministers can assume office.

The Environment  and the Defence portfolios had remained without substantive ministers following the death of Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah in the August 2025 helicopter crash.

In lieu of this, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Finance Minister, who had been acting as Defence Minister since the death of Dr Omane Boamah, is expected to hand over the portfolio once the new nominee is approved.

The appointments were announced in a statement signed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, MP, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications. The nominees are expected to appear before Parliament’s Appointments Committee for vetting before their names are submitted to the House for approval.

This crucial changes come as part of President Mahama’s continued efforts to reset and replenish his administration and fill positions that became vacant following the August 2025 tragedy that claimed the lives of eight officials, including two cabinet ministers.