Broke and Bougie

Like your cousin who borrows your money to buy designer clothes but can't afford kenkey.

Author

Chale News
November 18, 2024

So, it’s Monday again! We know…we know…. the weekend lasted like 30 secs. But surely, you are used to it by now, anaa?😂😂

Today:

  • National: Inflation is doing shuperu on our wallets, and Togbe Afede XIV is not here for the economic vawulence.

  • National: TEWU-TUC is taking a hard pass on broken promises—strike mode activated!

  • Politics: Skip the ballot, and you’re basically letting someone else ghostwrite your future.

  • Health: When your grandma in Kumasi spends more time indoors than your smartphone, vitamin D levels take an L.

  • Fact of the Day: #ThrowbackClone story.

  • Politics: Party talk turns sour, the NDC scrambles to clean up faster than spilled sobolo on a white shirt.

  • Education: More classroom blocks, STEM schools, and skills hubs? 80+ projects set to drop this week.

  • National: Bawku before elections: It's not looking like a peaceful after-party.

QUICK BYTE

  • Ghana’s economy is like that one cousin who borrows your money to buy designer clothes but still shows up at kenkey parties broke. Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, has had enough! At the Asogli Te Za festival, he served a hot plate of truth, calling out reckless borrowing, inflation that’s skyrocketing like “dumsor” light bills, and a cedi that’s been sprinting backward faster than Usain Bolt. And the scandals? Let’s just say Ghana’s playlist is stuck on “Scam Likely – Extended Remix.” Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

  • If frustration were a sport, TEWU-TUC just broke the world record. Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU-TUC) has flipped the "we’ve had enough" switch and is starting a nationwide strike. The tea? They’ve been negotiating their service conditions since forever (or at least, that’s what it feels like), and the government keeps ghosting them. From libraries to universities, workers are fed up, and they’re not showing up until things get sorted. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

  • Bawku’s 2024 elections might be on thin ice. Security’s looking shaky in the area, and if things don’t change, voters might not even get to show up to the polls. The experts are calling for serious action before Bawku turns into a no-go zone for voting. Security analyst Adib Saani is out here saying, "We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect results." He’s got a point. Just sending in military and police like it's some sort of recurring episode won’t fix the deep-rooted issues. It’s time to involve local chiefs, youth groups, and especially CSOs who the community actually trusts. Read more

  • Former Prez Kufuor has a message for those tired of party politics and clearly aiming to rather Netflix than vote on election day. He says, staying home on election day is basically handing over your future to strangers. He’s pleading with Ghanaians to not let political drama or party beefs kill their vibe because every vote counts. If you sit it out, someone else will call the shots—and their plans might not be your cup of tea. Read more

  • Your granny rolls out with a bag of rice on one shoulder, a tuber of yam on the other, and a smile brighter than her Sunday best. That’s exactly what went down in Koforidua this weekend, where MP Michael Okyere Baafi held his 'Shop and Go' initiative. It’s been his tradition since 2017, but this year hit different, with a crowd of over 5,000 seniors showing up for the free goodies and good vibes. The event was like a supermarket sweep for the elderly, but instead of chasing carts, they got handed the works—rice, veggies, fowl, health screeings and even some fresh fabric to slay in. Grandpa and grandma were out there living their best lives like it’s 1954 again. Read more

FACT OF THE DAY

❝

Dolly the sheep was the first animal to be cloned.

  • So, the elders in Kumasi are dodging the sun like it owes them rent, and now 70% of them are running low on vitamin D, according to a fresh KNUST study. Turns out, just 6% of the squad is actually soaking up enough sunlight for healthy vibes.

    The researchers are yelling “Get outside!” while pointing to foods like fish and fortified cereals for backup. But if they don’t start catching rays soon, it’s giving brittle bones and wobbly knees energy. Read more

  • Dela Edem of the NDC’s comms team thought it was a good idea to suggest former President Kufuor’s wheelchair situation was... wait for it... a curse. Naturally, the internet erupted, dragging the NDC into the mess faster than a trending hashtag. Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC’s National Communications Officer, had to do some rapid damage control, calling the comments "unsavoury and distasteful" while simultaneously reassuring the public that the party holds the elderly, like Kufuor, in high regard. Basically, “We’re sorry, Uncle Kufuor. It’s not you, it’s us. Specifically, Dela.” Dela himself wasn’t spared. Read more

  • Okay, so you know how every politician promises to fix education? Well, this week, Ghana’s government is giving us receipts. Starting Thursday, 80+ educational projects will be officially opened across all 16 regions, and honestly, the rollout feels like when your favorite brand drops a fire collection—it’s that big.

    Ashanti Region’s basically the Beyoncé of this rollout, flaunting projects like the Bosomtwe Model STEM JHS with its shiny 11-unit classroom block. Read more

DEEP DIVE

We’ve Gone Broke and Bougie!

Togbe Afede XIV pulled no punches at the Asogli Te Za Grand Durbar, turning his speech into a national intervention. According to him, Ghana’s debt is giving sugar daddy vibes: we’ve spent so much, but there’s nothing to show. Inflation is climbing like the final boss in a video game, and the cedi? Let’s just say it’s ghosting the dollar harder than your ex. Eight years ago, it was 4 cedis to a dollar. Now? Try 16 cedis. If this keeps up, we might start paying for waakye in Bitcoin.

Togbe didn’t stop there. He clocked the youth frustration levels rising faster than Black Friday queues. Strikes, protests, and even a heartbreaking rise in suicide cases—all because opportunities are rare. And when you think it couldn’t get worse, he spilled the beans on scholarship gatekeeping. Apparently, scholarships meant for the broke and brilliant are being snatched by the rich like free jollof at a wedding reception.

Oh, and the scandals? They’re not even subtle anymore. Togbe dragged everyone from the National Cathedral project to those suspicious ambulance spare parts purchases. “How do you buy $59 million worth of ambulances and immediately spend $34 million on spare parts?!” he asked, shaking his head like your mum when you try to lie about finishing the stew.

And the cherry on this tragic cake? The Bank of Ghana spending $250 million on a new HQ while the economy screams for CPR. According to Togbe, if bad decisions were a sport, Ghana would be Olympic gold medalists. “This is not how serious countries operate,” he lamented. Serious? Nah, our economy is on comedy central. Read more

It’s strike o’clock

After countless meetings and broken promises, Ghana’s education support staff—think librarians, technicians, and university workers—have said, “It’s strike o’clock.”

Their problem? Conditions of service haven’t been updated in ages. And we’re not just talking about one group here. This affects workers in public universities, libraries, museums, and even GES. These people keep the education system running smoothly, but it seems like their concerns have been collecting more dust than unused textbooks.

Now, the National Labour Commission wants to step in with a meeting this Wednesday to try and talk things out. Cool, right? Except TEWU-TUC is all, “You had your chance, now we want receipts!”

So yeah, today, school offices and libraries are likely quieter than a church on Monday. Read more

NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from: