Everything is going south...

So, what’s in the bag today?

• Politics: Ghana’s election rerun in Ablekuma North turned into WWE live, and poor Hawa Koomson got body-slammed.

• Crime: Because of love, over 200 people lost their homes in a Kumasi slum fire.

• National: The nurses sat with Parliament and Government, got two allowances approved, but they’re still side-eyeing the rest.

• Health: HIV Cases Up, and So Are the Red Flags in Ghana’s Sex Ed

• Economic: IMF just confirmed what IERPP has been screaming: Ghana’s Cedi isn’t strong, it’s just heavily filtered.

• Fact of the Day: Do you think fish can cough?

• Crime: They were born together, stole together, and now thanks to a petty twist of justice, they’re doing time apart.

• Crime: What started as a simple link-up between friends has turned into one of the most chilling headlines out of Kwabenya this year.

QUICK BYTE

• Okay so... here’s how it started. Thursday morning. Vibes were calm, sun was out, church compound turned polling station. You know the drill. People came with their voter IDs and low expectations. Until out of nowhere, vroooom, a whole convoy of macho men pulled up like Uber was running a special for chaos. Motorbikes flying in, pickup truck drifting like it's Kasoa junction during rush hour. No greeting. No flyer. Just straight action. Now Hawa Koomson who once famously pulled a gun at a polling station (karma’s GPS is working overtime) tried to hold it down. But these guys? They didn’t come to play. Eyewitnesses say she got shoved, floored, and stomped in places that don’t belong in press releases. Read more

• Wednesday night in Baba Ayoyo was not giving peaceful evening. Around 8:30pm, flames went full Kanye, unpredictable, unhinged, and unstoppable. In minutes, over 100 makeshift homes in the slum had turned to crispy ruins. Some say this wasn’t your average faulty-wire fire. Nope. Rumor on the burnt streets is that some guy, allegedly the boyfriend of one of the occupants, might’ve started it all. Because... relationship wahala? Read more

• After weeks of holding Ghana’s health system hostage (respectfully), the nurses finally got the government to pull up. GRNMA, the Ministry of Health, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health had a sit-down that didn’t end in a walkout, tears, or more strike placards. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

• Ghana recorded 15,290 new HIV cases last year and the youth? Front and centre, catching strays not from heartbreak but from misinformation, silence, and vibes. At an SDG event, JM basically said, “Yo, this isn’t an STI problem, it’s a system failure.” From schools to homes, no one’s talking straight about sex, condoms, or even basic protection. Just vibes, abstinence flyers, and awkward silence. But catching feelings is not enough. You’ve gotta catch sense too so Mahama says we’ve got to start teaching better in schools. Read more

• You know that friend who posts gym pics but hasn’t actually stepped on a treadmill in months? That’s the Cedi, apparently. The IMF just clocked Ghana for pretending the currency’s stable when it’s actually being held together by duct tape and dollar injections. According to them, the Bank of Ghana has been pumping in forex to make the Cedi look fresh but it’s all vibes and no fundamentals. The Institute of Economic and Research Policy Promotion (IERPP) heard this and went full “WE TOLD YOU SO!” Read more

• It’s a calm Bibiani evening. Daniel Fosu parks his Haojin motorbike, probably humming a little Daddy Lumba tune. Next morning? Bike gone. Vanished. The bike was later traced to a mechanic who pointed at identical twins, Seth and Emmanuel Frimpong. When the thieving twins were picked up at a checkpoint days later, they didn’t even try the denial game. Emmanuel confessed straight up, even giving up “Chairman,” the alleged buyer in Lineso. The bike? Sold for GH¢4,000. The crime? Worth GH¢13,000. The refund? GH¢3,440. Oh, and did we mention these aren’t first-time offenders? Yeah, they’ve been in and out of jail more times. The judge split them up; sending one to Obuasi and the other to Kumasi. Read more

• Steffen King Amoah, a 38-year-old immigration officer and father of two, went missing on July 3 after leaving home for a casual meeting. Five days later, his burnt body, riddled with stab wounds, was found dumped like trash on the Abuom-Abokobi road. The suspected killers tried to torch the evidence — wrapping him in a woollen carpet and setting it alight but the truth refused to be buried. Prime suspect? His friend who owed Amoah some money. He has already been remanded. Read more

DEEP DIVE

STRIKE ON PAUSE?

So, after weeks of strike chants, tears from patients, and back-and-forth with the National Labour Commission (who lowkey ghosted GRNMA at some point), the government finally showed up with a semi-offer. In a meeting that had more tension than a group project deadline, they agreed to two of the GRNMA’s demands. Two. 

Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, said, yeah, this is nice, but it’s giving half-baked. Meanwhile, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) showed up like that friend who’s always late but swears they’re on their way. Their CEO, Dr. George Smith-Graham, promised that talks would resume next Tuesday, but warned: this ain’t a renegotiation, we’re just “addressing outstanding issues.” Aka, "you’ll take what we give and like it."

By the end of the meeting, everyone smiled for the cameras, said things like “collaboration,” “optimism,” and “moving forward,” but the nurses? They’ve got one hand on their stethoscopes and one foot still ready to step back out. Because in Ghana, agreeing today doesn’t mean implementation tomorrow. Read more

CHECK OUT WHAT’S TRENDING

• Hawa Koomson vs Hannah Bissiw

• Ghana’s response to US Visa restrictions

NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from:

1. www.myjoyonline.com

2. www.ghanaweb.com

3. www.citinewsroom.com

4. www.norvanreports.com

5. Channel1news