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Poultry farmers in Western Region call on government to entrust birds into professional hands 

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The Western Regional Poultry Farmers Association says the government’s distribution of broilers to non-poultry farmers or inexperienced groups at the constituency level is tantamount to the failure of the programme.  

The government’s policy of (Nkok Nkitinkiti) intends to gift every constituency 10,000 birds at an estimated cost of 200 million cedis, a significant commitment to the poultry sector. 

According to the group, broilers required specialised care; feed regime, housing, vaccination and stress management and thus without adequate training to beneficiaries, would result in high mortality and economic lost to the state. 

Mr Emmanuel Benya, the Regional Chairman at a press conference in Takoradi, said though the initiative was a bold one to reduce dependency on imported poultry, critical implementation risks must be addressed. 

He mentioned bird mortality, threats of outbreak of disease, market disruption, as some setbacks that could affect the programme, adding that distributing Cockerell was a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative than broiler, which easily dies. 

“We strongly recommend Cockerell or Saso, which are more resilient, require less intensive care or management and are better suited to the Ghanaian climate with lower risks options and are also in high demand,” the Chairman explained. 

Mr  Benya said the ability to raise birds was not a task for the faint hearted; “members of the Association are therefore cardinal in the successful implementation of the policy…this could also save numerous birds from the mortality bracket.” 

The Association was also of the view that the government give each identified poultry farmer or commercial farmer specific number to rear as against giving all 10,000 birds to one farmer…this will save deaths associated with mobility after the four weeks period. 

Mr  Benya said the policy had the power to become a transformative game changer for Ghana in revitalising local agriculture, achieving food security and strengthen the cedi but for implementation hiccups. 

The Association suggested a biosecurity protocol, comprehensive training, government supported veterinary services and monitoring framework in partnership with existing farmer Association.  

Mr Benya therefore called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other relevant state agencies to help the government with the right information and management abilities to ensure that the programme became a great success to the teeming sector players. 

Some of the poultry farmers encouraged the government to depoliticize the programme for utmost result. 

Ghana to develop instruments to harness space technology, innovation

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Ghana’s Cabinet has approved three landmark policies as the country seeks to develop space technology and innovation to an appreciable standard.

The instruments encompass the establishment of a National Space Policy, Ghana Space Agency and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, which would serve as the guiding framework that sets out the country’s ambition to position itself strategically in the global space economy.

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the acting Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, made this known in an address at the maiden Ghana Space Conference, in Accra.

Space technology, he said, offered the country enormous potential to address some pressing development challenges, creating value for multiple industries.

“The future of development is written in the skies. Satellites are no longer a luxury; they are the backbone of modern economies,” Mr Kofi-Buah said.

“They power precision farming, enhance disaster early warning systems, support the protection of forests and water bodies, and strengthen our digital economy.”

The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that the global space economy will be worth some US$1.8 trillion by 2035, up from US$630 billion in 2023.

The growth drivers for the space economy include greater connectivity via satellites, higher demand for positioning and navigation services on mobile phones, and increased demand for insights powered by AI and machine learning.

Those innovations were delivering greater benefits to a more diverse set of stakeholders than ever before, including companies in industries ranging from food and beverage to transportation, according to development trend analysts.

On the Ghana Space Agency, Mr Buah, also the substantive Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, explained that the Attorney-General’s Department had been directed to commence the legal processes that would give effect towards its establishment.

“Once launched, it will serve as the institutional backbone of our space programme, coordinating national efforts, mobilising resources, and ensuring that space applications bring direct benefits to the people,” he noted.

Additionally, budgetary support would be provided to strengthen the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, and to operationalise the Ghana Space Agency.

Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), underscored the need for Ghana to invest massively in space science technology.

She cited space-based environmental monitoring technology, which when developed to an appreciable standard, could provide the authorities with a bird’s eye view of the Earth, allowing them to gather data on everything; from atmospheric conditions to changes in the oceans and land cover.

Dr Joseph Tandoh, the Director, Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI), described the country’s maiden conference as timely as it would facilitate dialogues on national space law and governance.

The two-day programme was on the theme: “Harnessing Space Technology for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth in Ghana and Beyond”.

It was organised under the auspices of the EPA, GSSTI, Ghana Meteorological Agency, All Nations University, Spacehubs Africa, and Agbedus Consult.

Volta Region drawn in Group B of maiden MTN Elite U-19 Championship  

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The Volta Region has been drawn in Group B of the maiden MTN Elite U-19 Championship, a new national football tournament launched to identify and nurture the next generation of football talents across Ghana.  

The competition, sponsored by telecommunications giant MTN, will run from October 24 to November 2, 2025, at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence, Prampram.  

The tournament is designed to provide a platform for male footballers born between 2007 and 2008 and registered with Division Two clubs.   

It aims to give these young players the opportunity to represent their regions, compete for the championship title, and attract the attention of scouts and national team coaches.  

Chairman of the Championship Committee, Mr. Eric Edem Agbana, assured stakeholders of effective organisation and professionalism throughout the event, describing it as an important springboard for young footballers to advance in their careers.  

Prior to the official launch, the Championship Committee held a meeting with Regional Football Association chairpersons to discuss modalities and ensure smooth coordination.   

Mr. Agbana said all parties were committed to working together to deliver an exciting and successful tournament.  

Under the group pairings, Group A comprises the Northern, Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, and Western regions, while Group B includes the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Volta, and Upper East regions.  

Mr. Agbana expressed optimism that the MTN Elite U-19 Championship would unearth exceptional young talents and further strengthen Ghana’s football development pathway.  

Volta NSA to partner organisations to promote Goalball, Para Sports  

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The Volta Regional Directorate of the National Sports Authority (NSA) has reiterated its commitment to promoting goalball and other para sports in the region through strategic partnerships with organisations supporting inclusive sports.  

This assurance follows a visit by a regional NSA team, led by the Regional Physical Education Officer, Mr. Dzidodo Ruben Adjahoe, to observe a goalball training session organised by ‘Football in Your Life’ for students of the New Horizon Educational Centre for the Blind.   

The training forms part of preparations for the upcoming National Goalball Tournament, scheduled for Friday, October 17, at the Lincoln International School, Abelemkpe, Accra.  

Football in Your Life, a Germany-based organisation, promotes adaptive and inclusive sports for persons with disabilities.   

The team, led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Birger Nass, is currently conducting similar training sessions across various regions ahead of the national event.  

The lead trainer, Mr. Sebastian Müller, who also serves as Assistant Coach of the German National Goalball Team, commended the discipline and enthusiasm of the young athletes at New Horizon.  

“The players here are very disciplined, very focused, and have quickly adapted to the techniques introduced,” he said.   

“It would be ideal to have an artificial surface for the athletes to slide and defend without injury. The children here are very athletic, and with the right facilities and coaching, they can compete at international levels.”  

The Volta Regional Director of the NSA, Madam Philipina Frimpong, an advocate of para sports, reaffirmed the Authority’s readiness to partner in Football in Your Life to train more coaches and expand para sports initiatives in the region.  

She disclosed that her office had already supported the training of about 25 Physical Education (PE) masters from various schools across the region and stressed the need to continuously engage the trained coaches in programmes that would sustain the growth of para sports.  

“We are excited about the collaboration with Football in Your Life. This partnership will not only enhance the skills of our coaches but also create more opportunities for athletes with disabilities to develop their talents,” Madam Frimpong stated.  

The Volta Regional Directorate of the NSA expressed optimism that such collaborations would contribute significantly to the long-term development of adaptive sports and promote inclusion across educational institutions in the region.  

Minority Caucus slams minister’s handling of AT acquisition, demands transparency, Parliamentary scrutiny

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The Minority on the Information and Communication Committee of Parliament Wednesday expressed concerns over the Minister of Communication’s alleged handling of the proposed acquisition of AT, formerly AirtelTigo, by Telecel, formerly Vodafone.

The group described the process as “shrouded in secrecy” and lacking transparency.

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament House, Accra, on the “Disposal/Sale/Merger and Consolidation of AT formerly AirtelTigo”  Mr Matthew Nyindam, the Ranking Member on the Information and Communication Committee of Parliament, said, “We are not oblivious of the newfound relationship between the minister and Telecel.”

“We take notice of the lobbying and alleged private gains this transaction presents to the minister,” he added.

Owing to that, the Minority Caucus demanded an immediate stop to the current alleged consolidation/acquisition/merger transaction, a comprehensive parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances and terms of the proposed consolidation, and full disclosure of all agreements, correspondence, and reports.

“We will not sit idly by and allow a single minister to unilaterally dispose of a critical national asset such as AT.

“The strategic importance of this company to our national infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and economic development cannot be overstated,” he noted.

The Minority Caucus also expressed concerns about the potential impact on jobs, livelihoods, and the telecom sector, citing the alleged risk of AT’s 300 employees, 200 contract staff, and over 10,000 indirect employees being affected.

“We stand with the many Ghanaians who believe, and rightly so, that the planned annexation of AT by Telecel will rob them of choice and the much-needed competition within the telecom space,” he said.

Last week, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Mr Samuel Nartey George, addressed the ongoing discussions about Telecel and AT.

In his address, the Minister clarified that the arrangement was neither a merger nor an acquisition but rather a restructuring aimed at addressing AT’s accumulated debts and strengthening the sector. While the form may not qualify as a legal merger, in substance, the outcome is similar, as the two companies will operate as one entity in the market.

At present, MTN holds a commanding 73.87 per cent market share, while AT controls 7.82 per cent and Telecel 18.3 per cent.

Even when combined, the new entity would account for less than 30 per cent of the market.

National Tescon Patrons for DMB2028 meets Bawumia  

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The National Tescon Patrons for DMB2028, made members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and lecturers within the tertiary education sector have visited Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at his campaign office at Ridge in Accra.  

The visit, according to Mr. Micheal Appiah, popularly known as Sasa of the Takoradi Technical University, was to renew support to the campaign team with data driven research, and effective communication to propagate the vision and ideas of the flagbearer.  

 The National Tescon Patrons for DMB2028 also promised their support for Tescon; the NPP students’ group on tertiary campuses to make the NPP visible once again.  

The convener of the group is Dr. Bernard B.B. Bingag of University of Education Winneba.  

The lecturers came from all tertiary institutions in Ghana, including traditional universities, technical universities, colleges of education and nursing who also are patrons of the tertiary students’ confederacy.  

The lecturers have also thrown their support behind Dr. Bawumia in the coming presidential primaries on 31st January 2026.  

Some issues discussed were the role the lecturers would play towards achieving victory in the presidential primaries, and election 2028 campaign.  

Dr. Bawumia thanked the group for their support and promised to recognise and reward loyalty.  

Mr. Appiah, Chairman Sasa lecturer at Takoradi Technical University and chairman of Patriotic Intellectuals Ghana, and campaign team member of Dr. Bawumia for Western Region urged members to work well to actualize the victory target come 2028.  

BOG clamps down on dud cheques with stricter penalties

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The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced a revised and stricter sanctioning regime to curb the issuance of dud cheques, mandating strict compliance from all banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions (SDIs).

In a press release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, the central bank stated that despite an existing sanctioning framework, it had observed a persistently high rate of dud cheques being issued by certain customers.

 That trend, the BoG warned, had damaging consequences for the general acceptance and credibility of cheques as a payment method in Ghana.

Under the new directives, the penalties will be applied on an escalating scale for repeat offenders.

“For a first offence, a bank or SDI must levy a charge of 10% of the cheque’s face value from the account holder and issue a formal Warning Notification. This notification, which can be sent via SMS, email, or other established means, must inform the customer of the consequences of repeating the offence,” the release said.

It said the institution must also report the offence to credit reference bureaus and the Bank of Ghana, and place the customer under surveillance for a minimum of one year.

The BoG said if a customer issued a second dud cheque within one year of the first, the drawee bank or SDI shall impose a higher levy of 15% of the cheque’s face value and issue another warning.

The second offence must also be reported to the credit reference bureaus and the BoG.

For a third violation within the same one-year period, the customer would face a levy of 20% of the cheque’s face value, the release said.

“Crucially, the BoG will impose a minimum three-year ban on the customer from issuing cheques anywhere in the country,” it said.

“Furthermore, a third-time offender will be banned from accessing new credit facilities from the entire banking system for one year, and the BoG will notify all financial institutions of this ban.”

“Upon receiving this notification, the customer’s bank must inform the customer within five working days, recall all unused cheque books, and must not issue new ones until the sanctions are lifted.”

The BoG also reserved the right to publish a list of third-time offenders, the release noted.

It said failure by a customer to return unused cheque books within 10 days of notification would result in them being reported.

“The BoG may then ban the customer from operating any current account and add their name to a Central Bank Directory of High-Risk Cheque Issuers, which will serve as a reference for the entire industry.”

Ghana’s economic recovery hangs on gold prices, faces high-risk – Fitch 

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Ghana’s recently achieved macroeconomic stability remains highly vulnerable to global commodity price fluctuations, particularly gold, according to a report by Fitch Solutions, an international credit rating agency. 

​The report warns that the sustainability of the nation’s economic rebound is “highly dependent on persistently high gold prices,” creating a critical and volatile risk factor for the economy.

​The financial commentary outlines a severe sequence of events that could swiftly reverse the current positive trends in inflation and currency stability if the price of the precious metal were to decline sharply.

It suggested that a significant fall in gold prices potentially triggered by a de-escalation of global geopolitical tensions would immediately hit Ghana’s foreign exchange market and fiscal health.

“A gold price dip would significantly reduce Ghana’s dollarearnings from its largest export,” the report said.

“This reduction in foreign currency inflows would subsequently deflate itsinternational reserves, eroding the country’s external buffers and placing renewed pressure on the cedi, leading to a potentially sharp depreciation of the local currency.” 

It said the cedi depreciation would then fuel a sharp rebound in inflation by increasing the cost of imports.

To counter resurgent inflation, the rating agency said the Bank of Ghana Gould be prompted to maintain a tighterpolicy stance than currently anticipated by markets, likely through higher interest rates.

Petroleum funds record US$1.424 billion total value in first half

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Ghana’s two dedicated petroleum funds; the Ghana Stabilisation Fund, and the Ghana Heritage Fund, collectively recorded a book value of US$1,424,530,233.56 as of June 30, 2025.

The semi-annual report for the first half of the year, covering January 1 to June 30, and published by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), said the figure indicates a sustained growth in the country’s petroleum savings vehicles.

The Ghana Heritage Fund (GHF), established to provide an endowment for future generations, reported a Closing Book Value of US$1,361,556,511.17 at the end of the period.

​It commenced the year with an Opening Book Value of US$1,258,860,023.12 and saw Receipt during the period, totalling US$19,057,851.20.

Its Net Return was calculated at US$23,918,736.85, derived primarily from Investment Income of US$23,942,965.36, after deducting Bank Charges of US$24,228.51.

​There were no withdrawals from the Heritage Fund during the review period, in line with the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA).

​The Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF), which serves as a buffer to support the national budget during periods of low oil revenues, closed the period with a Book Value of US$122,974,616.89.

​The GSF’s financial performance began with an Opening Book Value of US$196,915,182.98 and registered a Receipt during the period of US$44,468,319.46.

MasterCard Foundation/GEA present piglets to more farmers in Berekum West 

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Mr Dickson Kyere-Duah, the Member of Parliament for Berekum West in the Bono Region has launched the implementation of the ‘Business-in-a Box’ (BizBox) project to push the growth of the piggery sector in the area. 
 
Mastercard Foundation, in collaboration with the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) is implementing the project which always sought to make piggery more attractive for the unemployed youth in the constituency. 
 
Under the project, the MP presented 76 piglets and other start-up kits to 39 farmers, mostly women to begin their economic venture. 
 
At a short ceremony at Jinijini, Mr Kyere-Duah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promote agribusiness and also to boost the livestock industry for job creation and poverty reduction. 
 
He highlighted the huge economic prospects of farming, saying the venture remained a lucrative enterprise and urged the unemployed youth in the area to leverage that, find decent jobs for themselves and to enhance their socio-economic livelihoods. 
 
Mr Kyere-Duah said it was untrue that farming was a reserve for the poor and urged the youth to engage in farming and to woo government support. 
 
Mr Collins Asomah, the Berekum West District Chief Executive, commended the government for its efforts to advance the agri-business sector and assured the assembly’s readiness to support the beneficiaries and to improve their economic activities. 
 
He noted that many of the interested farmers would also benefit from the project depending on the outcome of the first beneficiaries and asked them to take their businesses seriously to derive the maximum benefit. 
 
Mr Asomah said the district had huge prospects in the agriculture sector, saying 76 percent of the people were into agriculture, and urged them to also engage in mushroom production and grasscutter rearing. 
 
Ms Elizabeth Benewaa, one of the beneficiaries, thanked the government for the project and expressed the hope that most farmers would also benefit from the opportunity. 

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