New Law, Who Dis?

Chale! First off, congrats on scoring a holiday this Monday for Nkrumah Memorial Day! 🥳 You know we love a long weekend!

Things have been a bit crazy this weekend, eh? Have you seen the #stopgalamsey demonstrations by Democracy hub? (If you haven’t seen it kraa, the traffic will make you feel it). Roads are blocked everywhere, and people are walking like they’re reenacting the Israelites’ epic journey in the wilderness.

The drama doesn’t stop there oo! The police arrested some protesters yesterday sef. But the highlight? The Constitutional Rights and Policy Advisor of Democracy Hub, Oliver Barker-Vormawor straight-up turned off a police van ignition and made a run for it with the keys! 😂 Apparently, he did it because the cops were playing gatekeepers, stopping demonstrators from getting food and water. Now, the police are on a wild goose chase looking for him!

Meanwhile in today’s stories:

• National: Ghana finally drops Gender Equality Law: Took us a cool 30 years though.

• National: Samson says, put your gavel where your mouth is!

• Entertainment: No worries fam, Kofi Kinata’s still on track.

• Economic: So, the ECG isn’t on the verge of bankruptcy—turns out, the media just got it twisted!

• Fact of the Day: Ever wondered why keyboards aren’t in ABC order?

• National: Chamber of Mines CEO says, “Banning galamsey is like slapping a band-aid on a broken bone—it ain’t gonna fix it!”.

• Politics: Mahama’s got a game plan to tame food prices.

• Sports: Hearts of Oak kick off their season right with a solid 2-0 win against Bechem United, proving they’re not just here for the vibes!

• Politics: Bawumia hits up a church service, preaching faith and peace while low-key campaigning for the big chair!

• Economic: The government aimed high but missed its T-bill auction target by a cool GHS 1.48 billion

• Politics: Koku Anyidoho comes for Mahama over 'Nzema Booty' comment!

QUICK BYTE

• So, after 30 years (yup, you read that right), Ghana finally passed its gender equality law! Women are now guaranteed seats at the big table—from parliament to corporate boardrooms. We’re talking 30% representation now, and by 2030, the goal is to hit 50%. It’s like the government saying, “Move over, guys. Ladies, it’s your time to shine.” But not everyone’s popping bottles yet. Some people are worried the law’s gonna be one of those things that looks great on paper but gets ignored in real life. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

• The big wigs in the judicial system dropped a fancy new slogan, “LEADing Justice.” Sounds catchy, right? Well, Samson Lardy Anyenini is here like, “Cool story, but where’s the action, though?” He wants actual leadership in the justice system, not just vibes. He’s basically telling them to stop with the pretty branding and start putting some respect on those robes by making real changes, especially with elections around the corner. And speaking of elections, Samson didn’t forget to remind everyone about the chaos we’ve seen across Africa. He dropped some scary stats about how 53% of Africans wouldn’t mind a military takeover if their leaders start acting shady. Yeah, democracy’s on thin ice, and Samson’s like, “Y’all better fix this mess before we start playing real-life coup simulator again.” Read more

• Banning galamsey (illegal mining) is like trying to stop a leak with duct tape—it might hold for a bit, but the problem’s still there. That’s what Sulemanu Koney, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, is saying. He’s had enough of the bans that haven’t worked and is calling for some real regulation instead. Koney’s like, “We need rules that actually make sense—track what’s being mined, know who’s doing it, and keep things in check.” Because banning it only pushes illegal miners further underground, and it’s getting dangerous out there with armed miners and explosives in the mix. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

• The government just flopped its latest T-bill auction, missing its target by a whopping GHS 1.48 billion. Imagine going to the market with a shopping list of GHS 5.88 billion worth of goodies and coming back with just GHS 4.39 billion—yikes! Read more 

• Kofi Kinaata, our very own “Things Fall Apart” hitmaker, had a little real-life things falling apart moment on the road. On Sunday, September 22, Kinaata’s ride got crossed by a motorbike, and boom—accident. But before you start sending prayers, relax. Kinaata’s fine. In fact, he’s on Facebook Live like, “Chale, we good, no casualties on my side.” As for the bikers who were a little too close for comfort, they didn’t get off so easily and had to be rushed to the hospital. So, nobody died. Let's squash that rumor now. Read more

   

• For the past week, rumors were flying all over social media about the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) going bankrupt. Apparently, a bunch of news outlets started claiming that the PURC said ECG was on the brink of financial ruin. Naturally, people freaked out. But PURC was quick to call cap on those reports. They didn’t say anything about ECG being bankrupt. In fact, what happened was that ECG themselves wrote a lil’ SOS letter to the Finance Minister and the Energy Minister asking for more time to build up cash. Basically, they were like, “Hey, we’re kinda struggling over here, and if we don’t fix it soon, we might be in serious trouble.” Long story short: ECG’s not bankrupt, but they’re asking for a little breathing room. So, no need to panic... yet. Read more

• You know that feeling when you check your bank account and suddenly feel like you’ve been robbed? Yeah, that’s been the vibe lately, and President John Dramani Mahama just dropped a plan on how to tackle those rising food prices that are making our wallets cry. So, what’s the game plan? Mahama’s basically saying it’s time to kick those “draconian taxes” to the curb. He’s calling for a revamp of the VAT system, which is basically the adult version of sneaky hidden fees. You think you’re getting a deal on that jollof, and then bam! The VAT shows up like an uninvited guest at a party. He also wants to roll out some serious cash to boost the economy. Read more

• Adwoa Smart, known for her unforgettable role in “Obra,” just opened up about a tough chapter in her life that’ll have you feeling all the feels. But during her school days, things weren’t as glamorous as you’d think. Turns out, this legend faced some serious bullying due to her petite stature, and it hit her hard, she lost interest in school altogether. Can you imagine dealing with that while trying to figure out long division? What’s even more heartbreaking? She felt let down by the teachers, the very people who were supposed to have her back. Read more

• Hearts of Oak fans, rejoice! After what felt like a mini crisis with back-to-back losses, the Phobians finally broke their dry spell, flexing their muscles with a triumphant 2-0 victory over Bechem United. Ransford Mensah swooped in like a superhero at the 51st minute, slotting in the first goal and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The kind of energy you only see when your squad finally scores after a long drought! Just when Bechem thought they could regroup, Hamza Issah came in hot, doubling the lead in the 75th minute and solidifying the win like icing on a cake. Read more

• Vice President Bawumia rolls into the Breman Asikuma assembly of The Church of Pentecost and starts dropping spiritual knowledge straight from the Bible. He quotes Matthew 19:26, reminding the congregation that while humans are out here struggling, God’s power is the real MVP. It’s like when you’re trying to finish a group project and then one friend shows up with all the snacks and energy drinks—suddenly, everything feels possible! And just to sprinkle in a bit of aspiration, he cheekily asks for prayers to help him come back as president next time. You gotta respect the hustle! Read more

DEEP DIVE

‘Let’s give women a seat at the table’—took them long enough, but we’ll take it!

Ghanaian women have been waiting for the gender equality law for almost 30 years—like, a whole lifetime—and then it finally happens. The bill’s been doing laps since 1998 , but they finally passed it. The law promises women are about to level up in politics, commerce, and all those fancy decision-making spaces. This is Ghana’s version of “Beyoncé said girls run the world,” but like, for real now.

The law makes sure women will at least make up 30% of the big decision-making gang. But it doesn’t stop there—by 2030, we’re aiming for a solid 50%. And if you think this is just for show, nah fam, private companies even get tax perks for hiring women. So, don’t be surprised if your next Uber ride is tax-deductible—just kidding, but you get the gist.

But real talk, some people are already side-eyeing this whole thing. While everyone's popping champagne, some folks are like, “Okay, cool, but will anyone actually follow the rules?” You know how it is—people love passing fancy laws, but following them is a whole other story. Like that one friend who says they’ll hit the gym but keeps ghosting leg day. Campaigners are a little sus, worried politicians might treat this law like New Year’s resolutions—great in theory, weak on follow-through.

And speaking of sus, the “backlash” so far is practically non-existent. A few people tried to call it “reverse discrimination,” but they got shut down real quick. The government basically said, “Nah, women have been ready for this. We’re not handing out freebies; we’re just making things fair.” So, now we’re all just watching to see if political parties and unions will actually step up or if they’re gonna play sleeping dogs. Either way, Ghana’s finally in the gender equality group chat, and we’re here for it. Read more

Bans aren’t working

Every few years, the government says, “Alright, no more mining!” hoping it’ll magically fix the mess. But people find a way to keep the party going, lowkey and way more dangerously. Sulemanu Koney, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, is basically like, “Yo, this ban thing isn’t working.”

Koney was on Joy News, breaking it down like a pro. He said, yeah, we’ve tried bans, moratoriums, the whole shebang, and yet galamsey is still thriving like it’s got a VIP pass. What we really need is some real-deal regulation—a system that’s watching the miners, counting what they’re digging up, and keeping tabs on who’s where, doing what. Kind of like a bouncer who actually does their job at the door. Right now, large-scale mining is like a Netflix subscription: you know exactly how much you’re paying and what you’re getting. But small-scale mining? It’s like downloading movies from random sketchy sites—you never know what you’re gonna end up with.

Koney also pointed out the whole “ban it and it’ll go away” strategy has backfired. Instead of making things better, it just drives galamsey underground—literally. And once things go off the radar, it's a free-for-all with more unregulated chaos, dangerous practices, and, you guessed it, armed miners. Koney didn’t hold back, calling it a “ticking time bomb” with foreigners (yeah, not even Ghanaians) getting their hands on explosives. Basically, it’s like handing a toddler a box of matches and hoping for the best.

So, the man’s got a plan: don’t ban, regulate. He’s calling for boots on the ground, proper oversight, and a major overhaul of the system. Because at the end of the day, if we don’t get serious about regulation, we’re just gonna be stuck in this loop—banning, unbanning, and watching the mess unfold over and over again. Read more

CHECK OUT WHAT’S TRENDING

• Barker-Vormawor’s calling cap on the Ghana police for saying he’s hiding.

• Koku Anyidoho comes for Mahama over 'Nzema Booty' comment!

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