Author: johnmahama

Canada’s Barrick Mining had its Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali placed under state control by a court on Monday in a major escalation of a dispute over taxes and ownership. A former Malian health minister, Soumana Makadji, will take over as provisional administrator for six months, the presiding judge said. Barrick said it will appeal the decision. The move follows actions by the Malian government to block gold exports and seize gold stocks held by Barrick’s subsidiaries. Barrick, in a statement, said it believes those actions, which led to the temporary suspension of its operations, were unjustified. “Justice was neither heard…

– Source:The Nigerian economy grew at a robust rate of 3.4% in 2024, the highest it has been since 2019 (except 2021 when the COVID rebound occurred). This should have been cheering news, worthy of firecrackers and champagne-popping. Rather it came with a catch: the country’s poverty profile worsened. In its annual review of the country, the World Bank applauded Nigeria for its economic reforms. These include the removal of fuel subsidies, liberalisation of the foreign exchange market and maintenance of a contractionary monetary policy. This is a policy of raising interest rates, reducing money supply and increasing borrowing costs…

President John Dramani Mahama is scheduled to meet his European counterparts at the European Union (EU) Council Meeting and Gavi’s High-Level Pledging Summit in Brussels, Belgium, from June 25-26.Mr Irchad Razaaly, the EU Ambassador to Ghana made this known at the 2025 Ghana-EU Partnership Dialogue in Accra.The EU and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will co-host Gavi’s High-Level Pledging Summit in Brussels.The summit, originally scheduled for March 19-20, has been moved to June 25, 2025, to coincide with a European Council Meeting. The event aims to secure crucial investments for Gavi’s next five-year strategic period (2026-2030), which will focus on vaccinating…

Bernard Ahiafor (L) and Alexander Afenyo-Markin (R) during the vetting of the Supreme Court nominees The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, who is also the Chairperson of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, has shared a cryptic message on social media following his clashes with the Ranking Member of the committee, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, during the vetting of the seven Supreme Court justice nominees of President John Dramani Mahama.Ahiafor, in a post shared on Facebook after the committee’s sitting on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, drew inspiration from a quote by Jim Rohn, a famous American author, to describe the…

The spokesperson for Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign team, Kwasi Kwarteng, has reiterated that the former Assin Central MP is the best candidate to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the 2028 general elections.According to him, Kennedy Agyapong stands out as the most marketable and winnable among all potential contenders in the party’s flagbearer race.Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV on Wednesday, June 18, Mr. Kwarteng said the team is committed to an intensified grassroots campaign to rally support for Mr. Agyapong.“He’s speaking to the delegates, making sure they believe in our message. We have a very strong message, and we…

A university in Nigeria has sparked outrage after a video went viral showing female students being touched to see if they were wearing bras before taking part in an exam. In the footage, female staff at Olabisi Onabanjo University in south-western Ogun State are seen touching some students’ chests as they queue to enter an examination hall. The university has not yet commented on the video, but a student leader defended the bra policy as being part of the institution’s dress code aimed at maintaining “a distraction-free environment”. However, he acknowledged that other ways were needed to enforce the policy…

– Source:Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems. Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance. Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief…

The Telecel Ghana Foundation has handed over 100 new laptops to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi to help bridge the digital learning gap for underprivileged students. A second time donation to the ‘Support One Needy Student with One Laptop (SONSOL)’ initiative, Telecel donated 200 laptops in 2021 in response to an appeal from KNUST. Both donations align with the Telecel Ghana Foundation’s Connected Learning pillar, which is targeted at bridging the digital gap for underprivileged people and communities through training and access to digital tools. Leading the delegation in donating on campus, Chief Executive…

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia launched myCreditScore in November 2024 Nigeria has announced plans to introduce a credit scoring system through its national identification card.In Ghana, former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia advocated for a credit scoring system using the Ghana Card as a unique identifier for individuals.This move, he noted, would open access to easy credit, ensuring credibility by using Ghana Card.Dr Bawumia, with the support of the Bank of Ghana, successfully launched the credit scoring system in November 2024.A few months down the lane, West African neighbour, Nigeria, has now adopted Dr. Bawumia’s concept.The Nigerian government has announced that it…

Spokesperson for Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign team, Kwasi Kwarteng, says they have no reservations about the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) decision to hold its presidential primaries on January 31, 2026.The date, which was agreed upon by the party’s National Council, has attracted some criticism from sections of the public and party faithful.But speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Wednesday, June 18, Mr. Kwarteng insists that their team respects the decision and is more focused on reaching the grassroots with their message.“We respect the decision of the National Council. We do not hold any strong reservations—except to say that…