President John Dramani Mahama has launched a bold call for African self-reliance and collective action, warning that the global governance system established after World War II is breaking down and that Africa must position itself to shape the emerging world order.

Speaking at the Davos Convening of the Accra Reset Initiative on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, President Mahama said Africa could no longer depend on shrinking global aid, fragmented bilateral relations, and external control over its resources, stressing that the continent must “build its own capacity to act”.

He noted that bilateral relations are becoming increasingly transactional, while multilateral cooperation is weakening amid rising global conflict and uncertainty.

Against this backdrop, Mahama argued that Africa must secure a seat at the table in defining the next global system rather than remaining a passive recipient of decisions made elsewhere.

Reflecting on Ghana’s own journey since independence, which marks its 70th anniversary next year, the President acknowledged decades of political upheaval, economic shocks and external dependency.

He said those experiences underline the urgency of a new development path anchored in sovereignty, value creation and regional cooperation.

Mahama highlighted what he described as Ghana’s recent economic turnaround, citing stabilised macroeconomic conditions, single-digit inflation, a strengthened currency and renewed business confidence following debt renegotiation and fiscal discipline. However, he cautioned that Ghana’s progress would be meaningless if it stood alone.

“Ghana cannot be a jewel in the dirt,” he said, calling for African countries to knit together individual success stories into a continent-wide transformation agenda.

At the centre of his address was what he termed Africa’s “triple dependency,” reliance on external actors for security decisions, donor funding for health and education systems, and the export of critical minerals without capturing value through processing and manufacturing.

President Mahama proposed the Accra Reset as a practical blueprint rather than a declaration, urging African nations and Global South partners to coordinate industrial policy, pool negotiating power on critical minerals, and build regional manufacturing hubs capable of creating millions of jobs.

He also called for renewed investment in skills development, local production of vaccines and medicines, and stronger accountability in governance, arguing that corruption and waste undermine Africa’s case for partnership and investment.

“The pandemic of unfulfilled potential is Africa’s greatest crisis,” Mahama said, pointing to high youth unemployment, fragile health systems and extractive economies that fail to generate lasting prosperity.

Concluding his remarks, the President invited global partners to join what he described as a partnership based on mutual respect rather than charity, insisting that the future of shared global prosperity could be shaped in African capitals if leaders show the courage to act collectively.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Ghana’s Vice President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using sports and recreation as a strategic tool for national development, describing the sector as critical to economic growth, social cohesion and public wellbeing.

The Vice President made the remarks during a working visit to the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, where she highlighted the vital role of sports and recreation in Ghana’s development and praised ongoing reforms within the sector.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang used the visit to receive briefings on current initiatives and progress within the Ministry, reaffirming her commitment to fostering a thriving sports ecosystem in the country.

She commended the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, for what she described as “excellent leadership over the past year,” stressing that “service to humanity remains the core calling of public servants.”

The Vice President emphasised the importance of a proactive approach to addressing the needs of Ghanaians and pledged her personal support to the Ministry, particularly in ensuring the timely release of logistics and resources to facilitate its work.

Meanwhile, Minister Adams outlined a series of interventions undertaken by the Ministry, highlighting Ghana’s progress in sports safety, governance and funding.

He recalled that following the death of a football supporter, the Ministry suspended the Premier League, conducted safety audits and created a Sports Police Unit.

In boxing, the Ministry acted decisively after the death of boxer Gabriel Olanrewaju, overhauling boxing regulations and introducing national medical protocols.

Financially, the Minister revealed that the Ministry had cleared over US$904,000 in overdue salaries for Black Stars staff, while Parliament has passed the Ghana Sports Fund Bill to finance sports infrastructure and development.

The Vice President also celebrated the contribution of sports and recreation to Ghana’s economy, noting that the sector plays a significant role in national development.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Government has rolled out an expansive industrialisation and export-led growth agenda aimed at repositioning Ghana as a manufacturing and trade powerhouse, following a 41.21% surge in non-traditional exports in the first half of 2025.
This is according to Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry,
Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare.

The Minister who took her turn at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 outlined President John Dramani Mahama’s six-pillar economic transformation vision, focused on accelerating manufacturing, anchoring agribusiness, strengthening domestic trade, expanding exports, formalising the informal sector, and improving the business environment.

“This vision is not just about policy; it is about jobs, dignity and opportunity, especially for our youth,” the Minister said.

Source: myxyzonline.com

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and Gold Coast Refinery have signed a major agreement aimed at refining Ghana’s gold locally for both domestic trade and export, as part of efforts to deepen value addition within the country’s gold sector.

The agreement, signed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in Accra, will ensure that gold produced from both artisanal and large-scale mining operations is refined domestically rather than exported in its raw form.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, said the partnership would significantly enhance transparency and accountability within the gold value chain through the implementation of a robust track-and-trace system.

“This partnership will strengthen the track-and-trace system across the entire gold value chain and ensure greater transparency in Ghana’s gold trade,” Mr. Gyamfi said.

He explained that Ghana currently exports about one tonne of gold daily and noted that, under the new arrangement, all gold exports will now be shipped in refined form with a minimum purity of 99.9 per cent, the highest standard in the global gold industry.

“This is a major milestone for our gold trade as a country. Exporting refined gold instead of raw gold will help Ghana maximise revenue and derive greater value from its mineral resources,” he added.

Mr. Gyamfi further stated that the agreement comes with several benefits, including increased revenue generation, job creation, expanded local refining capacity, and improved monitoring of gold production and exports.

The partnership comes at a time when Ghana, Africa’s leading gold producer, continues to export a significant portion of its gold in raw form, resulting in the loss of substantial revenue that could otherwise be retained through domestic refining and downstream processing.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has engaged with heads of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) country and regional offices in Africa, using the platform to reflect on Ghana’s economic experience amid heightened global concerns over debt and development finance.

The meeting, held on January 20, provided the Vice President with the opportunity to outline Ghana’s improving macroeconomic conditions and to situate the country’s recovery within broader continental and global economic shifts.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang noted that Ghana’s economic reality today differed markedly from that of the recent past, citing key improvements including single-digit inflation, a more stable cedi, and stronger real gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

She emphasised that these gains were tangible and being felt across the economy, rather than remaining abstract macroeconomic indicators.

The Vice President said Ghana was entering a new phase with cautious optimism and resolve, underpinned by reforms that were nationally owned and supported, rather than dictated, by the IMF, and sustained by the country’s willingness to take difficult but necessary policy decisions.

She acknowledged the continued relevance of international financial institutions on the African continent, while observing that recent global and regional developments increasingly demonstrated Africa’s readiness to do more on its own.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang stressed that this growing self-confidence did not diminish the value of partnerships, but rather underscored the need for cooperation that is mutually beneficial and responsive to Africa’s development priorities.

Reaffirming the position of President John Dramani Mahama, the Vice President said Ghana’s relationship with the IMF must evolve beyond emergency support arrangements.

She noted that while Africa continues to grapple with structural challenges such as high borrowing costs, the continent also possesses significant opportunities, including the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

She said Ghana remains committed to pursuing self-reliance, supported by coordinated, fair, and development-oriented international cooperation.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang is scheduled to visit the Ministry of Transport on Friday, January 16, to engage sector leadership on the persistent challenges confronting public transportation, particularly in the Greater Accra Region.

The visit comes amid growing public concern over the reduced availability of commercial vehicles during peak hours, inflated transport fares, and long waiting times, especially during the morning and evening rush periods.

Discussions are expected to focus on measures currently being implemented by the ministry, as well as proposed interventions aimed at addressing the ongoing shortage of commercial vehicles and easing the burden on commuters.

The engagement forms part of broader government efforts to improve mobility within the capital and stabilise the public transport system.

The Vice President is also expected to hold meetings with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) at Kaneshie, Madina/Adentan, and other transport unions as part of efforts to find lasting solutions to the current crisis.

The urgency of these engagements follows scenes witnessed across parts of Accra on Thursday evening, where an acute shortage of commercial buses disrupted travel along key routes.

On the Achimota Old Road, some commuters were left with no choice but to board cargo trucks to get home, while at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, residents travelling to Amasaman and surrounding communities waited for extended periods. Some commuters stood for nearly an hour without securing a vehicle.

Similar scenes were recorded along other major corridors, with the scarcity of buses leaving many passengers scrambling for alternative means of transport.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to systematically track and evaluate the impact of its programmes to ensure they deliver tangible outcomes for young Ghanaians.

The Ministry has rolled out several initiatives, including the Adwumawura and apprenticeship programmes, aimed at empowering young people across the country.

During a working visit to the Ministry, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended officials for their commitment to gender balance, highlighting the strong inclusion of young women in the programmes.

“The youth of Ghana are very, very innovative. I’m very happy that even in your set-up, you have gone beyond the 30 per cent affirmative action to 50 per cent. That is impressive, and I want to encourage you to keep that up,” she said.

The Vice President stressed the need for collaboration across government, noting that youth development cuts across multiple sectors.

“Youth is in education, in health, in agriculture, industry, and security—where are you not? Your work touches almost every sector, and we must collaborate across ministries to ensure national impact,” she stated.

She also drew attention to vulnerable and out-of-school youth, urging the Ministry to ensure that no group is left behind.

“I’m interested in the young person pushing a wheelbarrow in the market, the person by the roadside with four or five tubes of yarn. How do we factor in their dreams? These are the youth who often fall through the cracks, and we must not ignore them,” she said.

On measuring effectiveness, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang underscored the importance of research and impact tracking.

“When we are able to measure the impact, we know how to sustain and expand our programmes. Tracking studies will help us see if we are on course and understand what our interventions are achieving,” she said, adding that researchers could play a key role in such assessments.

She also raised concerns about drug misuse among young people and emphasised the need for early public education.

“Public education is very important. We need to protect our children early so they don’t suffer unnecessarily. Sometimes, fixing things after the fact becomes impossible,” she noted.

Touching on broader economic issues, the Vice President encouraged innovation as a pathway to national growth.

“I’m not interested in apportioning what we have; I want us to ensure the national pie gets bigger. Even small percentages become meaningful when the pie grows. Taking care of the people who grow the economy is just as important,” she said.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reaffirmed her office’s commitment to supporting youth empowerment, stressing that national development is a shared responsibility.

“You can count on us. The work we do is not about one ministry; it’s about the territory of the nation and the well-being of our people. Wherever we are placed, it is to plan for the good of every Ghanaian,” she said.

She urged the Ministry to continue innovating, tracking results, and working collaboratively across sectors to ensure youth programmes remain inclusive, impactful, and sustainable.

Source: myxyzonline.com

A new technical report presented to the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has concluded that the macroeconomic benefits of the GoldBod programmed far outweigh the reported trading losses recorded by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), describing the initiative as a “high-return policy intervention” for the economy.

The report, Evaluating the Macroeconomic Effects of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), was authored by Prof. Festus Ebo Turkson and Peter Junior Dotse of the University of Ghana’s Department of Economics, and Prof. Agyapomaa Gyeke-Dako of the University of Ghana Business School. It is dated January 4, 2026.

According to the authors, GoldBod has significantly reduced gold smuggling by formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) exports.

The report notes that recorded ASM gold exports increased from 63.6 tons in 2024 to 103.0 tons in 2025.

“The incremental 39.4 tons is plausibly gold previously lost to smuggling that has now been formalized,” the report stated, adding that, when conservatively valued, this translated into about US$3.8 billion in additional foreign exchange entering the formal system.

The economists directly compared these gains with the International Monetary Fund–reported BoG trading loss of US$214 million (about GH¢2.4 billion), concluding that the benefits overwhelmingly exceed the costs.

“A direct comparison shows a benefit–cost ratio of approximately 18:1,” the report said, stressing that “formalizing just 2.2 tons of gold would offset the reported loss.”

Beyond smuggling reduction, the report highlighted the importance of non-debt foreign exchange inflows generated through GoldBod-supported ASM exports, which amounted to US$10.8 billion in 2025.

“If Ghana had borrowed externally to mobilize equivalent foreign exchange, annual interest costs would have been between US$756 million and US$1.08 billion,” the authors noted.

Even when focusing solely on reduced smuggling, the report estimates avoided annual interest costs of between US$266 million and US$380 million, describing these as “recurring annual benefits, not one-off gains.”

The report also linked GoldBod’s activities to broader macroeconomic improvements, including higher international reserves of about US$11–12 billion, exchange rate stabilization, lower domestic costs of external debt service, a reduced import bill, and disinflation driven by lower exchange-rate pass-through.

Addressing public debate around the BoG’s reported losses, the authors argued that the figures are widely misunderstood.

“Most of the reported BoG loss reflects accounting translation effects, not cash losses,” the report explained, noting that gold purchases are made at near-retail exchange rates to deter smuggling, while foreign exchange inflows are booked at the lower interbank rate.

The report estimates the true economic cost at around 2.5 per cent of gold value, “far lower than headline loss figures.”

In its conclusion, the report urged policymakers to view GoldBod not as a commercial trading entity but as a stabilization tool.

“GoldBod should be regarded not as a profit-driven trading entity, but as a tool for macroeconomic stabilization and formalization,” the authors said, adding that “based on available evidence, it serves as a high-return policy intervention for Ghana’s economy.”

The report recommends sustaining price competitiveness to deter smuggling, improving transparency in BoG reporting, strengthening governance and oversight, and treating GoldBod’s policy cost as a quasi-fiscal expense funded through the national budget.

Source: myxyzonline.com

The Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called for lower interest rates to stimulate domestic growth and investment, stressing the need for policies that support local industry and economic expansion.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II made the call during a courtesy visit to Bank Square, the head office of the Bank of Ghana, where he was accompanied by over 20 paramount and divisional chiefs.

The delegation was warmly received by the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, and members of the Bank’s senior management.

Commending the imposing Bank of Ghana edifice, the Asantehene described it as “a monument to our generation,” urging management to inspire staff to reflect the same excellence and grandeur in their work ethic and service to the nation.

He underscored the central bank’s pivotal role in shaping Ghana’s economic fortunes and encouraged it to take bold but prudent measures to keep the country on a stable economic path, adding, “We have come to listen, not to preach.”

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also appealed for the independence of the Bank of Ghana to be respected, noting that a strong and independent central bank is critical to sustaining investor confidence and long-term economic stability.

In response, Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama praised the Asantehene’s leadership and statesmanship, describing him as a pillar of wisdom and national stability.

Source: myxyzonline.com

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has commended the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his exceptional role in mediating conflicts and promoting peace and stability across the country.

According to the IGP, Otumfuo’s continuous intervention in disputes, chieftaincy conflicts, and community tensions has significantly contributed to national cohesion and security, complementing the efforts of state institutions.

In response, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II praised officers and men of the Ghana Police Service for their selfless service, dedication, and sacrifices in protecting lives and property nationwide.

He described the work of the Police as critical to maintaining law and order in a democratic society.

The Asantehene emphasized that customary authority and the Constitution are not in conflict, noting that long before the advent of constitutional governance, traditional leaders played key roles in resolving disputes, addressing crime, and mediating conflicts within communities.

He stressed that traditional authority remains a vital partner in modern governance and justice delivery.

Otumfuo further called on the Inspector-General of Police to strengthen integrity, professionalism, and core values within the Police Service, urging leadership to reinforce discipline and ethical standards to build greater public trust and confidence.

He reiterated that strong collaboration between traditional institutions and state security agencies is essential for sustaining peace, justice, and development in the country.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged student leaders to prioritise integrity, particularly in the management of student dues and the discharge of their responsibilities.

Speaking at the 2026 Pentecost Students and Associates Ghana (PENSA–Ghana) Conference, she stressed that leadership roles on campus play a critical role in shaping students into future national leaders.

“How you manage student dues today reflects how you would manage public resources tomorrow,” she stated.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang called on student leaders to ensure transparency in the handling of funds collected for student activities, noting that such resources must serve the interests of the entire student population, especially the vulnerable.

“On your campuses, leadership is taking shape in how group work is handled, who is included or excluded, and whether influence is used to lift others or advance yourself. These moments often present themselves as leadership tests, and they are precisely that. As campus leaders, for example, if you collect dues from your fellow students, prioritise the entire student population,” she said.

She also condemned academic misconduct and dishonesty, warning that unethical practices cultivated in school could have lasting consequences beyond campus life and into professional careers.

“Every assignment revised carefully and every effort made, even when dishonesty seems easier, are investments in your credibility,” she emphasised.

The Vice President further encouraged students to pursue ambition grounded in strong values and a commitment to service.

Source: myxyzonline.com

The Ghana Police Service wishes to assure the public that adequate security measures have been put in place across the country to ensure the safety and protection of all persons during activities marking Wednesday, 31 December, as Ghanaians usher in the New Year.

Police personnel have been deployed, and patrols intensified in communities, major towns, entertainment centres, and along key highways to ensure safety and security while maintaining public order.

Traffic officers will also be deployed and positioned at major intersections to ensure smooth traffic flow and facilitate the movement of people and vehicles.

Special security arrangements have further been made at public gathering venues, such as churches, event grounds, and other locations expected to attract large crowds.

The Service calls on the public to cooperate fully with officers on duty, remain vigilant, and be each other’s keeper by looking out especially for neighbours who may not be at home.

Members of the public are encouraged to promptly report any suspicious activities to the police via 0302773906, 18555, 191, or 112 for immediate action.

The Ghana Police Service wishes everyone a safe, peaceful, and happy New Year.

Source: myxyzonline.com