We have curated the most relevant stories in Ghana today, bringing you timely updates on key issues in the country wherever you may be. Stay tuned.

President Mahama Directs Appointees to Refrain from Awards by Doubtful Organizers
President John Dramani Mahama has directed all ministers of state, CEOs of state institutions, and other political appointees to refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending, or accepting awards from private organizations without express authorisation from the Office of the President. This follows concerns over the proliferation of awards from entities with unclear credentials, lacking transparent and verifiable criteria, which risk undermining public service integrity and exposing government to criticism. A recent example was the 6th Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards. The directive, issued via a letter dated June 8, 2026, by Secretary to the President Dr. Callistus Mahama, emphasizes performance assessment based on manifesto commitments, policy targets, and measurable outcomes rather than external recognitions. A comprehensive review of ministers and CEOs is planned to inform retention, reassignment, or restructuring. Public officials are urged to focus on service delivery and results for Ghanaians. Read the full story here

Patients Stranded at KATH as Doctors and Nurses Protest CEO Suspension
Hundreds of patients have been left stranded at the Out-Patient Department of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi as doctors and nurses refuse to attend new cases in protest against the two-week suspension of CEO Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo. The action stems from the Ministry of Health’s decision following the temporary closure of the Accident and Emergency Centre due to overcrowding. Health workers, backed by the Health Workers Union, argue the suspension was unjust as the decision was collective. The Ministry has appealed for staff to resume duties, warning of impacts on vulnerable patients, while investigations continue. Scenes of confusion and long waits have been reported at the facility. The standoff highlights ongoing operational pressures at Ghana’s major referral hospital, with calls for resolution to restore services. Read the full story here

Meet Edem Wosornu: Ghanaian Appointed UN Assistant High Commissioner for Protection
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ghanaian Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the UNHCR, succeeding Ruvendrini Menikdiwela of Sri Lanka. Currently Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division (appointed April 2023) and Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group, Wosornu brings over 21 years of humanitarian experience. She previously held leadership roles in OCHA’s Humanitarian Sector Division and worked with UNHCR and in private legal practice in London. She holds advanced legal qualifications from UK institutions and speaks English and French. Her appointment highlights Ghanaian expertise on the global stage in humanitarian affairs. Read the full story here

Fuel Tanker-Tipper Truck Crash Sparks Fatal Fire on Accra-Tema Motorway
A collision between a fuel tanker and a tipper truck on the Accra-Tema Motorway early on June 9, 2026, triggered a major fire outbreak. The Ghana National Fire Service confirmed the blaze has been fully extinguished, with recovery operations and investigations ongoing at the scene.

The incident was described as fatal, though specific casualty details were not immediately released. Emergency responders worked to contain the fire and secure the busy motorway. Authorities are investigating the cause as motorists and commuters expressed concerns over safety on the critical route. Read the full story here

Mahama to Assess Ministers Ahead of Possible Reshuffle
President John Dramani Mahama is set to conduct a comprehensive performance review of ministers and CEOs of state institutions, with findings to guide retention, reassignment, or Cabinet restructuring. This ties into a directive barring public officials from questionable private awards, urging focus on policy delivery and measurable results. The review aligns with the 2024 NDC Manifesto and government development agenda. The move signals emphasis on accountability and effective governance. Read the full story here

Cedi Weakens Further Amid Second Quarter FX Demand Pressures
The Ghana cedi has continued depreciating against major currencies due to rising foreign exchange demand and corporate repatriation needs. In the interbank market, it traded at GHS 11.85/USD (from GHS 11.63), with similar losses against the pound and euro. Retail rates also rose, reflecting broader pressures despite Bank of Ghana interventions. Analysts expect further strain from Q2 profit outflows, though a $1.2 billion monthly FX support is anticipated. Global factors like high oil prices contribute to the bearish outlook. Read the full story here

Unchecked Development Driving Recurring Accra Floods – Prof. Chris Gordon
Environmental scientist Prof. Chris Gordon has attributed recurring floods in areas like Oyarifa to buildings in natural waterways and drainage paths, destroying vegetation and creating impervious surfaces. He described the incidents as predictable outcomes of rapid, unchecked urban development replacing farmlands and forests. Stricter planning enforcement and land-use management are needed to mitigate risks. “You cannot cheat nature,” he emphasised, calling for science-based approaches to urban planning. Read the full story here

Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.

For 40 years, Steven Mabugana called South Africa home. He arrived from the rural village of Faebom in Limpopo province as a two-year-old, raised by parents who worked as domestic workers in Verulam.

He built a business, employed hundreds, and poured his profits into caring for vulnerable children. But after decades of being treated as a perpetual outsider, he has closed his factory and joined a growing exodus of foreign-born investors fleeing xenophobic hostility.

“A warning to KZN,” Mabugana wrote in a social media post that has since gone viral. “Investors are leaving, jobs are going, Textile is dead, crime is thriving. I employed over 350 staff and closed.”

In an accompanying video, the clothing manufacturer detailed a lifelong pattern of alienation in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), a province that has seen recurrent waves of xenophobic violence targeting foreign nationals and even South Africans from other provinces. Despite being born in the country and having lived there for four decades, Mabugana said he was repeatedly labelled a “foreigner.”

“I’ve always been treated and referred to as a foreigner, been looked at as a foreigner,” he said in the video. “I’ve been called all the names. I’ve been called ‘Kwere Kwere’. I’ve been called Shangan. I’ve been called Nigerian.”

He added that the discrimination often came from law enforcement officers.

“Be it a roadblock, be it a stop and search… those comments and questions would come up.”

A Business Built, Then Abandoned

Mabugana started a clothing manufacturing plant, specifically a CMT (cut, make, and trim) operation, in Hammersdale, a town west of Durban, approximately eight to nine years ago. Within a short period, the business grew to employ around 350 staff, he said.

The monthly wage bill was approximately 1.2 million rand (about $65,000), money that flowed into hundreds of families in a community marked by deep poverty and intergenerational trauma.

Beyond employment, Mabugana launched an early childhood development (ECD) centre that cared for 150 babies, allowing mothers to bring their children to work.

He said he did not request government assistance:

“It was my vision. It was something that we felt that we needed to do.”

The context of Hammersdale, he explained, is shaped by violent political clashes between the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the African National Congress (ANC) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which left many children orphaned.

“A child would escape under the bed and then you see an article: seven family members butchered, one survives. That baby has now become the young youth that I am having to deal with.”

Despite the surrounding social breakdown, including child-on-child rape and sexual violence that affected his own employees’ families, Mabugana said he embraced KZN as home:

“I saw all of the different races and cultures that we have. I totally embraced it.”

The Breaking Point

Mabugana did not specify a single triggering incident for his closure, but his warning comes amid renewed tensions in South Africa over the presence of foreign nationals in the small-scale retail and manufacturing sectors.

KZN, in particular, has experienced sporadic outbreaks of xenophobic violence, often targeting Somali, Ethiopian, Pakistani, and Zimbabwean shop owners, as well as other African migrants.

His case is distinct, however, because he is a South African citizen by birth—having been born in Limpopo—yet was consistently treated as an outsider due to ethnic and linguistic prejudice. He noted being told:

“You are in KwaZulu-Natal. Why can’t you speak isiZulu?” and “This is our province.”

The closure of his textile plant represents a tangible economic loss for Hammersdale. The textile and clothing sector in South Africa has long been a critical source of semi-skilled employment, particularly for women. Each factory closure accelerates job losses in a country with an official unemployment rate exceeding 32 percent.

A Wider Pattern

Mabugana’s experience reflects broader trends documented by civil society groups. The African Centre for Migration & Society at the University of the Witwatersrand has repeatedly found that xenophobic attitudes in South Africa are not limited to foreign nationals but extend to South Africans from other provinces perceived as “outsiders.” The term “Kwere Kwere” is a pejorative slang originally used against undocumented migrants but has been applied broadly to anyone deemed not belonging to the dominant ethnic group in a given area.

The South African government has repeatedly condemned xenophobic violence and launched public awareness campaigns. However, critics argue that enforcement remains weak and that statements from some political leaders have scapegoated foreign nationals for crime and unemployment.

Mabugana’s parting words in his video underscore the personal toll:

“With all of that, I saw it as home… but I was always reminded that [I did not belong].”

He has not indicated whether he plans to permanently relocate his business outside South Africa.