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In today’s news:
Health: Baby bottles and booze? Midwife says, ‘Girl, stop the madness!
Politics: Jean Mensa’s EC: Where SALL voters got ghosted, and petitions keep sliding in like IG DMs.
Economic: BoG keeps the rate at 27% as food prices play hard to get with inflation.
Health: Big Pharma vibes? GHS says let’s get local with NTD meds.
Crime: When a family feud goes from knives out to flames up, you know things have seriously dey over you!
Fact of the Day: Don’t know who needs to know this but…
National: Omane Boamah and the Fab Five: Today’s hot seat chronicles.
Politics: Ebi Bright vs. Charles Forson: Tema Central heads to court for election drama.
QUICK BYTE
A midwife at Sunyani Teaching hospital, Ms. Susana Twumwaa, is telling us about this wild trend—pregnant women sipping more alcohol than their cravings for fried yam and shitor. Apparently, some moms-to-be have swapped koko for cocktails, and honestly, she’s over it. Ms. Twumwaa says it’s not just bad vibes—it’s straight-up dangerous for both the mothers and their unborn babies. She’s also waving a big red flag at the whole “self-medication” situation. Sis, Google is not a doctor! Read more
You’re in a group chat, and someone’s spilling tea about a friend who’s been “moving mad” for a while now. Right now, the friend is Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Jean Mensa. A petitioner from the Volta Region just slid into President Mahama’s metaphorical DMs, asking him to boot her, her deputies, and even a few commissioners out of office. Apparently, the EC has been doing the electoral equivalent of showing up late to a date and not apologizing. The loudest complaint? Ghosting the people of SALL during the 2020 elections, leaving them voteless in Parliament. Read more
Ghana’s Health Service is urging local pharmaceutical companies to step up and produce meds for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) because relying on donors forever? Yeah, that’s not sustainable. We’ve made some gains, but 14 NTDs are still out here, and districts like Ellembelle and Wenchi are keeping lymphatic filariasis alive. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.
The Bank of Ghana’s MPC had its 122nd press briefing, and the big news? They’ve decided to keep the monetary policy rate locked at 27%. Why? Food prices are out here acting like they're headlining a concert—skyrocketing and keeping inflation stubbornly high. Dr. Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, says inflation’s still throwing tantrums, delaying the bank's goal of hitting its 8±2% sweet spot. But globally, there’s some good news: inflation’s been cooling off in advanced economies, which means more chill vibes for financial conditions worldwide. Read more
FACT OF THE DAY
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321.
In Ahenema Kokoben, Kumasi, a family beef turned straight-up disaster when a 25-year-old allegedly torched an 8-bedroom house after arguing with his brother. Eyewitnesses claim Papa pulled a knife during the fight, and when his brother bolted, he decided fire was the next logical move. Now, several tenants are homeless, and thousands of cedis worth of property is gone. Firefighters saved part of the building, but Papa? Yeah, he pulled a Houdini and disappeared. Fire officials have started an investigation, but all we’re saying is, whatever sparked that argument better have been worth this level of chaos. Read more
So, Parliament’s Appointments Committee is serving major “You’ve Been Called to the Principal’s Office” vibes today. Five ministerial nominees are about to sit in the hot seat, hoping to impress and secure their new gigs. First up at 9 am is Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, for Defence Minister. By 11 am, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum will step up, trying to convince the nation he’s the guy for those “Special Initiatives.” 1 pm is for Adjei Kenneth Gilbert. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo at 3 pm. Finally, the curtain closes at 5 pm with Charity Gardiner, the Ahafo Region hopeful, who’s probably practicing lines like “development is key” as we speak. Read more
The 2024 parliamentary elections may be over, but Tema Central’s political tension is just getting started. Ebi Bright, the NDC’s candidate for the constituency in the 2020 elections, has filed a High Court petition challenging the victory of Charles Forson, the NPP’s representative. According to Ebi Bright, the Electoral Commission might need to dust off its calculators because the final tally isn’t adding up in her book. She’s calling for nothing less than a re-run or, in true courtroom drama style, the outright nullification of Forson’s win. Read more
DEEP DIVE
Big Pharma, do something!
Ghana’s out here battling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)—those silent party crashers no one invited but who refuse to leave. We’re talking stuff like big legs (lymphatic filariasis), eye troubles (onchocerciasis), and intense itching that makes you question your entire skincare routine. Now, while global donors have been throwing us free meds like Praziquantel and Albendazole for years, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is side-eyeing the future. “What if they ghost us?” GHS asks. Plot twist: they might.
Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Larbi Opare, the Programme Manager for NTDs, says it’s time we go local. Like, “support your own” vibes, but for pharmaceuticals. He’s like that friend who warns you to save your emergency contacts because “borrowed chargers” (read: donor funding) don’t last forever. The call? Empower local drugmakers to handle business, from pill to prescription, because our health system needs to stop waiting for freebies like it’s Christmas.
But here’s the tea: while we’ve made strides, things aren’t exactly rosy. Ghana’s still endemic for 14 out of 21 NTDs, and districts like Ellembelle and Wenchi are holding on to lymphatic filariasis like an ex who won’t move on. Meanwhile, stigmatized patients are hiding indoors, battling conditions they’re too broke or embarrassed to treat. Imagine someone not getting treatment for “big legs” because they’re avoiding side-eyes. Tragic, innit?
Dr. Opare is calling for everyone to pull up. He’s pushing for NTD patients to get registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for free care, and honestly, that’s the energy we need. Plus, he’s like, “Yo, if your skin’s itching like a thousand mosquitoes or you’re squinting at everything, get to the hospital ASAP. Don’t be that person who waits until it’s ‘too late’ to do something.” Read more
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