Ashanti's got a plobrem.

No, it's not the Rs & the Ls.

Author

Chale News
October 01, 2024

Welcome to the second ember month — October, baby! 🎉 Let’s kick it off with some affirmations, shall we? Repeat after us:

“This month, I (insert your name) will invite three friends to read the Chale News Newsletter.” 🙌

Yeah, that’s the affirmation, bestie! 😂😂 But wait—how about this: if you share our link with three friends, good vibes are guaranteed this week! 😁😁

No pressure (applying pressure, please), but seriously, it would mean the world to us if you spread the love and brought your paddies into our community. Let’s make October amazing together!

Share the link oo, share the link!

In today’s stories:

  • Health: Measles is back like that one ex.

  • National: Get ready for Parliament's return at the AICC on October 15.

  • Education: When your alma mater hits 150, you pull up with a new pickup and promises—just ask Prez Nana Addo!

  • National: When life gives you Akosombo dam spillage, build 1,000 new homes for victims.

  • Politics: Mahama’s pulling ahead, but Bawumia’s still in the race, tryna go viral.

  • Fact of the Day: On average, men tap out of shopping trips after just 26 minutes, but women?

  • Education: 50 students and teachers get real about gender-based violence.

  • Economic: AGI says “hold up!” to PURC on utility price hikes – industry’s not ready for this drama.

  • National: TUC says “not today!” to government, ready to walk for the galamsey fight.

  • National: New electricity and water tariffs take effect today in Ghana.

  • Politics: Asantehene questions Mahama on running mate introduction.

QUICK BYTE

  • Ashanti Region’s got a problem, and no, it’s not what you’re thinking—it’s measles. Like that one ex who won’t stay gone, this virus is making a comeback, and the numbers are looking like last year’s viral dance challenge. Back in 2021, we were chilling with just 4 cases, but by 2023, the numbers shot up faster than a viral meme to 79. And now, in 2024, we’ve already hit 119 cases. Measles clearly missed the "stay away" memo. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

  • Ayo, it’s looking like the 2024 elections are gonna be a showdown, and guess who's got the crowd cheering? JDM is vibing with 51.1% of the votes, while Dr. Bawumia is playing catch-up at 37.3%. Meanwhile, Bawumia’s team gotta figure out how to hype up the crowd because right now, even some NPP peeps are chilling on the sidelines like, "Meh, we’ll sit this one out." First-time voters are sliding into Mahama’s DMs, giving him a 46% to 38% lead. And don’t even get me started on the NPP’s home turf—Greater Accra and Central regions—where people who once repped for Akufo-Addo are switching sides faster than you can say "wahala." Bawumia’s got his work cut out for him, fam. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

  • So the Akosombo Dam flooded a bunch of homes last year. But now, the government’s swooping in like a superhero to fix things with 1,000 brand-new housing units. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s got the keys and the blueprint, promising displaced peeps some much-needed relief. If you're thinking, “Is this gonna take forever?”, Oppong’s like, nah fam! The first 115 houses are already 60% done, and with more on the way, it's looking like phase two’s gonna drop another 1,010 units soon. So yeah, some good news finally. Read more in the Deep Dive Section.

  • So Parliament's gearing up to resume sitting on October 15, and it’s happening at the AICC Dome! Yup, they’re switching things up from the usual Parliament House vibe. Think of it like when your school decides to hold a class in the assembly hall—it’s still class, but the energy is different, ya feel? Speaker Bagbin—the OG of parliamentary vibes—made the big announcement on September 30. He basically said, "Let’s get to work, people!" So, expect a lot of serious talk on laws, policies, and the whole ‘making-Ghana-better’ agenda. Let’s see if they can keep the drama to a minimum though. Read more

  • Guess who showed up to Kinbu SHTS’s 150th anniversary? None other than President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo himself! Fresh off the plane from addressing the UN, Nana Addo made a quick pit stop at his old stomping grounds, gifting the school a brand new pickup and promising more goodies like a school bus. The man really said, "Y’all shaped me into who I am today, so lemme give back." And oh, the alumni vibes were strong! Kinbu SHTS peeps even handed him a portrait of himself—nothing like a little throwback to the days when his dad used to drop him off at school. Read more

FACT OF THE DAY

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Men tap out of shopping trips after just 26 minutes, while women can keep going for a solid 2 hours! 8 out of 10 guys admit they hate shopping with their partner.

  • Over 50 students and teachers from St. Augustine R/C Basic School in Ashaiman just got hit with a reality check on Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Yeah, it wasn’t your typical "sit and zone out" school session—this one was all about real talk on bullying, harassment, and teasing. Led by the one and only Regina Asamoah (who’s out here doing the most for Missing Children Ghana), the event gave these kids the tools to deal with stuff no one should have to handle at school. And guess what? They didn’t just learn; they pledged to actually change the vibe. Read more

  • The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is not happy about the new utility price hikes just dropped by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). Starting October 1, you can expect your electricity bill to go up by 3.02% and your water bill by 1.86%. AGI’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Tsonam Akpeloo, isn’t holding back—talking about how these increases will crank up operational costs for industries and could send businesses tumbling down like a poorly stacked Jenga tower. The AGI is basically worried these hikes will hit consumers where it hurts—right in their pockets—making it tough for businesses to keep their heads above water. Akpeloo’s not about to let this slide; he’s pushing for PURC to either roll back the increases or at least freeze them for the next quarter. Because if these utility prices keep climbing, we might as well start calling them luxury bills! Read more

  • The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has officially confirmed that they’re ready to roll out the banners and hit the streets for a nationwide strike! They are fed up with the government’s chill attitude toward the galamsey crisis. Back on September 11, the TUC sent a clear warning shot, telling the government that they’d pull the trigger on a strike if no concrete steps were taken to tackle illegal mining. Spoiler alert: the government didn’t respond with the urgency this crisis demands. So now, here we are, with TUC gearing up for a protest. Read more

DEEP DIVE

Measles is back, and it’s not here for the vibes

2024 is really doing the most with 119 measle cases already. Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, the incoming health boss, isn’t exactly thrilled. In fact, he’s stressing the importance of vaccines. He’s warning us that the more unvaccinated kids we have, the more likely measles is to show up uninvited, and this time, it’s not bringing snacks. We’re talking serious complications—blindness, deafness, the works. And no one’s child deserves to deal with that.

The reason for the rise? Gaps in vaccine administration. Dr. Boateng’s team is putting their energy into launching a supplementary campaign, set for October 2–6. The mission is simple: get those little ones vaccinated before the next wave hits harder than your mom’s jollof.

So if you haven’t already booked your spot in the vaccination campaign, now’s the time. Dr. Boateng made it clear—you don’t want to risk your child’s health because of a missed shot. Think of it as getting ahead of the next viral trend, but this time, it’s saving lives. Read more

Government Builds New Cribs for Victims!

Some people were chilling in their home when the Akosombo Dam decided to throw a wild water party and crash into their living room. Fast forward, and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is pulling up with the ultimate "sorry for your troubles" move—1,000 houses! Yeah, like, brand new, clean sheets, fresh paint, the works. And that’s just the beginning. We’re talking a full-on construction spree that could make even Bob the Builder do a double take.

Now, these homes aren't the cookie-cutter, slow-motion type projects we’ve all rolled our eyes at before. Nah, Oppong Nkrumah’s giving us a "promise land" where the bricks are already stacking and 115 units are more than halfway done. You know, like that friend who actually keeps their "I’ll be there in 10 minutes" promise. By the way, this is just phase one; phase two's already in the works with over 1,000 more houses on the way.

And let’s talk land drama. While you might expect some roadblocks like government red tape, procurement nightmares, or Karen-level complaints, Oppong Nkrumah and his crew are zipping through the Public Procurement Authority hurdles like pros. They’re making land deals and approvals smoother than oil-less okro soup on banku.

So, while the spillage was one big, soggy L, the silver lining is that soon, displaced families will have a dry roof, new digs, and zero worries about surprise indoor swimming pools. Fingers crossed. Read more

The Poll Wars

According to the latest poll from Global Info Analytics, Mahama’s now on the dance floor doing his thing. He’s got over half the crowd (51.1%) grooving to his beat, while Bawumia’s still tryna find the right track to get his people hyped again. Bawumia’s sitting at 37.3%, looking like he's got some serious convincing to do. It’s not all bad news though; he still has fans, but a few have ghosted on him.

See, the NPP faithful are pulling a "we’re not really feeling this" move, with 16% of them basically chilling on the sidelines like, “Call us when something exciting happens.” 19% of them have decided to link up with Mahama instead. Compare that to the NDC, where only 3% are snoozing, and you can see why Mahama’s dancing his way to the top. And floating voters? They're leaning toward JDM like he’s the cool new kid in school, giving him a 31-point lead over Bawumia. Bawumia’s got to pull out some tricks from his campaign sleeve because, right now, Mahama’s making serious inroads—especially with first-time voters who were on the fence just a few months ago.

And here’s where it gets spicy: regions that used to be solid NPP—Greater Accra and Central—are now playing hopscotch between Mahama and Bawumia. A solid 20% of NPP voters in Accra and 37% in Central are now vibing with Mahama like he’s got the better party going on. The cracks are showing, and the NPP’s gotta fix ‘em before they turn into potholes. The only real stronghold Bawumia’s got left is Ashanti, but even there, 22% of voters are giving Mahama the side-eye, thinking, “Hmm, maybe we should check him out too.”

And let’s not sleep on the economy, fam. It's got everyone on edge, (except 64% of NPP folks are still riding the "we’re good" wave), with 70% of folks stressing over it like it’s the latest exam they forgot to study for. Jobs and education are next on the list, which means people aren’t just looking for vibes—they want serious solutions. If Bawumia’s campaign doesn’t hit them where it matters, this might turn into Mahama’s victory lap. Either way, it's looking like election szn 2024 is gonna be one for the books. Read more

NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from: