The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has announced that the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, will be laid before Parliament for its first reading during the second meeting of the Ninth Parliament.
The bill seeks to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana, as well as any form of advocacy, promotion, or financial support for such acts.
Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
Delivering his opening address to mark the beginning of the new parliamentary session, Speaker Bagbin stated: “Three private members’ bills—the Property Rights of Spouses Bill, 2025, the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025—have completed the necessary processes in line with the Standing Orders and are expected to be presented for first reading during this meeting.”
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was previously passed by the Eighth Parliament but failed to become law after it did not receive presidential assent during former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s tenure.
Its reintroduction is expected to reignite intense national and international debate over human rights, constitutional freedoms, and Ghana’s cultural identity.Source: Adomonline
The decision by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, who is also the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto
Ablakwa, to shut down the Ghana Embassy in Washington (USA) has received mixed reactions from the Ghanaian public.
A former Afigya Kwabre South Constituency Chairman for the New Patriotic Party, Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, aka COKA, has strongly kicked against the decision by the minister.
COKA made his position known in a Facebook post. He wrote:
COKA
“Dear Hon. Okudzeto, I disagree with you about the closure of the Ghana Embassy in Washington (US). I am not sure all the officers at the embassy have done something wrong. Please, the closure will not solve the IT problem identified. Mr. Minister, for your ministry, you need to have patience in all your dealings to handle diplomatic issues. You cannot do the right thing the wrong way”. Coka, l care.
Mr.Samuel Okudzeto
Citinewsroom.com reports that the Ghana Embassy in Washington D.C., United States of America, is set to reopen on Thursday, May 29, 2025, following a temporary closure triggered by a major corruption scandal.
The announcement follows a directive by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday, May 26, ordering the temporary closure of the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., in response to allegations of widespread corruption and abuse of office at the embassy.
Fred Kwarteng, a locally recruited IT staff member hired in August 2017 has been identified as the key figure in the scandal. He admitted to creating an unauthorised link on the website of the embassy.
The link redirected visa and passport applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants, where they were charged unapproved fees ranging from $29.75 to $60.
Distinguished veteran journalist and renowned media trainer Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng is reported dead after months of ill health.
He died in London on Monday, May 26, where he had been seeking treatment since February.
A close friend and colleague, Media and Communication expert, Prof. Kwame Karikari, confirmed his death to MyJoyOnline.
Nana Gyan-Apenteng, a former editor and columnist of The Mirror weekly newspaper, was the Apagyahene of Tafo Eti in the Eastern Region.
Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng
He was deputy editor of the erstwhile London-based West Africa magazine in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Returning to Ghana in the 1990s, Nana Gyan-Apenteng worked with the Third World Network as head of the non-governmental organisation’s communication unit and editor of its monthly magazine, Africa Agenda.
He served as a media trainer and communication consultant for several corporate, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, including the telecoms giant MTN, some UN agencies, the Media Foundation for West Africa, and STAR Ghana.
He was a graduate of Apam Secondary School and the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng was a member and chairman of the National Media Commission from 2013 to 2018. He also served as president of the Ghana Association of Writers. He spent a part of his secondary schooling at Okuapeman.
He is survived by six children. Burial and funeral arrangements will be announced by the family in due course.Source: David Apinga
Former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢10 million with two sureties, to be justified with landed property in Greater Accra.
As part of the bail conditions, he is to deposit his passport and all other travel documents with the court and report to the investigator once every week.
The case has been adjourned to June 10 at 9:00 a.m.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi earlier pleaded not guilty to charges of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, intentional dissipation of public funds, and conspiracy to commit crime.
His plea was entered on Monday, May 26, after he missed two previous court appearances due to reported medical emergencies.
Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi is standing trial alongside Solomon Asamoah, a former CEO of the GIIF, in connection with the controversial transfer of $2 million of public funds into a private account belonging to Africa Investor Holdings.
According to the prosecution, the funds were transferred without proper authorisation or due diligence, allegedly for the construction of a proposed Sky Train project.
The state contends that the transaction—executed during the accused persons’ tenure—violated legal and administrative protocols, resulting in a significant financial loss to the state.
Both men deny any wrongdoing and are expected to mount a full defence as the trial progresses.
The chief of Kadue near Yeji in the Pru East Municipality of the Bono East Region, Nana Kwaku Lanta V, has strongly protested against the nomination and confirmation of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, Abdul Nasir Dauda popularly known as Borga Nash.
He said, how the selection of the MCE went on this time round,would automatically have serious implications against NDC in the next general election.
He explained that, since 1992 whenever NDC wins general election, the precedence is that if the Member of Parliament (MP) comes from Yeji area, the Chief Executive is also selected from the other part of the District.
Bono East Region, Nana Kwaku Lanta V
Nana Lanta, bemoaned that, this time around, both the MP and the Chief Executive are from the same area, Yeji.
According to him, the position should have been given to one Yusif, the constituency organiser of the party,who is the grassroots choice but he was sidelined because of the influence from the top hierarchy of the Party.
He said, this has brought agitations and division within the NDC which in future would definitely go against the success of the party.
” Kadue, alone has 42 polling stations and they all favors NDC. If all these polling stations decide to turn against NDC, you can guess the outcome. NDC is about Kadue and Kadue is about NDC “. he added.
Nana Lanta , therefore,urged the leadership of the party to do the needful before things become late.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has publicly dismissed claims made by former Deputy Foreign Minister, Charles Owiredu, suggesting that Ghanaian visas were processed within 2 to 5 days under the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
The rebuttal follows Mr Ablakwa’s recent announcement that visa applications will now be processed within a 2–5 day window, a significant improvement he attributes to reforms under the current government.
Mr Owiredu, however, countered that the 2–5 day time-frame had long been standard practice during the tenure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) earlier today, Mr Ablakwa responded sharply, stating, “Honourable former Deputy Minister, you know you are absolutely wrong on this.” He added that official embassy websites from the NPP era contradict Mr Owiredu’s claim.
To substantiate his point, Mr Ablakwa cited data from several Ghanaian missions abroad.
“Our embassy websites across the world do not confirm your grossly incorrect claim of 2–5 days for standard visa applications when your party was in power,” he said.
He pointed to the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., which indicated processing times of 15 to 20 business days, while New York required three weeks, Germany’s embassy stated 15 business days, and the UK High Commission listed 15 working days.
“These are just a few websites exposing your misleading presentation,” the Minister asserted.
The sharp exchange highlights the ongoing political contention over service delivery records, particularly within Ghana’s foreign missions.
Mr Ablakwa’s reforms, which aim to expedite visa processing and improve the efficiency of consular services, are being positioned as a hallmark of the new administration’s commitment to better service.
Meanwhile, the Ministry appears intent on backing its initiatives with data, challenging opposition figures to engage with facts rather than nostalgia.Source: Ernest K. Arhinful
Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has officially petitioned the Supreme Court to disqualify two of its justices—Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu—from participating in proceedings concerning her possible removal from office.
The motion, submitted on her behalf by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, argues that the two justices should be barred due to their alleged involvement in an inappropriate meeting with a lawyer representing one of the petitioners in the ongoing inquiry.
Suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Justice Torkornoo’s petition names Justices Pwamang and Asiedu, along with former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo, Major Flora Bazwaanura Dalugo, and Professor James Sefah Dzisah, as defendants or respondents in the case.
She is requesting that the Supreme Court issue an order restraining the committee—comprising the second to sixth respondents—from continuing with any proceedings connected to the inquiry into the three petitions filed against her.
Her suspension, announced by President John Mahama under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, followed the establishment of a prima facie case by the Council of State. The suspension remains in place pending the outcome of the inquiry.
This legal action marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing controversy, as Justice Torkornoo raises serious concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the process. She is particularly alarmed by the involvement of justices who allegedly held private meetings with a petitioner’s lawyer.
Background to the Controversy
Alfred Ababio Kumi, a concerned citizen, has also submitted a petition to the President, urging the immediate dissolution of the five-member committee investigating the Chief Justice. His petition is based on what he describes as a compromising and inappropriate encounter between members of the judiciary and legal counsel.
Kumi claims that on the night of Thursday, May 15, 2025—the same day the committee held its inaugural session—Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, and Yonny Kulendi were seen at Santoku Restaurant in Accra’s Airport Residential Area between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., dining with Mr. Thaddeus Sory, who is counsel for one of the petitioners.
According to Kumi, the meeting “excited the curiosity of some persons in the restaurant,” who reportedly overheard discussions related to the case. “The strange meeting of the four persons who are keenly interested in and have played, and indeed continue to play, critical roles initiated in the processes for the removal of the Chief Justice excited the curiosity of some persons in the restaurant. Indeed, they were overheard discussing matters relating to the petition,” the petition stated.
He insists the incident can be easily confirmed, writing: “Respectfully, the record of the four – Justices Pwamang, Kulendi [and] Asiedu and lawyer Thaddeus Sory’s – presence at the restaurant and meeting can easily be verified and confirmed.”
Kumi describes the situation as a serious threat to the legitimacy of the process, stating, “The above development is of grave worry as proceedings for the removal of the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana are a solemn process and should not lend itself to manipulation by any person or authority. The meeting between Justices Pwamang, Kulendi, and Asiedu with Thaddeus Sory clearly has destroyed the integrity of the process and reduced public confidence in the process so far.”
He continues by emphasizing the conflict of interest: “Both Justices Asiedu and Pwamang are panel members set up to inquire into the petition. They have no business meeting with counsel for one of the petitioners outside working hours at an unofficial place – a restaurant, to have a discussion.”
Kumi further pointed out a past judgment as part of the concern: “This is more serious when the record shows that Justice Pwamang gave judgments in favour of the same petitioner, Daniel Ofori, represented by the same counsel, Thaddeus Sory, in the Supreme Court.”
Describing the justices’ alleged actions as unethical, he concluded: “Their conduct is deplorable and the most unbecoming of justices occupying the highest court in Ghana. It has the tendency to show that the whole process, quite unfortunately, is a sham. In the interest of preserving the integrity of the process, I hereby petition you for an immediate dissolution of the committee, as its ability to dispense justice is clearly compromised.”
This unfolding episode underscores growing concerns about transparency and fairness at the highest levels of the judiciary, with the integrity of the removal process now under intense public scrutiny.Soirce:Dailymailgh.com
Accra, Ghana– The National Executive Committee of the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) has officially confirmed Mr. Jeorge Wilson Kingson as the Executive Secretary of the Association. The confirmation was made during the Committee’s Second Quarter meeting held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at PRINPAG’s National Secretariat in Kokomlemle, Accra.
Mr. Kingson’s confirmation was made in accordance with the Association’s constitution and received unanimous approval from all members of the Executive Committee. His confirmation comes after months of dedicated service in an acting capacity, having stepped into the role in September 2023.
Commenting on the development, PRINPAG President Mr. Andrew Edwin Arthur noted, “Ever since Jeorge was placed in an Acting Executive Secretary capacity in September 2023, he has worked hard to bring us progress. His work is evident, and we believe strongly that he will work even harder to unite and strengthen the Association further.”
Mr. Kingson also currently serves as the Public Affairs and External Relations Officer of PRINPAG, a role in which he has played a key part in enhancing the Association’s visibility and stakeholder engagement.
As Executive Secretary, Mr. Kingson will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Association, ensuring the smooth execution of its operations, and providing strategic and logistical support to help PRINPAG achieve its mission and objectives.
PRINPAG congratulates Mr. Kingson on his confirmation and looks forward to his continued leadership, innovation, and commitment to the advancement of the media landscape in Ghana.
Transparency International Ghana has criticised President John Mahama over his decision to accept two vehicles as gifts, calling the move a contradiction of the ethical standards outlined in his newly launched Code of Conduct for public appointees.
President Mahama, who recently unveiled the code as a moral benchmark for officeholders, publicly admitted to receiving the two cars, which he subsequently handed over to the state. However, Michael Boadi, Fundraising Manager at Transparency International Ghana (TIG), says the gesture still sends the wrong message.
“I think that the president’s accepting the two cars in the first place undermined his code of conduct,” Mr Boadi said in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, 21 May.
“Right from the onset, he undermined his own principles and standards that he has set for his own appointees.”
Invoking the adage “he who comes to equity must come with clean hands,” Mr Boadi questioned the president’s ability to enforce the Code when he has received high-value gifts.
“Appointees are prohibited from accepting gifts exceeding GH₵20,000, yet the president appears to be held to a different standard,” he noted.
Mr Boadi further argued that the presidency already possesses a substantial vehicle fleet and does not require additional cars. Instead, he suggested a more prudent and ethical course of action would have been to redirect the gift.
“The presidency has enough pool of cars; they don’t need extra cars. He could have said, ‘Thank you, but please donate this to an institution,’” Mr Boadi said.
He also referenced a 2016 CHRAJ ruling that found the presidency in breach of conflict-of-interest guidelines in a similar car gift case, stressing that lessons should have been learned.
“There are lessons that exist that our leaders should have drawn from,” he added.
The comments come amid growing public debate about the practical commitment of political leaders to upholding transparency and accountability, especially in the face of mounting concerns over governance standards.Source: Emmanuel Tetteh
Members of the Minority on Parliament’s Energy Committee have firmly declared their opposition to any additional increases in electricity tariffs unless the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) makes substantial improvements in its operations and service delivery.
The Minority raised concerns about ECG’s continued inefficiencies despite a recent 14.75% increase in electricity tariffs. They argued that the company has done little to resolve its significant commercial losses, which have contributed to an alarming GH¢67 billion debt owed to power producers.
They believe this level of financial mismanagement is a key factor undermining ECG’s performance and reliability.
These concerns came to light during a session held between the Energy Committee and major stakeholders in the energy sector. Speaking at the meeting, Ranking Member George Kwame Aboagye stressed that without clear signs of improvement, the Minority will not support further tariff adjustments.“We said we would not accept or agree to a new tariff, and we stand by that. We want to see performance first,” Aboagye asserted.
Also weighing in, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Naser Toure Mahama, emphasized the need for ECG to address delays in meter access for consumers. He pointed out that streamlining the process would not only benefit customers but also help boost ECG’s revenue.
“People who are from the waiting list to get a meter to start paying for them. So, if ECG can make sure they can produce meters for the customers, it only means it is going to create more revenue for them,” Mahama explained.
He further urged ECG to act swiftly: “They should work hard to ensure that customers are not delayed, so they can also start paying revenue.”The Minority is calling for ECG to prioritize efficiency, customer satisfaction, and financial accountability before considering any new tariff hikes.Source:dailymailgh.com
