Author: Constance Awunor

Photocopying or visually inspecting a Ghana Card during a transaction is now a criminal offence following the enforcement of an amendment to the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2111). The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Kwaku Deku, announced on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, that the amended regulations had been gazetted. The new rules make biometric verification the only legal method for confirming the identity of a Ghana Card holder during a transaction. Under the amended regulations, organisations that violate the directive could face fines between GH¢6,000 and GH¢24,000 upon summary conviction.…

The Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament have clashed over the decision to hold a closed-door meeting with the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama. The disagreement followed a decision by the Committee of the Whole to hear the Governor’s responses to questions on the country’s foreign exchange interventions without the presence of the media. Minority accuses Majority of hiding information The Minority said the decision was intended to prevent the Governor from publicly acknowledging that Ghana’s foreign exchange stability was largely supported by the domestic gold purchase programme introduced under the previous administration. Addressing…

Kenya’s High Court has dismissed a petition by the Rastafari Society of Kenya seeking to legalise the use of cannabis for religious purposes. The court ruled that the group failed to prove that Kenya’s drug laws violate the constitutional rights to freedom of religion and belief, although it acknowledged the need for a wider national conversation on cannabis policy. Court upholds cannabis ban Delivering what has been described as a landmark judgment, Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the evidence presented by the Rastafarian community was insufficient to justify a religious exemption. The group argued that cannabis is a sacred sacrament…

Nigerian Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that maintaining his celebrity lifestyle costs him between $200,000 and $300,000 every month. The award-winning singer made the disclosure during a recent livestream with content creator Davrel, where he spoke about the financial demands of fame. Davido said his monthly expenditure does not include the personal expenses of his wife, Chioma Adeleke, or the rest of his household. “I spend between $200,000 and $300,000 every month and that doesn’t even include my wife’s expenses or the rest of my household,” he said. The singer added that the amount also…

Cabinet has revoked Executive Instrument (E.I.) 144, as amended by E.I. 234, restoring Achimota Forest to its original status as a protected Forest Reserve. The decision reverses the earlier declassification of part of the reserve and preserves the forest as an ecological safety zone for Accra and its surrounding communities. The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced the decision at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency, describing it as a major milestone for environmental protection. Cabinet reverses forest declassification “I am happy to announce a historic Cabinet decision taken on the 24th of June 2026…

President John Dramani Mahama has begun a two-day working visit to the Volta Region with a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of 18 24-hour Economy Model Markets across the region. The visit forms part of his #ResettingGhana Tour, which seeks to engage communities and assess the progress of key government development projects. President Mahama started the tour in Juapong, where he officially launched the market project. The initiative will see one 24-hour Economy Model Market built in each district across the Volta Region. The President is accompanied by Ministers of State, heads of public institutions and Members of Parliament. During…

The Government of Ghana has announced plans to conduct an independent autopsy on the remains of Bashiru Isak, the Ghanaian national killed during recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The decision followed consultations with Mr. Isak’s family after both the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria and the bereaved family failed to obtain an official post-mortem report from South African authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the independent autopsy forms part of efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding Mr Isak’s death. In a statement issued on Thursday, July 16, the government renewed its call for a swift and transparent investigation…

At least 13 people have been confirmed dead, while several others have sustained injuries following a fatal three-vehicle collision at Odumase near Konongo on the Kumasi-Accra Highway in the Ashanti Region. The crash involved a cargo truck transporting tomatoes, a passenger bus and a fuel tanker that was not carrying fuel at the time of the accident. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. However, eyewitnesses told JoyNews that the collision occurred after an alleged wrongful overtaking manoeuvre, which led to a head-on crash involving the vehicles. Emergency responders arrived at the scene to rescue victims trapped in…

A monkey with striking pinkish-orange lips and a black face has been confirmed as a new species after years of research in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Scientists found the black-furred primate in the dense tropical forests of Lomami National Park in the country’s central eastern region. The discovery makes it only the fifth African monkey species to be officially identified in the past 75 years. Discovery took years to confirm Conservationists first spotted the unusual monkey in 2008 but managed to capture only a blurry photograph. A second sighting a decade later prompted an international…

FIFA will assess the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, Infantino said the governing body wants the World Cup to reflect the global nature of football by giving more nations the opportunity to qualify. “These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” Infantino said when asked about the proposal. “When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.…