The Ashanti Regional Organiser for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Francis Adomako, who is popularly known as Francois in the political space, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama for failing to honour his electoral promise to cocoa farmers.
According to him, the current Agric Minister,Mr.Eric Opoku,who was then the Minority spokesperson for Agriculture,the current Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who was the then ranking member of finance in the run-up to 2024 general election, among other National Democratic Congress (NDC) leading members, told cocoa farmers that the NDC, led by President Mahama, would pay them (cocoa farmers) GH¢6,000 per a bag of cocoa.
Dr.Francis Adomako aka Francois
As a result, the farmers voted for Mr Mahama massively, hoping he would fulfil his promise of paying GH¢6,000 per a bag of cocoa instead of the GH¢3,228 new price – a difference of GH¢ 1,228 from what he came to meet.
Francois, who is also
the Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Secretary hopeful, made the comments on Monday, 4th August 2025, shortly after the public announcement of the new producer price of cocoa.
Francois, who doubles as the Dean of all Regional Organisers, cautioned Ghanaians, especially cocoa farmers, not to trust President Mahama and the NDC government, saying ,”All the things they promised they (NDC) promised to do for Ghanaians have not come to pass.”
He recalled that President Mahama and some leading NDC members
were very vocal about how much they thought cocoa farmers were supposed to be given for a bag of cocoa in the lead up to the 2024 political campaign season. “Now, the reality has dawned on them,” he added.
He said NDC members asked cocoa farmers to entrust the governance of the country into the hands of Mr Mahama and the NDC so as to be paid what they deserved for their cocoa.
“Now, the farmers have voted for you massively, hoping that you would fulfil your promise of paying GH¢6,000 per bag of cocoa, but you turned round to give them GH¢ 3,228,” he indicated.
“A bag of cocoa, before you (Mahama) came to office was GH¢3,100. This was the price you rejected during the campaign and gave them the juicy promise of paying GH¢6,000,” he said.
“Why did you announce a new cocoa price of GH¢3,223 starting from August 7, 2025 instead of the GH¢6,000 you promised? ” he asked rhetorically.
Francois is, therefore, calling on President Mahama, Dr. Ato Forson, Mr. Eric Opoku, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, and others to be bold enough and come out and apologise to Ghanaians, especially cocoa farmers.
The government has approved a significant increase in the producer price of cocoa, raising it from US$3,100 to US$5,040 per tonne for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.
The announcement was made by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson via a social media post on Monday, August 4, following a meeting of the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), which he chairs.
Dr Forson explained that the new price represents a 62.58 per cent increase in US dollar terms and aligns with President Mahama’s pledge to ensure cocoa farmers receive 70 per cent of the Free-On-Board (FOB) value.
“Government has by this decision increased the producer price significantly… representing 70% of the gross FOB value of $7,200 per tonne,” he stated.
Comparing the new policy with that of the previous administration, the Minister noted that the NPP government in the 2024/25 season paid US$3,100 per tonne against an FOB value of US$4,850 — amounting to just 63.9 per cent.
He added that the current FOB value is based on a blend of contracts sold at $2,600 per tonne in the 2023/24 crop year and forward forecasts for 2025/2026.
With an average exchange rate of GH¢10.25 to the US dollar, the increase means cocoa farmers will now receive GH¢51,660 per tonne or GH¢3,228.75 per 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa.
The new price will take effect from Thursday, August 7, 2025.Source: Ernest K. Arhinful
Accra,August 4, 2025. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MobileMoney LTD, Shaibu Haruna, has been awarded the CEO of the Year – Fintech, at the prestigious 4th Ghana CEO Vision and Awards, held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
The award recognises Shaibu’s outstanding leadership, innovation, and transformative impact within the Fintech sector. Under his leadership, MobileMoney LTD has strengthened its position as a digital finance leader, accelerating financial inclusion and driving customer-focused innovation across Ghana.
Shaibu Haruna
Expressing his appreciation after receiving the award, Mr. Haruna said,“This recognition is a testament to the incredible work of the MobileMoney LTD team and the entire MTN Ghana team. We remain committed to delivering cutting-edge digital financial solutions that empower individuals, businesses, and communities across Ghana and beyond.”
He dedicated the Award to MoMo customers and the various stakeholder groups whosepartnership, loyalty and commitment in using the MoMo platform have contributed to deepening financial inclusion in Ghana.
Shaibu Haruna is a seasoned executive with over two and a half decades of commercial experience in diverse businesses across Africa and the Middle East. His expertise spans Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Automobile, Financial Services, E-Commerce, and Telecoms. The past eighteen years of his career have been in telecoms/digital services where he led channel and business transformation/turnaround in Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia markets.
A greater part of his telecommunications career has been with MTN where he spearheaded the highly rated distribution model for MTN in Ghana, which has since been replicated across the majority ofMTN Group markets. In 2022, Shaibuwas appointed the Chief Executive Officer of MobileMoney LTD, a subsidiary of Scancom Plc (MTN Ghana) and market leader of digital financial services.
Since its launch in 2009,MobileMoney LTD has remained committed to driving financial inclusion and contributed significantly to shaping the future of digital payments and unlocking economic opportunities for its customers.
The Ghana CEO Vision and Awards is organised by Globe Productions Ltd to celebratetop-performing chief executives across more than 30 sectors to project their visionary leadership and measurable impact.
For far too long, Ghana’s economic hope has rested heavily on the shoulders of its natural resources; gold, cocoa, bauxite, oil, and timber. These blessings of nature have been the backbone of our economy for decades. Yet, despite this wealth, our nation still struggles with unemployment, low industrial capacity, and a slow pace of technological advancement.
The hard truth is this: natural resources alone cannot deliver national prosperity. They are finite. They are vulnerable to price fluctuations in the global market. And history has shown that resource-rich nations often fail to translate that wealth into long-term, broad-based development.
What truly sustains a nation is its human capital — a well-educated, highly skilled, and innovative population capable of creating wealth and driving progress regardless of what lies beneath the soil.
Lessons from the World: Human Capital as the Real Gold
The world offers us undeniable evidence of what is possible when a nation places its bet on its people.
Singapore is perhaps the most compelling example. In the 1960s, it was a small island nation with no oil, no gold, and no arable land to feed its people. Yet, in a single generation, Singapore became one of the wealthiest and most advanced nations in the world. How? By investing heavily in education, building world-class schools, and creating a workforce skilled in technology, finance, and innovation. Education was not an afterthought, it was the engine of economic transformation.
China presents another lesson. While blessed with some resources, China’s meteoric rise to become the world’s manufacturing hub and now a leader in high-tech industries came not from resource exports, but from the systematic development of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. For decades, China produced millions of engineers, scientists, and innovators who could power large-scale industrialization and now drive breakthroughs in AI, renewable energy, and biotechnology.
Dr.Osei Yaw Adutwum, former Ghana’s Education Minister
South Korea is equally instructive. Emerging from the ashes of war in the 1950s, it was a poor, resource-scarce nation. The government made a deliberate choice: make education universal, technical, and globally competitive. Within decades, South Korea transformed into an innovation powerhouse, home to world-class companies like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, proof that a nation can engineer its prosperity through education and human capital development.
The message is clear: the wealth of nations is no longer in natural resources, but in the minds and skills of their people.
Why Ghana Needs Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum Now
If Ghana is to break from its dependency on natural resources and step into a future defined by innovation, technology, and global competitiveness, we need a leader who understands that education is the foundation of national transformation. That leader is Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Before his entry into Ghanaian politics, Dr. Adutwum distinguished himself in the United States by founding and successfully managing charter schools with a strong focus on STEM education. These schools not only met but exceeded performance benchmarks, proving his ability to design and sustain high-quality education systems in competitive and diverse environments.
When he returned home to serve as Deputy Minister and later substantive Minister for Education, his leadership marked a clear shift in Ghana’s educational priorities:
• Championing STEM education nationwide, establishing state-of-the-art STEM high schools equipped with modern laboratories and technology.
• Repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a respected and viable path for young people, aligning skills training with market demands.
• Introducing forward-looking educational policies that connect classroom learning with real-world applications, ensuring Ghana’s graduates can compete both locally and globally.
A Vision Already in Action: Engineers for Every Constituency
Perhaps one of Dr. Adutwum’s boldest promises is his vision to produce strong engineers in all 276 constituencies of Ghana, creating a nationwide network of technical experts capable of driving industrialization, infrastructure development, and innovation.
This vision is not mere campaign rhetoric. In his own constituency, Bosomtwe, he has already laid the foundation for it:
• He has funded over 300 students in the last six years to pursue various engineering disciplines in tertiary institutions across Ghana.
• He has established STEM-focused schools and laboratories that prepare young people for competitive STEM fields.
• He has built partnerships between educational institutions and industry to ensure graduates transition smoothly into relevant, high-impact careers.
This is practical, measurable action — proof that his vision for Ghana is not just possible, but already happening.
The Road Ahead: From Potential to Prosperity
Ghana stands at a pivotal moment. We can either continue the cycle of relying on natural resources and outdated political practices, or we can pivot toward a future built on the limitless power of human capital.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum is not just another political figure; he is a proven reformer, an educator, and a visionary. His life’s work is living proof that education can transform lives, communities, and nations. He offers Ghana a fresh face, a transformational agenda, and a unifying vision that cuts across political divides.
If Singapore could rise without resources, if China could transform through STEM, and if South Korea could innovate its way from poverty to prosperity, then Ghana, under Dr. Adutwum’s leadership, can achieve even greater heights.
The Ghana we envision is one where every child has access to quality education, where every constituency produces innovators and problem-solvers, and where our economy is powered by the skills, creativity, and determination of our people.
The leader to take us there is clear: Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the man to turn Ghana’s human capital into our greatest resource and our strongest path to prosperity.
By Frank Antwi Boasiakoh, Teacher, Educational Leader, STEM Enthusiast, Former Member of the Ejisu Municipal Assembly, and currently a PhD Candidate in Educational Leadership.
Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Safe Journey Foundation, a non-governmental Organization specialist in road safety education and management, has declared the Accra-Kumasi highway as a deathtrap.
According to him, the Accra-Kumasi highway, which serves 14 out of the 16 regions, has become a leading “killer” of road users, for which reason there is an urgent need for all hands to be on deck for the immediate fixing of the highway devoid of the usual political assurance by successive governments.
Mr.Patrick Kwame Frimpong
He said apart from those in the Central and Western religions who don’t use the road, the majority of people in the 14 regions use the highway, which has claimed many lives over the years.
According to him, the recent road accidents should be a wake-up call for the government to do whatever possible in the shortest time to help fix the highway.
The renewed call by the CEO of Safe Journey Foundation, who doubles as the National NALAG Vice-President and the Presiding Member for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in an interview with “The New Trust” newspaper on Sunday, 3rd August 2025, follows the recent lorry accident that claimed the lives of 16 members of the Saviour Church in the Asante Akyem South Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
It would recalled that 16 members of the Saviour Church of Ghana lost their lives following a tragic accident on the Atwedie stretch of the Kumasi-Accra highway on Monday, July 28, 2025.
The incident, which occurred around 2:30 p.m., involved a collision between a vehicle carrying the church members and a fuel tanker which was coming from the opposite direction.
Available information revealed that the victims were returning to Obogu in the Asante Akyem South Municipality, after attending their church’s annual meeting in the Eastern Region.
The head-on collision led to multiple fatalities on the spot and few members survived with serious injures.
File scenes of the recent road accident
It is as a result of that unfortunate incident that Mr. Frimpong is appealing to the government to secure funding for at least three to four lanes for the Accra-Kumasi highway.
“Accra-Kumasi highway needs 3-4 lanes to avoid further road accidents. I’m also appealing to all road users, especially drivers, to be extra careful by avoiding speeding, wrong overtaking, drink-driving, but rather follow all the road regulations to help reduce, if not eliminate, the rampant fatal lorry accidents,” he added.
Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, an astute politician cum businessman, has surprised members of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) community by donating GH¢250,000 to the KNUST-Alumni Endowment Fund.
The 84-year-old renowned politician left KNUST in Kumasi about 60 years ago.
It was, therefore, not a surprise that many people, including the MC for the occasion, who doubles as a renowned Ghanaian media personality, Anita Akua Kyerewaa Kuma, proposed that the endowment fund be named after Hon. Hackman Owusu Agyemang.
Hon. Hackman Owusu Agyemang
Mr. Agyemang is a member of the 2nd Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana and a former Minister of Water, Works and Housing, as well as a former minister of foreign affairs. Mr Agyemang was also Minister of Interior during Former President J.A.Kufuor’s administration.
In 1965,he stated work as Agricultural Economist at the Ministry of Agricultural.In 1970,Mr Agyemang moved to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome,Italy.
He left the UN FAO as Chief, Regional Bureau of Africa in Rome. He, also works and was in charge of many countries in the world, including the Suriname, Caribbean, and Southern Africa.
He is currently the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party and former board chairman of the Ghana Cocoa Board.
The KNUST-Alumni homecoming was held on Friday, 1st August 2025, at the Great Hall of the university on the theme: “Celebrating our legacy, building our future together”.
Participants in a group photograph
The focus of the homecoming was how alumni-faculty-industry collaborations can be redesigned to improve the quality of our graduates and bring more resources to market faster with significant social impact.
Mr. Agyemang made a presentation on the topic: “The spirit of giving endowment fund/day of giving,etc.”
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Jones Orleans, who spoke on the topic: “Harnessing Alumni Network for Institutional Growth”.
The University Council Chairman also spoke on the topic: “Optimising Alumni-Faculty-Industry Collaborations: What’s next”, among other speakers.
The homecoming ceremony afforded the alumni to socialise, network and dine together after many years of seeing one another aside from strategizing to mobilise funds into the endowment fund as a way of giving back to the university.
Besides, Mr Agyemang, Dr Ben Asante, the immediate-past Ghana Gas Chief Executive Officer (CEO), also donated GH¢100,000.
Other alumni members donated between GH¢20,000 and GH¢50,000 to support the endowment fund.
The Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra has dismissed a judicial review application filed by suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, ruling that the case constituted an abuse of court process and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Kwame Amoako, marks the collapse of a second legal challenge by the suspended Chief Justice over the ongoing proceedings for her potential removal from office under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
This judicial review follows an earlier constitutional interpretation case filed by Justice Torkonoo at the Supreme Court, which is still pending. However, an injunction application she filed to halt the impeachment proceedings, pending the outcome of the Supreme Court case, was previously dismissed.
Details of the High Court Application
Filed on June 9, 2025, the judicial review application sought nine reliefs, including a series of declarations that the Article 146 committee investigating her had acted unlawfully. The Chief Justice also requested the court to quash proceedings of the committee and prohibit it from continuing without providing authenticated copies of the petitions and responses.
Court’s Legal Reasoning
In his ruling, Justice Amoako categorized the reliefs into two groups: those dismissed as an abuse of court process, and those dismissed for want of jurisdiction.
Reliefs Dismissed as Abuse of Court Process
The court found that several of the Chief Justice’s claims were already before the Supreme Court in the constitutional interpretation case. These included:
Allegations that the committee was proceeding unlawfully due to the Registry’s failure to provide authenticated petitions and responses;
2. A request to prohibit the committee from continuing its work without those authenticated documents;
Claims that the committee was wrongfully conducting adversarial proceedings, rather than an impartial inquiry;
4. Allegations that the committee’s composition was unlawful.
Justice Amoako held that re-litigating these issues at the High Court, while they are under active consideration by the Supreme Court, amounted to duplicative litigation and an abuse of the court process.
Reliefs Dismissed for Want of Jurisdiction
The remaining reliefs were struck out on jurisdictional grounds. These included:
Requests to nullify the committee’s sittings on the basis that the Chief Justice was denied a fair hearing;
2. Allegations that her legal team was prevented from representing her during the proceedings;
3. Claims of procedural breaches of the Constitution and the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules;
4. An application for an order of certiorari to quash the committee’s proceedings.
The court held that it could not inquire into these matters, as they related directly to proceedings of the Article 146 committee, which, under Article 146(8) of the Constitution, are to be held in-camera and shielded from external review.
Accra, July 31, 2025 – MTN Ghana distinguished itself once again by securing the overall Project Management Office (PMO) of the Year award at the 2025 Project Management Excellence Awards (PMEA), held at the Aqua Safari Resort. The ceremony was organized by Project Management Institute (PMI) Ghana after a successful National Project Management Conference (NPMC) at the Aqua Safari resort in Ada, Ghana.
MTN Ghana’s Project Management Office (PMO) was recognized for its excellence in delivering strategically aligned, benefits-driven projects by focusing on key priority investments and closely tracking performance. The PMO achieved allof its targets, demonstrating strong execution, value creation and ongoing commitment to business goals.
Other prestigious awards won include;
Telecom Company Project of the Year – NextGen MoMo App
Project Manager of the Year – 1st Runner-Up – Selorm Kove
Project of the Year – 2nd Runner-Up – The Massive-MiMo Technology Project
MTN received four awards in total at the event.
The NextGen MoMo App earned MTN Ghana the “Telecom Company Project of the Year award”, highlighting the company’s innovative contributions to fintech. As MTN Ghana’s flagship project, it supports all fourof its technology strategy pillars namely Platforms, Ecosystems & Services, Agile Operating Model, Connectivity & monetization of infrastructure and Experience: Second to None (PACE) by enhancing user experience with features like a streamlined interface, biometric authentication, QR payments, phonebook-based transfers, utility bill payment, and digital lending. The app positions MoMo as more than a transaction tool, advancing MTN Ghana’s leadership in mobile financial services and contributing to customer engagement, revenue, and the company’s digital innovation goals.
Selorm Kove wasthe 1st Runner-Up for the Project Manager of the Year award. Selorm was recognized for his outstanding leadership and data-drivenmanagement.His contributions included leading and the roll out of theMultiple Input, Multiple Output (MiMO)projects to a faster execution rate, setting new standards for speed and teamwork. He introduced efficient methodologies to improve stakeholder coordination and project predictability and developed a performance tracker to quickly identify delays and support targeted solutions.Selorm’s work has positively impacted MTN Ghana by improving MTN Ghana’s project delivery and showcasing his strong leadership and results-oriented approach.
The Massive-MIMO Project earned the 2nd Runner-Up award for Project of the Year. The Massive-MiMO is designed to boost network performance in tenregions in Ghana, including Greater Accra and Ashanti.Itimproved data speed and quality by upgrading existing 4G infrastructure with minimal hardware changes. The project enhanced network speed, up to eight times faster in congested areas, without any new site construction. It leveraged the current 4G spectrum for greater speeds and supported MTN Ghana’s Ambition 2025 strategy, and improved network scalability.
Leading the MTN team to receive the awards, Emmanuel Afutu, Senior Manager for Base Station Subsystems Implementation, accepted the awards on behalf of MTN Ghana and affirmed the team’s commitment to resilience and high project management standards.
William Tetteh, Chief Transformation Officerat MTN Ghana, praised the collective efforts of the project management team, attributing the success to a shared culture of accountability, continuous learning, and adherence to best practices in project execution. He highlighted how the team’s rigorous approach to innovation and risk management has enabled MTN Ghana to respond swiftly to emerging challenges and evolving customer needs. William also noted that close collaboration across departments and proactive stakeholder engagement were key drivers behind the award-winning projects, further reinforcing the organization’s reputation for excellence in project delivery.
The 2025 National Project Management Conference (NPMC) & Project Management Excellence Awards(PMEA), held under the theme “Innovating for Prosperity: How Project Management Will Shape Ghana’s Economic Future”explored how innovative project management can address the nation’s most urgent challenges, create economic opportunities, and contribute to national prosperity.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced Tuesday, 2nd September 2025, as the date for a by-election in the Akwatia Constituency of the Eastern Region following the death of the Member of Parliament, Ernest Kumi.
The Commission explained that the seat has officially become vacant in line with Article 112(5) of the Constitution, which mandates a by-election when a parliamentary seat becomes vacant.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 30, the EC said it will open nominations for individuals interested in contesting the by-election. “The Commission will receive nominations from prospective candidates for the election of a Member of Parliament for the said constituency,” the statement read.
Nomination Period and Requirements
Nomination forms can be downloaded from the EC’s official website (www.ec.gov.gh) starting, 30th July 2025 through to 13th August 2025.
Submission of nomination forms will take place at the Denkyembour District Office from 11th to 13th August 2025, between 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm daily.
Candidates are required to submit their forms in person or through their proposer or seconder. The forms must be endorsed by two registered voters – a proposer and a seconder – and supported by 18 other registered voters in the constituency.
In addition to the forms, candidates must submit two passport-sized photographs showing their full face and ears, taken against a red background.
Filing Fees
The filing fee for each candidate is set at GH¢10,000. However, female candidates and persons with disabilities (PWDs) will pay a reduced fee of GH¢7,500.
