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Starlink satellite internet Access at Luta D/A Basic School Is Redefining Rural Education

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Across rural Ghana, the digital divide remains one of the most persistent barriers to quality education.

While students in urban centers increasingly benefit from online learning tools, digital resources, and seamless communication, many rural schools continue to operate without reliable internet access, placing them at a structural disadvantage from the very start.

The absence of connectivity affects more than just learning materials. It limits access to information, disrupts administrative processes, isolates teachers, and reinforces educational inequality between rural and urban communities. For students, it often means fewer opportunities to explore, research, and learn beyond the classroom.

At Luta D/A Basic School, this long-standing challenge is now being addressed through the installation of Starlink satellite internet, a move that represents a step toward equity.

By providing reliable internet access, the school is now better positioned to offer students learning experiences closer to those available to their peers in urban areas. Digital access creates opportunities for research, exposure to new ideas, and engagement with educational content that was previously out of reach.

For the students, the impact is immediate and personal. “We are excited because now we can do a lot more research and learn better,” one student shared.

This access helps level the playing field, ensuring that where a child lives does not determine the quality of education they receive.

Beyond student learning, internet access plays a critical role in supporting teachers who work in rural and nearly off-grid communities.

For over ten years, current teachers at Luta D/A Basic School faced serious connectivity challenges. Essential professional tasks such as online verifications and updates required by education authorities, often meant traveling long distances to Ada or Sege, at personal cost and inconvenience.

Even staying in touch with family was difficult. Teachers had to travel to a location known as “cobra spot”, an area with frequent snake sightings, just to find enough network coverage to make a phone call.

“With this installation, all of that is going to be a thing of the past,” a teacher noted.

Speaking on the broader implications, Angela Trego, a board member of Empower Playgrounds, emphasized that infrastructure like internet access is key to improving teacher retention in rural schools.

Providing reliable connectivity, she explained, helps make rural postings more sustainable and attractive, encouraging teachers to remain in these communities rather than seek transfers to urban areas.

With connectivity now in place, the quality of teaching and learning at Luta D/A Basic School is expected to improve significantly.

Teachers can now access online resources, stream educational videos, and integrate digital materials into their lessons, tools that enhance comprehension and engagement in the classroom.

“Teaching is going to improve,” a teacher shared. “Now we will be able to stream educative videos and materials to aid in teaching.”

This installation, carried out as part of Empower Playgrounds’ mission to enhance educational experiences in underserved communities, demonstrates how targeted infrastructure investments can address systemic inequities in education.

At Luta D/A Basic School, internet access is helping close the gap between rural and urban education, supporting teachers, empowering students, and moving the community closer to a future where opportunity is not defined by geography.

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Ghana’s AG Office Drops Major Hint: 30 Corruption Cases in the Pipeline, Including Some ‘Interesting’ Names

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Deputy Attorney General reveals approximately 30 ORAL cases are prosecutable, with 5–10 already at advanced stages, and promises “interesting cases coming soon”

Ghana’s anti-corruption drive is gaining significant momentum, with the Attorney General’s Office identifying about 30 cases under the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative that are strong enough to pursue in court.

Between five and ten of those cases are already at advanced stages before the courts, Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, disclosed in a television interview on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday.

Speaking on July 26, 2026, Dr Srem-Sai revealed that prosecutors selected the cases after investigators completed a comprehensive review of ORAL dockets submitted to the Attorney General’s Office.

“When we analysed the report, I think we had about 30 cases that we thought were prosecutable,” he said.

Advanced Stages and New Filings

Deputy AG, Srem Sai

The Deputy AG explained that some cases have already been filed and are progressing through the courts.

“We have like, I think we are between five and 10 now… advanced stages,” he stated.

Dr Srem-Sai said prosecutors would file another batch of ORAL cases during the legal vacation before courts resume sittings for the new legal year in October.

“We have other dockets already. But we are going to start with them, either during the vacation, the legal vacation; we are going to start new cases,” he said.

Evidence Over Status

While declining to disclose the identities of the next persons to be prosecuted, Dr Srem-Sai promised that more cases would soon be filed.

“There will be some interesting cases coming soon,” he hinted.

He emphasised that prosecutorial decisions are guided solely by the strength of evidence, not the profile of suspects or the level of public interest.

“When we work, we don’t actually focus on which one is big or which one is that. We focus on which one is prosecutable,” he explained.

Dr Srem-Sai reaffirmed the government’s commitment to pursuing ORAL cases.

“We will continue what we have done. We are going to continue prosecuting. As far as the ORAL is concerned, we are going to do it,” he said.

High-Profile Cases Update

SkyTrain Case: Dr Srem-Sai said the prosecution has closed its case and is awaiting the next stage of trial after the accused persons failed to file witness statements within the court’s deadline. The case is scheduled for hearing on Thursday, July 30.

“SkyTrain, we have closed our case. The two accused persons were supposed to file their witness statements… As of this morning, they have not filed anything… We are going back to court tomorrow,” he said.

Kwabena Adu-Boahene Case: The prosecution is close to ending its case against the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau. The fourth prosecution witness is still giving evidence and is expected to complete testimony within the week or the following week.

“Our fourth witness is in the box and we hope that by this week or next week he would have been discharged. When that happens… we have closed our case,” he said.

Frimpong-Boateng Galamsey Report: On the report submitted by former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, on illegal mining, Dr Srem-Sai said investigators have submitted reports but further investigations have been ordered before any prosecution decision.

“We have received investigative reports. We have made further directions to investigate this with other evidence for us to form an opinion on it,” he said.

He explained that where gaps are identified in evidence, investigators are directed to carry out further work before the Attorney General’s Office determines whether to proceed with prosecution.

This Week’s ORAL Court Schedule

The Attorney General’s Office has released the list of ORAL cases scheduled for hearing from Monday, July 27, to Friday, July 31, 2026. Cases at various stages include:

  • SkyTrain Case (Criminal Court 4)
  • Cybersecurity Authority software procurement case (Specialized Court 1) — involving Kwabena Adu-Boahene and two others
  • National Service Authority case (Criminal Court 4)
  • Exim Bank loan case — involving Bernard Antwi Boasiako, alias Chairman Wontumi, and two others
  • National Buffer Stock case (Specialized Court)
  • Akonta Mining case (Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve Mining Case)

Background

ORAL is a government-led initiative established to investigate allegations of corruption, financial loss to the state, and misappropriation of public resources, with the goal of recovering stolen state funds and assets and repurposing them for national development.

The initiative has already seen significant action. In February 2026, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, said his office was reviewing 16 ORAL dockets. By May 2026, Dr Ayine declared himself the first Attorney General to prosecute five corruption cases in a single year.

Assets valued at GH¢1.5 billion have been frozen in connection with ORAL investigations, involving individuals in 280 ORAL cases currently under investigation.

The prosecution has since been clouded by an April 2026 ruling questioning the Special Prosecutor’s authority to try cases without the Attorney-General’s clearance.

Dr Srem-Sai’s latest disclosure signals that the Attorney General’s Office is pressing ahead despite legal challenges, with a busy court calendar and more “interesting” cases on the horizon.

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Ghana’s Economy is Booming, but Nearly Half of Citizens Aren’t Feeling It – New Poll

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A new Global InfoAnalytics survey reveals a striking disconnect: macroeconomic indicators are soaring, yet 42% of Ghanaians say their living standards have either stagnated or declined.

A new opinion poll has laid bare a paradox at the heart of Ghana’s economic recovery: while the government celebrates some of the strongest macroeconomic figures in years, nearly half of the population say they are not experiencing any improvement in their daily lives.

According to a survey released Monday by Global InfoAnalytics, 53% of respondents said their standard of living had improved over the past year compared to the same period in 2025. However, 19% said their living standards had worsened, and a further 23% reported no change at all—meaning 42% of Ghanaians have seen either stagnation or decline in their personal economic circumstances.

“Majority of voters say their standard of living has improved compared to a year ago, 53%, but 19% say it has gotten worse and 23% say it has not changed,” Global InfoAnalytics Executive Director Mussa Dankwah posted on X.

The findings come just days after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review to Parliament, painting a picture of an economy in robust recovery.

The Macroeconomic Picture: A Recovery Story

By almost every official measure, Ghana’s economy is performing exceptionally well.

Real GDP grew at 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026, well ahead of the 4.8% full-year target. Non-oil GDP expanded by 6.3%. Headline inflation has plummeted from 13.7% in June 2025 to just 5.3% in June 2026—a dramatic decline that has brought price stability within reach.

Public debt has fallen from 61.8% of GDP at the end of 2024 to 45% by June 2026—achieving the statutory debt target years ahead of both the IMF programme timetable and the Public Financial Management Act timeline. The country’s debt distress risk has improved from “high” to “moderate” for the first time since April 2014.

The cedi appreciated by 40.7% against the US dollar in 2025, with Bloomberg confirming it as the world’s strongest-performing currency that year. Treasury bill rates have fallen sharply, while gross international reserves have increased to $12.9 billion—enough to cover five months of imports.

Presenting the review to Parliament, Dr Forson declared: “Ghana has moved from default to credibility, from debt distress to debt sustainability, from market exclusion to renewed investor confidence.”

The Reality on the Ground

Yet the poll suggests a significant portion of the population has yet to feel the benefits of this recovery.

This disconnect between official economic data and citizen experience is not new. A May 2026 report by policy think tank APL found that “despite the macroeconomic progress made in the past year, living conditions of Ghanaians continue to be poor, with high cost of living still hitting citizens hard.” The report identified a clear “disconnect” between macroeconomic progress and real life situations in the country.

Other data points reinforce the picture of persistent hardship. A survey by the Institute of Economic Affairs found that seven out of ten Ghanaians remain concerned about high food costs and the overall cost of living. Only 14.4% of Ghanaians perceived the cost of living to be low in the first quarter of 2026—a dramatic drop from 68.8% in 2025.

Youth unemployment remains a particularly acute challenge. According to the Ghana Statistical Service, unemployment among persons aged 15–24 remains above 30%, while approximately 1.34 million young people are neither in education, employment nor training. Seven out of every ten unemployed persons in Ghana are below the age of 35.

As The Ghanaian Chronicle noted in an editorial on Monday: “Economic recovery should not be measured only by GDP growth, inflation or exchange rate stability. It must also be reflected in the ability of citizens to secure decent and sustainable employment.”

A Familiar Divide

The poll’s findings echo a pattern observed across many economies recovering from crisis: national indicators improve long before household wallets feel the difference.

Speaking in June, a member of the NDC legal team acknowledged that “many Ghanaians still struggle with the cost of living” but assured citizens that the government “remains aware of these concerns and is working to ensure economic gains translate into improved livelihoods.”

Economist Dr Theo Acheampong, Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Finance, acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting that “the next challenge is to translate the gains into higher private investment, increased exports, completed infrastructure projects and more jobs.”

The Global InfoAnalytics poll, conducted in July 2026, provides a real-time snapshot of where Ghanaians stand. While a majority now report improvement, the fact that more than four in ten citizens see no progress—or are actively going backwards—suggests that for many, the recovery remains a story told in statistics rather than lived experience.

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Top 10 Headline Stories From Ghanaian Newspapers: Monday, July 27, 2026

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These are the biggest headline stories featured in Ghana’s press today, July 27, 2026.

1. GHANA’S ECONOMY SHOWS STRONG RECOVERY BUT CEDI REMAINS FRAGILE

Source: Graphic Business (Front Page)

Headline: “Ghana’s economy in 2026: 4 Signs of strength, 1 warning signal”

The 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review presented to Parliament shows Ghana’s economy entering the second half of 2026 with robust fundamentals: Real GDP growth at 6.4% (up from 6.2%), headline inflation plunging to 5.3% (down from 13.7% a year ago), public debt/GDP dropping to 45.0% (down from 61.6%), and reserves at 5.0 months (up from 4.1 months). However, economists warn that sustaining this recovery depends heavily on maintaining exchange rate stability, as the cedi has surrendered part of its 2025 gains. The Bank of Ghana sees the economy on “firm footing,” but currency stability remains the “weakest link” in the recovery story.

2. APINTO CHIEFS REJECT GOLD FIELDS LEASE RENEWAL, DEMAND NEW MINING ERA

Source: The Metro Lens, Republic Press, Daily Post, The Source (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “Trouble Brews For Gold Fields As Apinto Chiefs Reject Lease Renewal”

Traditional leaders from the Apinto Division in Tarkwa are challenging Gold Fields’ legacy and demanding a new mining era, including greater Ghanaian ownership and development benefits. The chiefs have told the government not to renew the mining giant’s lease, citing inadequate community development, environmental costs, and unfulfilled promises. The “Don’t Renew Gold Fields’ Lease” campaign has gained traction ahead of the Tarkwa lease expiry, with chiefs accusing the company of failing to deliver tangible benefits to mining communities.

3. WONTUMI SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON, VOWS TO APPEAL

Source: Trust, The Daily Banner, The Meridian, The Informer (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “Wontumi To Appeal 20-Year Sentence; Says He Knew It Was Coming”

Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), a prominent Ashanti NPP figure, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a High Court. His former lawyer, Appiah-Kubi, claims Wontumi told him he knew the sentence was coming. Wontumi’s legal team is expected to appeal and seek bail pending the appeal. Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party’s Ashanti regional chairman race is heating up, with calls for Wontumi to be replaced despite his conviction.

4. OSP CONSTITUTIONALITY CHALLENGED IN COURT

Source: Republic Press (Front Page)

Headline: “OSP On Trial! Deputy AG Says Office Was Created by Ordinary Law, Not Constitutional Amendment”

Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai has argued that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was established through ordinary parliamentary legislation (Act 959) rather than a constitutional amendment, triggering a constitutional showdown. This legal challenge could potentially undermine the OSP’s legitimacy and its ongoing investigations, including high-profile cases involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

5. KGL AND GMTF PARTNER TO BUILD ULTRA-MODERN DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE AT RIDGE HOSPITAL

Source: Daily Democrat, The Canary, Ghanaian Times, The Informer, The Ghanaian Publisher (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “KGL, GMTF Begin Ridge Diagnostic Centre Construction”

The KGL Group and Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) have partnered to construct an ultra-modern diagnostic centre at Ridge Hospital in Accra. The project aims to improve healthcare diagnostics and reduce medical tourism. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was briefed on healthcare progress as part of the announcement. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is also demanding a ban on single-use plastics to protect public health.

6. JULIUS DEBRAH EARNS PHD, DEDICATES TO MAHAMA AND GHANA

Source: Daily Democrat, Daily Analyst, Daily Graphic (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “Julius Debrah, 156 Others Bag PhD”

Julius Debrah, a key figure in the Mahama administration and former Chief of Staff, has been awarded a PhD in Museum and Heritage Studies. He dedicated the achievement to former President John Mahama and Ghana. The graduation ceremony saw 156 others receive their doctorates from various institutions.

7. GRA FACES ALLEGATIONS OF REVENUE LEAKAGE AND CORRUPTION

Source: The Metro Lens, The Point, Daily Gist, The Ghanaian Publisher (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “GRA In The Spotlight: Revenue Leakage, Port Auction, and OMC Debt Allegations Trigger Calls for Investigation”

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is under scrutiny over allegations of revenue leakage, including the failure to trace 362.6 million litres of fuel distribution, port auction irregularities, and OMC (Oil Marketing Company) debts. Taxes and levies worth over GH₵300 million are feared lost. National Security is investigating, and a caretaker at Tema Community 5 has been sought for questioning. The GRA boss faces corruption allegations and revenue leakage concerns.

8. GOLDBOD SUSPENDS DOMINIC BONSU’S LICENCE FOR REGULATORY BREACHES

Source: The Custodian, The Informer, The Chronicle, Daily Gist (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “GoldBod Halts Licence of Dominic Bonsu Ventures Over Regulatory Breaches”

The GoldBod (Gold Body) has suspended the trading licence of Dominic Bonsu Ventures over regulatory breaches. Sammy Gyamfi, a key defender of GoldBod, has cited the entity’s GH₵5.44 billion surplus and challenged critics, including Abena Osei-Asare, who questioned the use of GH₵4.5 billion seed capital. The suspension follows ongoing debates about GoldBod’s role and effectiveness in the gold trading sector.

9. JUSTIN FRIMPONG KODUA SEEKS RE-ELECTION AS NPP GENERAL SECRETARY

Source: Trust, The Searchlight, Daily Guide, The Crusading Guide (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “Justin Kodua Launches Bid To Retain NPP General Secretary Position”

Summary: Lawyer Justin Frimpong Kodua has officially declared his intention to seek re-election as General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He has received endorsements from Afigya Kwabre South MP and others, positioning himself as the “unifier” for the Ashanti region. His declaration comes as the NPP prepares for internal elections, with government appointees required to resign if they wish to contest. The Ashanti NPP chairmanship race, featuring Odenheo Kwabre Asante (endorsed as “better fit”), is also intensifying.

10. AFRICA MUST BENEFIT MORE FROM ITS MINERAL WEALTH, SAYS ANNOH-DOMPREH

Source: The Metro Lens, Daily Statesman, The Crusading Guide (Multiple front pages)

Headline: “Annoh-Dompreh: Africa Must Benefit More From Its Mineral Wealth”

Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin (Majority Leader), Annoh Dompreh, and other lawmakers have called for Africa to benefit more from its mineral resources, turning them into jobs, industries, and prosperity. Annoh-Dompreh is pushing for value addition to Africa’s critical minerals, challenging the continent’s historical role as a raw materials exporter. This debate is linked to the Gold Fields-Apinto Chiefs dispute.

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