You won’t believe what’s dropping from the top!

Quick question: if you had a superpower for a day, what would it be? While you ponder that, here’s what’s buzzing today.

• National: The farms are so dry, the Prez has no choice but to make it rain.

• Politics: The NDC plans on letting the private sector take the wheel, promising a lean government that focuses on big wins.

• National: Sleek 6km dual carriageway linking School Junction to Tema Motorway opened!

• Politics: Dr. Bawumia is pulling up with promises to bankroll traders and SMEs

• Fact of the Day: Smiling before a fight? You might be grinning your way to a knockout!

• Economic: The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) is showing Africa who’s boss, leading the pack with a 39.08% year-to-date performance, even after a slight dip.

• National: Ablakwa calls out Akufo-Addo: ‘Did we really just spend $58.1 million on the “World's Most Expensive Pit?’

• Sports: Edmund Baidoo, Ghana’s latest football gem, is set to dazzle RB Salzburg with his skills after a hot €3.3M transfer!

• International: North Korean Table Tennis champs in hot water for smiling in selfie.

• International: A New Zealand woman’s excessive feeding of her dog Nuggi led to a jail sentence, proving that you can love your pet to death—literally.

• International: How does one prove they’re alive in a country that’s given them a death certificate? Baburam decided that a bit of extreme criminal activity might just do the trick.

QUICK BYTE

• It’s a tough time out here in Ghana with eight regions literally parched. President Nana’s looking at the Finance Ministry like, “Y’all need to pull a miracle and find GH₵8 billion, pronto!” It's all hands on deck right now! Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

• Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) is out here acting like the main character, leading the squad with a solid 39.08% year-to-date glow-up. Sure, it’s down from its 43.56% mid-year peak, but that hasn’t stopped the GSE from stunting on Africa’s biggest stock markets, including Nigeria’s NGX and South Africa’s JSE. Meanwhile, the big players are serving lukewarm numbers, with year-to-date gains chilling between 7.76% and 28.44%. But GSE? It's got everyone shook. With a market cap of just $5.87 billion, this small but mighty bourse is out here proving that size really doesn’t matter when you’re winning. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

• Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul just dropped the news that troops are being deployed to border towns, especially up north, to clamp down on grain smuggling. The reasoning behind this move is pretty solid. After months of drought, the last thing we need is grains slipping across the border. Wondering why all the fuss? Well, from TZ to banku, grains are the backbone of our daily meals. Nitiwul knows that if even a single truckload slips through the cracks, it could spell trouble for families across the country. He’s also enlisting every Ghanaian as a defender of the national pantry—so if you see something, say something. Read more

• John Kofi Adomakoh, the MD of GCB Bank, is fed up with how people are borrowing left, right, centre and refusing to pay back. At a recent event, he revealed that non-performing loans (NPLs) are now sitting at a whopping 24.1%—up from 18.7% last year. He’s calling out those who think they can just borrow and bail. “Pay your debts!” he says. He’s also pushing banks to hustle harder in chasing down these unpaid loans. Because if we keep slacking, loan rates are gonna shoot up, and banks won’t have the cash to keep businesses buzzing. Read more

• The Ashaley Botwe School Junction to Tema Motorway Road project just dropped like a hot new track, and it’s about to make your daily commute smoother than your favorite playlist. The dual carriageway is decked out with all the extras—service lanes, walkways, cycling lanes, and even those slip roads you didn’t know you needed until now. This road isn’t just a pretty face, though. The new highway is like that one friend who’s got connections everywhere, bringing together neighborhoods like Ashale Botwe, School Junction, Borteyman, Tema and making sure everyone can get where they need to go without feeling like they’ve been on the road since forever. Read more

• Looks like the NDC has a new mantra: “Let the private sector cook!” Isaac Adongo, their economic guru, just revealed that their next government will put more faith in businesses and less in government-run operations. This move, Adongo says, will free up serious cash, allowing them to flex on other projects without burning through the country's resources. And they’ve got receipts! Adongo reminded everyone that the previous Mahama administration pulled off some major projects, like the fancy Terminal 3 and the $1.5 billion upgrade at Tema Harbour, all without breaking the government bank. Now, they’re ready to do it again, but this time, it’s all about partnerships with the private sector. Read more

• Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is talking the talk—promising to make cash flow like never before for traders and small businesses. On his tour of Ablekuma North and West, he dropped some fire: a Women’s Trade Empowerment Fund and an SME bank, because running a business without proper funding is like trying to vibe without music—it just doesn’t hit the same. So yeah, Bawumia plans to get the bag for these women. Read more

• Ghanaian football sensation Edmund Baidoo is about to make some serious waves at RB Salzburg! The 18-year-old winger is heading to the Austrian side for a cool €3.3M plus add-ons, sealing the deal before the transfer window slams shut. After lighting up the field with Sogndal and grabbing 10 goal involvements in 18 Norwegian First Division matches, he’s ready to bring his A-game to Salzburg. Read more

• Samuel Ablakwa’s throwing some serious shade at President Akufo-Addo over the National Cathedral funding, and the tea is hot. He’s accusing Akufo-Addo of pulling the wool over religious leaders’ eyes and, dare we say, even deceiving the Almighty with the way this funding has been handled. Ablakwa’s critique isn’t just about the cash splash. He’s questioning whether this cathedral is becoming the world’s priciest pit rather than a sacred space.

  PSA: $58.1 million is already spent on this project.

• In what’s probably the most high-stakes selfie drama of the year, North Korea’s table tennis silver medalists are facing a tough crowd back home for their grinning antics. Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik, who shared their Olympic joy with athletes from South Korea and China, are now under scrutiny for their happy snaps with athletes from South Korea and China. Apparently, showing some Olympic spirit and grinning with competitors isn’t exactly North Korea’s vibe. Back home, the team is undergoing a “cleanse” to wash away any trace of “non-socialist” influence. Read more

• A New Zealand woman has been sentenced to two months in jail after overfeeding her dog, Nuggi, to the point where he could barely walk. The excess weight (53.7kg) was so extreme that rescue workers could barely detect a heartbeat during his checkup. The woman’s daily routine of feeding Nuggi eight to ten pieces of chicken, along with copious amounts of doggy biscuits. Read more

• After the government mistakenly declared him dead and issued a death certificate, Baburam’s attempts to fix the error fell flat. So, what’s a guy to do? He went full crime spree mode! On July 19, he stormed a local school with a knife and petrol, causing chaos to get some attention. And hey, it worked! Now, the police are investigating his claims. Baburam’s extreme method might seem wild, but it’s not exactly unheard of in India. Last year, a 70-year-old took to the streets with a sign reading “I’m alive” after facing a similar issue. Read more

DEEP DIVE

Addo Dee is about to make it rain

You’re a farmer, and for months, your crops have been looking at you like, “You really thought we’d grow without rain?” This situation has got eight regions in Ghana seriously sweating. Enter President Akufo-Addo, like a dad who just found out the family car’s battery is dead, telling the Finance Ministry, “Fam, I need you to find GH₵8 billion and fix this mess—ASAP.” And just like that, the mission to raise a massive relief fund is on.

Dr. Amin Adam, the Finance Minister, is out here saying, “Look, we might not make it rain overnight, but we can definitely stabilize things.” Think of it like trying to patch up a leaky boat in the middle of the ocean—not a total fix, but hey, it’s keeping us afloat until the storm passes.

But raising that kind of cash when the country’s already scraping the bottom of the barrel? Tough, man. The buffers are basically on life support. They’ve managed to secure a cool $160 million from the contingency fund, which is like finding a forgotten Ghs 200 not in your old jeans pocket. Not to mention, there’s another GH₵2.4 billion coming in hot from development partners like the World Bank.

So, while the dry spell is still flexing on the farmers, the government’s out here hustling to raise the full GH₵8 billion. The idea is to get GH₵5 billion on the table ASAP. Read more

GSE Is Out Here Snatching Wigs

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) is out here doing the most, with a 39.08% year-to-date performance that’s leaving Africa’s top stock markets in their feelings. Despite a slight dip from its 43.56% mid-year peak, the GSE is still serving major main-character energy, flexing on giants like the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and Nigeria’s NGX. With a market cap of $5.87 billion, the GSE might be the smallest in the room, but it’s walking out with the biggest trophy.

While the heavy hitters like JSE and the Casablanca Stock Exchange (MASI) are dragging with year-to-date performances between 7.76% and 28.44%, the GSE is out here collecting W’s. It’s giving “I may be small, but I’m mighty” vibes, reminding everyone that it’s not about the size of the market, but the fire it brings to the table.

This glow-up isn’t just a fluke—GSE has been on its grind, attracting all the right attention from investors who know a good thing when they see it. And while the JSE’s $1.07 trillion market cap might look intimidating, the GSE’s performance is making it clear that sometimes the underdog comes out on top, flexing on all the naysayers.

So, while the big leagues are out here taking baby steps, the GSE is out here making boss moves. Read more

CHECK OUT WHAT’S TRENDING

• NDC demands an urgent meeting with the EC

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