Something Happened Overnight.

Happy New Year, fam! Only 72 hours in and 2026 is already reminding us that some things never change. Fees are climbing, police are making moves, and the only thing rising faster than UG tuition is probably the water and electricity tarriff hike we were promised last year.

• Regional: Tamale entered 2026 with clean streets and burnt excuses.

• Crime: Five people were moving around mining sites in the Eastern Region moving mad until reality clocked in.

• Education: The GES calendar said, “I’m Not Moving”.

• Business: GoldBod says 2025 wasn’t a loss story, it was a soft life surplus with receipts.

• Business: If you’re importing big-big goods without VAT registration, GRA now wants their 20% before you even clear your container.

• Fact of the Day: On what day are the least number of children born? Take a wild guess or just find out below.

• Education: UG fees woke up in 2023 and said ‘we’ve grown’”

• National: Ghana police pulled up in South Sudan with meds, food, and main character energy.

QUICK BYTE

• You know those mornings where the street feels unusually quiet, like something definitely went down before you woke up? That was Tamale this week. While some people were still negotiating snooze buttons, police were already outside. One of the main stops was Changli, specifically an area locals call Aluta Boys.

  Then there were the structures. Wooden shacks that had been doubling as drug dens? Police said nah. They didn’t lock them. Didn’t seal them. They introduced them to fire. A very permanent eviction notice. The kind where even your memories can’t move back in. By the time ashes settled, 12 people were in custody, and the city got a loud reminder that “New Year, new me” also applies to law enforcement. Read more

• If you were secretly hoping GES would wake up and say “actually, let’s shift everything small,” sorry oo. The calendar stood its ground like a stubborn group admin. 2025/26 SHS dates? Same same. No remix. So yes, school resumes January 5. The bell will ring whether you’re emotionally ready or not. Get the full deets in the Deep Dive section.

• This whole thing feels like when someone spreads a rumour that you’re broke, meanwhile you’re at home ordering food. According to rumours, some people were shouting like town criers that Gold Bod made shouting “$214 million loss”. Sammy Gyamfi said, “First of all, stop lying on our name.” GoldBod, according to him, didn’t bleed money, it stacked it. ₵960 million came in. Less than ₵120 million went out. The rest? Still breathing. Read more

• You’re at a mining site, minding your hustle, dust everywhere, sun doing too much. Then a pickup pulls up. Men step out in uniforms. Serious faces. Big grammar. “We’re from Accra.” That’s how these 5 guys were moving from site to site in Akwadum, enforcing absolutely nothing except fear. It was giving authority. Anyway, plot twist gets in. Actual NAIMOS officials spotted the performance mid-tour. No standing ovation. No encore. Just an arrest, right there, inside the Mitsubishi pickup they were using as their mobile office. Now all five suspects are cooling off in custody, assisting investigations. Read more

• You know that friend who always borrows money and says “I’ll pay you later,” then later never comes? Yeah. GRA is tired of that friend. So now, if you’re importing goods worth serious money and you’re not VAT-registered, GRA is like, “Cool story. Drop 20% first.” Starting January 2026, if your imports cross ₵750k and you’re still doing hide-and-seek with VAT registration, you’ll pay an extra 20% upfront at the port. Don’t worry, it’s not gone forever. Once you register and behave, you can come back for a refund. But for now? Just receipts. Read more

• Let’s start from the beginning. You’re a UG student in January, still recovering from Detty December expenses, when you see the provisional fee schedule. You blink once. You blink twice. Then you rub your eyes like maybe the screen is glitching. Because how did your fees suddenly level up like it unlocked a new boss stage? Get the full deets in the Deep Dive section.

• So while most of us were arguing over leftover rice and whether Christmas is actually over, some Ghanaian police officers were out in South Sudan doing the most wholesome thing imaginable delivering medical supplies and food to a community hospital that really needed it. They even added a little spice. A short choreography performance. Read more

DEEP DIVE

New Year, Same Calendar.

GES said, let me end the speculation before WhatsApp University graduates another theory.

They dropped a statement saying the 2025/26 SHS academic calendar is staying exactly where it is. No shifting. No soft life. Under the single-track system, Form Ones and Twos are back in class from January 5 till February 27. After that, small break, then they resume May 3 and close the academic year on August 21. Form Threes? They’re out earlier, June 21 because final year pressure is already enough.

Now, transition schools are doing that familiar “half online, half vibes” routine. Form Ones start with online/off-campus learning in January, while Form Twos do theirs later in March. Form Threes, however, are locked in physically till June.

GES also tried to sweeten the deal by reminding everyone that online learning won’t be vibes-only. There’s MoE TV, free curriculum resources, and school LMS platforms doing their thing. Translation: even if your child is at home, learning is still watching them. Parents have been gently warned to prepare properly uniforms, chop money, documents, and emotional strength. Read more

Kwabena and Wifey take AG to Court for chatting rubbish

College of Humanities students especially are going through it. Freshers are now staring at ₵3,110, up from ₵2,319; that’s a 34% jump. Continuing students didn’t dodge it either; their fees climbed from ₵1,777 to ₵2,253. Law students too? Same WhatsApp support group. Freshers now owe ₵3,226 and returning students are paying almost ₵2,400. Books didn’t even clap.

But the real plot twist is hiding in the “small small” charges. Third-party levies that were ₵255 last year have now ballooned to ₵767 for freshers. SRC hostel levy, anniversary project, Telecel data bundle, everybody is billing you. Even reprographic fees said, “Let me also exist.”

And here’s why students are loud: nobody warned them. No heads-up. No “prepare yourself.” Just vibes and invoices. Student leaders are asking questions, parents are recalculating life, and students are wondering whether they’re paying for education or subscribing to a premium university package. UG management hasn’t fully explained yet and until they do, the campus mood is giving collective side-eye. 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. Channel1news