Ghana News
Top Ghana Headlines: December 18, 2025 – Mahama Warns Ministers, IMF Commends Ghana, Sam Jonah Laments…Plus More
Ghana’s news cycle today, December 18, 2025, reflects a country balancing reform, recognition, and resistance.
From high-level political warnings and international economic assessments to grassroots concerns over natural resources, justice, and social welfare, the stories shaping the national conversation reveal both progress and areas of pressure. Stay informed!
1. Mahama Warns Ministers: “Deliver the First Scandal and You’re on Your Own”
NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey has confirmed President John Mahama’s stern warning to cabinet ministers: any involvement in public scandal will not be covered up by the presidency or the party or government. The remark reflects the Mahama administration’s focus on integrity and accountability amid heightened scrutiny of governance performance.
2. Three GCTU Scholars Named Among World’s Top Scientists
Three academics from Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) have been ranked among the world’s top 2% of scientists in global research impact metrics. The recognition highlights Ghana’s growing presence in the international science and technology communities.
3. IMF Says Ghana’s Programme Performance ‘Broadly Satisfactory’
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed its review of Ghana’s economic programme under the Extended Credit Facility, concluding that performance has been “broadly satisfactory.” While this signals fiscal discipline and reform momentum, observers note that citizen confidence remains uneven.
4. Bank of Ghana Data Shows Recovery on Paper, Skepticism on the Ground
Despite macroeconomic improvements reflected in official statistics, Bank of Ghana data and public opinion suggest many Ghanaians remain doubtful that real living conditions have improved. This gap between data and lived experience is fueling calls for policies that translate growth into tangible daily benefits.
5. Mankessim Omanhen Declares Lithium Lands “Artificial Disaster Zones”
The Mankessim Omanhen has criticized government and corporate handling of lithium exploration agreements, calling designated lithium areas “artificial disaster zones.” He says poorly managed contracts risk social and environmental harm. The remarks echo community concerns about resource governance and local impact.
6. Sam Jonah Alleges Takeover of His Nigerian Businesses
Mining executive and business mogul Sam Jonah has cried foul over what he alleges is an attempted takeover of his Nigerian business interests by external parties. Jonah claims the actions undermine business autonomy and reflect deeper challenges facing Ghanaian investors operating regionally. His comments have drawn attention to cross-border corporate governance and investor protection.
7. Ghanaian Mother with 20 Children Draws National Attention
A 42-year-old Ghanaian mother with 20 children has become a national story, sparking public discourse on family planning, economic strain, social support structures, and health education. The human-interest piece has prompted calls for enhanced community services and awareness campaigns.
8. Debate Over Abu Trica Sparks Political and Legal Reactions
Comments from the Ashanti Regional NPP Communications Director defending social media figure Abu Trica have triggered debate after the young man’s recent arrest on charges alleged to involve online fraud. While one political figure framed his actions as lawful entrepreneurship, others argue for accountability and law enforcement cooperation. The situation has fueled broader discussion on digital crime, national reputation, and legal jurisdiction.
Still on Abu Trica, following his arrest by a team of local and foreign law enforcement authorities, segments of Ghana’s youth have criticized the government’s involvement or cooperation, questioning whether his detention was justified. Young commentators argue for balancing law enforcement with national dignity, underscoring generational divides on justice and governance.
9. Nayiri Rejects Otumfuo’s Bawku Mediation Report
The Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, the Nayiri, has formally rejected the final Bawku mediation report submitted by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to President John Dramani Mahama, describing it as procedurally flawed and legally unsustainable.
In a public statement, the Nayiri said the recommendations do not reflect the outcome of engagements held with his delegation during the mediation process and insisted that talks between the parties had ended in a deadlock, not consensus. He also rejected calls for the recall of the rival claimant to the Bawku skin, maintaining that the Mamprugu position on the chieftaincy dispute remains unchanged.
These are the front pages of some of Ghana’s top newspapers







Ghana News
Ghana Ties Rice Imports to Local Production, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
These are the most relevant and impactful stories from across Ghana today, presented as concise updates on key developments across the country.
Government to Tie Rice Imports to Local Production in Major Policy Shift
The Ghanaian government is set to introduce a significant policy linking rice import permits directly to investments in local rice production and milling facilities. This move by the Ministry of Agriculture aims to boost domestic farming, reduce the country’s growing rice import bill, and accelerate progress toward food self-sufficiency. Read the full story here
Edem Senanu Questions Procedural Lapses in Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Process
Chairman of Advocates for Christ, Edem Senanu, has raised concerns over how Parliament’s House of Records handled the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, questioning procedural and drafting issues that emerged after its passage. Read the full story here
Sheikh Shaibu Warns Against Politicising Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, has cautioned the NDC and NPP against turning the anti-LGBTQ+ bill into a political contest, stressing that Ghana already has a broad national consensus on the matter rooted in cultural and religious values. Read the full story here
Honest Ghanaian Rewarded GH¢10,000 for Returning Lost ATM Cash
Fidelity Bank has rewarded Emmanuel Appiah Boateng with GH¢10,000 for his honesty after he returned GH¢4,000 he found left behind at one of its ATMs. Read the full story here
Nigel Gaisie Files GH¢10m Defamation Suit Against Kumchacha
Prophet Nigel Gaisie has sued Prophet Nicholas Osei (Kumchacha) for GH¢10 million over alleged defamatory statements questioning his prophetic ministry. Read the full story here
680 Ghanaians to Be Evacuated from South Africa Amid Xenophobia Concerns
The Ghana High Commission in South Africa has announced plans to evacuate 680 Ghanaians (340 on June 6 and 340 on June 7, 2026) due to xenophobia-related safety issues. Read the full story here
Free SHS Suppliers to Picket at Education Ministry Over GH¢50m Debt
The National Association of Institutional Suppliers (NAIS) will picket at the Ministry of Education on June 11, 2026, over unpaid debts of approximately GH¢50 million for supplies delivered under the Free Senior High School programme since 2023. Read the full story here
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Halts Emergency Admissions
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has temporarily halted new emergency admissions after its Accident and Emergency ward exceeded capacity due to overwhelming patient numbers. Read the full story here
15 dead, 25 injured in head-on collision at Peki-Tsame
At least 15 people have been confirmed dead and 25 others injured following a devastating head-on collision between a container truck and a passenger bus at Peki-Tsame in the Volta Region. The fatal accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, 2 June 2026, near the premises of Peki Senior High School, prompting an emergency response from personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS). Read the full story here
Ghana News
Today’s Newspaper Headlines: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.




















Ghana News
Is the UN Losing Its Legitimacy? Ghana’s President Says Permanent Security Council Bias ‘Eats Away’ Trust
The continued exclusion of Africa from permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council is not merely a procedural flaw but a structural imbalance that is systematically eroding the credibility of the multilateral system, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama warned on Monday.
Speaking at Chatham House, the London-based international affairs think tank, Mahama argued that the UN’s primary decision-making body risks becoming untenable as a steward of global peace and security if it fails to reflect the demographic and political realities of the 21st century.
“This is not nearly a procedural anomaly,” Mahama said. “It is a historical injustice and a structural imbalance that undermines the credibility of the multilateral system itself.”
The president’s remarks come as the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains composed of five permanent members (P5) – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China – all of which were Allied powers in World War II.
Africa, home to 54 UN member states, the largest regional bloc in the organization, holds no permanent seat and only three non-permanent seats that rotate every two years.
Mahama noted that the representational gap is poised to become more pronounced as global demographics shift. According to UN population projections, Africa will account for nearly a quarter of the world’s population by 2050.
“This eats away at the trust in the system,” a senior official from the Ghanaian presidency later summarized, reinforcing Mahama’s central thesis that legitimacy in global governance requires equitable participation.
The Ghanaian leader affirmed that his government would continue to advocate for “comprehensive reform” of the UN, including permanent, veto-wielding seats for African nations.
The African Union has long pushed for a common position known as the Ezulwini Consensus, which demands at least two permanent seats for the continent, with the same powers and responsibilities as current P5 members.
However, Mahama’s critique extended beyond the Security Council. He linked the UN’s representational crisis to what he described as parallel failures in the international financial architecture. He argued that debt vulnerabilities across the Global South are not isolated fiscal challenges but structural development constraints that limit investment in health, education, infrastructure, climate adaptation, and industrial transformation.
“The international debt system must therefore become fairer, more flexible and more development-focused,” Mahama said.
He also called for reforms to global taxation frameworks, asserting that developing economies should derive equitable value from economic activity generated within their jurisdictions. A stable international order, he warned, cannot be sustained while prosperity remains structurally unequal.
To illustrate the tangible cost of such inequality, Mahama pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic. African nations, he said, discovered that access to vaccines and essential medical supplies depended not on the urgency of public health need but on their position within the global supply hierarchy. That experience, he noted, directly prompted Ghana to launch the Accra Reset Initiative – a strategic framework designed to move Africa and the Global South from dependency toward resilience, and from passive participation toward active agenda-setting in global governance.
President Mahama concluded by rejecting any characterization of Ghana as a passive observer of the changes reshaping the international order.
“We see ourselves as active participants in shaping a more balanced, equitable, and cooperative international system,” he said.
No immediate response was issued by the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Reform of the council requires an amendment to the UN Charter, which must be approved by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratified by all five permanent members, each of whom holds a veto over their own status.
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