Jack, where are you?

Holiday finish eye-clear. 😂😂😂😂 That’s all.

In today's news:

• National: The National House of Chiefs is getting called out like a student who didn’t do their homework—time to choose a side in the fight against illegal mining!

• Economic: Chale, no more free money for people who don’t even exist on government payroll!

• National: Wa Naa just hit Akufo-Addo with a gentle, "Bro, where's that road you promised?" while the potholes on the Wa-Bole-Bamboi road keep swallowing cars.

• Politics: Omane Boamah's calling out the EC, claiming they're low-key hiding the voter register like it’s a test paper they don't wanna hand back!

• Fact of the Day: Find out what happened on this day, 45 years ago in Ghana.

• Politics: Apea-Danquah isn’t taking his disqualification lightly, calling the EC’s move cap and gearing up to fight back.

• Business: Ghana’s first-ever lithium mine just got the EPA’s blessing.

• Economic: Gold is out here flexing harder than your gym crush – it's up 27% this year, fam!

• Business: Caretaker team moves in: Bogoso & Prestea Mines hit reset button!

QUICK BYTE

• The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey is putting the National House of Chiefs on blast, demanding they pick a side and take some real action! The Coalition believes that with the chiefs’ influence, they could lead the charge in stopping the destruction of Ghana’s land and water. But so far, it feels like they're just chillin’ in the backseat while the environment gets wrecked. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

• During a tour in Bawjiase, Bawumia dropped some serious tea: 29,000 ghost names were living rent-free on SSNIT’s payroll alone, costing Ghana GH¢400 million. That’s like buying every kid in Ghana a brand-new pair of sneakers. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, the National Service Scheme had a whopping 44,000 fake personnel taking home paychecks. But don’t worry, Bawumia says, the Ghana Card swooped in and saved the day, scrubbing the payroll clean and saving us an extra GH¢300 million. Imagine being an actual government worker, hustling for your paycheck, and knowing some imaginary character is making bank while you’re dealing with deadlines and paperwork. That’s got to sting. Read more

• Samuel Apea-Danquah and his squad of disqualified presidential hopefuls are calling the EC’s moves straight-up cap. They’re accusing the Commission of lying about missing documents, and Apea-Danquah is leading the charge for a legal showdown. According to him, they submitted all the paperwork and feel hella disrespected by the EC’s claims. It’s lawsuit time for Apea-Danquah and co. as they aim to get back in the game before December 7. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

• Ghana just bagged its first-ever lithium mine at Ewoyaa, and the EPA’s given it two thumbs up! Atlantic Lithium went full-on eco-mode, getting local communities and environmental experts on board to make sure no one’s backyard gets trashed. Read more in the Deep Dive Section.

• Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Wala Traditional Area, basically hit Akufo-Addo with a classic "Mr. President, we need to talk!" moment during the Dumba festival. The conversation? That Wa-Bole-Bamboi highway that's been looking more like a crater-filled moon than a road. A few years back, when Nana Addo rolled through Wa, he promised to fix the road before he hands over the baton in 2025. But now, the clock’s ticking, and the Overlord’s looking at the calendar like, "Yo, time’s running out, fam!" The Wa-Sing-Loggu road is out here looking for its own makeover too. And while we're at it, let’s not forget the low-key horror movie lighting situation in Wa that’s causing major security issues including serial killings. The Overlord’s like, “Can we get some streetlights, please?!” Read more

• Chale, so it’s election szn and the NDC’s Omane Boamah is out here like, “Yo, where’s the final voter register?” The Electoral Commission (EC) is playing it cool, but Omane Boamah’s not buying it. Man straight-up said the EC is acting shady, like that friend who keeps promising to pay you back but never does. He’s convinced they’re scared to hand it over ‘cause the NDC might find a bunch of skeletons hiding in the closet! It’s giving big “something fishy’s going on” vibes. Boamah made his feelings clear when he sat down with some CSOs and other stakeholders (basically, a “let’s call out the EC” meeting). He said the NDC’s asked the EC for the voter register more times than your mom reminds you to do the dishes. All this waiting is making the NDC anxious – ‘cause, in election land, that register is like a golden ticket. No register, no legit elections. Read more

• Apparently, Ghana Police is in its soft era, and Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah is loving it. Dude hopped on Facebook to give a whole shout-out to the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for showing leadership that doesn’t come with water cannons and tear gas. Like, the way the cops handled the Democracy Hub protest? Mad respect. No broken limbs, no tear-streaked faces—just cool vibes and proper law enforcement. Sulemana Braimah was like, “You know what? This is what progress looks like.” Read more

  PS: Some protesters are still in police custody somewhere in the city and their lawyers are going up and down trying to find them.

• Gold just hit a record high, and honestly, it's giving main character energy. Gold’s sitting at $2,635 per ounce, acting like it just dropped the hottest mixtape of the year. It’s up 27% on the year – like, can your savings account even relate? Traders are basically treating it like that one crush who’s both mysterious and reliable at the same time. So, why all the fuss? Well, the Fed did that thing where they cut rates again – half a percentage point, to be exact. And it’s like, every time they do that, gold smiles a little more. Neel Kashkari (our finance uncle) said they’ll probably slow it down to quarter-point moves next time. Read more

• The Bogoso and Prestea mines just went through a serious breakup with their old operators after repeated violations. The government wasn’t having it and kicked them out, putting a caretaker team in charge. Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited isn’t giving up without a fight, though—they’re contesting the decision in court, claiming they’re totally legal. Stay tuned for the drama. For now, the new team’s already in place, with the military hanging around to make sure everything stays under control. Read more

DEEP DIVE

Time to Stop Playing Hide and Seek?

You're in a group project, and everyone's chipping in—except that one guy who keeps dodging the tough decisions. Well, in this story, that guy is the National House of Chiefs, and the project is stopping illegal mining, aka galamsey. The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (yes, it's a mouthful) just pulled the “so... what’s your plan exactly?” card on the chiefs, and things are getting awkward real fast. The coalition is basically saying, “Yo, you guys need to pick a lane! Are you team 'save the environment' or team 'let's wreck it'?”

Now, to add some spice, the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, basically hit us with, “nah, no need to ban all mining, let’s just regulate it better.” And while that sounds kinda reasonable, the Coalition was like, “Wait, hold up. Better regulations? How’s that been working out for us so far? Have you seen the rivers lately?!” They think the chiefs are playing it too cool, like they’re dodging responsibility faster than someone avoiding chores at home. And with the environment literally on fire (well, not fire, but dirty water and ruined land), that’s not really an option anymore.

To keep it 💯, the chiefs' silence on this whole issue is giving off serious “I’m pretending not to see the problem” vibes. The Coalition wants them to step up and stop the madness. They’re basically saying, “Hey, you’re the OG leaders in the community! If you say something, people will actually listen. But if you keep shrugging your shoulders, nothing’s gonna change.” 

So, what's next? Time for the chiefs to decide: are they gonna help clean up this mess or just sit on the sidelines with their arms crossed? Read more

EC pulls uno reverse – Apea-Danquah isn’t having it!

Imagine preparing for the big game, all pumped up, ready to flex, and then last minute, the ref is like, “Nah, you didn’t even qualify, bruh.” That’s exactly how Samuel Apea-Danquah of the Yellow Ghana movement is feeling right now after getting booted from the 2024 presidential race. EC hit him with the “you’re disqualified” move, and Apea-Danquah is not amused. He’s calling cap, saying the EC’s claims are straight-up lies. Like, how are you gonna disqualify a whole presidential candidate over a missing tax certificate? Mans said he submitted it twice!

Apea-Danquah went on national radio, voice cracking from disbelief (probably), and let it all out. He’s like, “Bruh, I sent that tax certificate via WhatsApp and even dropped a hard copy personally. What’s this cap about it being missing?!” According to him, the EC’s pulling stunts that not only make him look unserious but also hurt his vibes. It’s like they’re acting as if he woke up one morning and decided, “You know what? Let me run for president ‘cause I’ve got some loose change lying around.”

And it’s not just him. Ten other candidates were thrown out of the game too, including some big names like Bernard Mornah and Janet Nabla. It’s basically like forming a squad for a major league and then being told, “Sorry, guys, no jerseys for you.” These candidates are planning to hit back legally though. They’re taking the EC to court to get their names back on the ballot. Yeah, it’s lawsuit o’clock.

Apea-Danquah is fuming at the “disrespect” and drama surrounding this whole thing. He’s acting all presidential, saying he’s thorough and won’t take this L without a fight. Stay tuned because this soap opera isn’t over—our man’s got receipts, literally. Read more

We’re officially going to have our first lithium mine!

Ghana just unlocked a big deal – we’re officially going to have our first lithium mine! The Ewoyaa Lithium Project is getting the green light from Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and we’re all about to be living in the future. Think electric cars, but make it Ghanaian. This isn’t just a mine though; it’s giving "eco-conscious bae vibes." Atlantic Lithium, the guys behind this, were out here ticking all the environmental boxes. Like, they really sat down with the locals and the EPA to make sure no one’s backyard gets messed up. So, your fav river and trees? They’re safe!

You know how every family meeting has that one person who needs all the details before they say yes? Well, the EPA was that auntie, and Atlantic Lithium had to drop receipts. They submitted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)—fancy term for “we won’t ruin the environment, promise”—and even held public hearings in Ewoyaa and Krofu, just to make sure everyone’s cool. Imagine them standing in front of the village, like, “So… about this mine… here’s why it’s good and won’t mess up your Saturday farming vibes.”

So yeah, pretty soon, your next Tesla (if you’re balling like that) could be powered by Ghanaian lithium. Read more

Caretaker moves in

The government has officially sent FGR Bogoso Prestea Limited packing after some serious fouls on the mining field. It’s like they were given a yellow card last year for breaking the rules, but instead of fixing things, they doubled down. Now the Minerals Commission has pulled a full red card and appointed a new squad—a six-member caretaker team to take over the mines.

So, how did we get here? Well, after multiple advisories from the Minerals Commission and even a Ministerial Committee report, the government decided enough was enough. Lands Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor delivered the knockout punch on September 18, 2024. And in case you’re wondering, the previous operators had been warned about their messy mining activities since August 2023. They didn’t listen.

While Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited is busy fighting this in court, a new crew is already settling in. The Minerals Commission’s CEO, Martin Ayisi, just appointed the team to oversee the mines. The military’s sticking around to make sure no funny business goes down at the site. So, this is looking like a tight-knit operation. But let’s see if Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited’s legal challenge shakes things up—or if this new squad will be the mines’ new favorite class monitors for a while. Read more

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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. www.channel1new.com