Kofi Ahovi

 A tiny rural village in central England has voted to secede from the United Kingdom in protest over plans to house more than 1,000 migrants at a former military site nearby. The referendum took place on Tuesday in Piddington, Oxfordshire, with an overwhelming majority of voters backing the symbolic plan to pursue self-determination as a principality, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council, announced on Wednesday. We had 312 votes counted, which is nearly 92% of the ballot papers issued,” she said, revealing that there had been 285 votes in favor, 26 against and one spoiled ballot. The referendum was held in response to government plans to house up to 1,250 adult male migrants at the Bicester Garrison, a former military site near the village. Piddington is home to 358 people, according to 2021 data from the Diocese of Oxford, a church and a village hall – there is no local store, post office or pub. The result of the vote holds no legal weight, but it is the latest sig...

  Producer price inflation rose to 4.4% in August 2026, up from 4.0% in July, as higher prices in the mining and quarrying sector pushed up the cost pressures facing producers. The latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) also shows that producer prices increased by 2.5% month-on-month, compared with 2.0% in July. The figures measure changes in the prices received by domestic producers for their goods and services and are provisional. Mining and quarrying emerged as the biggest driver, recording annual producer inflation of 4.9%, up from 3.5% in July. The sector, which carries the largest weight in the PPI at 43.7%, contributed 2.1 percentage points to the overall 4.4% inflation rate. The increase was largely linked to crude oil and natural gas, where producer inflation reached 12.9% in August. Mining support services recorded 5.7%, while mining of metal ores recorded a smaller decline of 0.4%. The industrial sector is also facing firmer cost pressures. Producer inflati...

  The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has ordered the immediate shutdown of Empire Cement Ghana Limited at Weija in the Greater Accra Region over alleged breaches of its environmental permit and air pollution control requirements. The directive, dated September 14, 2026, followed investigations triggered by several complaints from members of the public about alleged air pollution and nuisance associated with the company’s operations. The EPA subsequently moved to enforce the shutdown at the company’s premises on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. According to the Authority, its investigations found that the factory was releasing sustained visible particulate matter and gaseous emissions into the surrounding environment. The EPA said the emissions had potential negative implications for the environment, adjoining land uses and public health. The enforcement action was taken under Section 35 of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), which provides the EPA with powers...

Ghana is stepping up efforts to transform its cashew industry from one largely focused on the export of raw cashew nuts into a more value-added and commercially sustainable sector, the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has said. Dr. Rich Kofi Kofituo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the TCDA in charge of Operations, said the Authority was implementing measures to strengthen regulation, improve farmer incomes, promote local processing and ensure greater value was retained within Ghana. He was speaking to the media after the opening of the three-day 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Annual Conference and expo in Accra, being held under the theme “ Sustainable Cashew Supply through Policy, Investment and Partnership.” According to Dr. Kofituo, the TCDA was established under the Tree Crops Development Authority Act, 2019 (Act 1010), to regulate and sustainably develop six major tree crops—cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea. He said although the Authority had existed...

  Ghanaian dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, has called on the Ga-Dangme people to unite and protect their traditional lands and institutions from what he described as growing interference from politicians and outsiders. Speaking at the launch of the RNAQ Ga-Dangme Youth Scholarship Fund in Accra, Shatta Wale said he was prepared to publicly defend the authority of the Ga Mantse and other Ga-Dangme traditional rulers against what he described as disrespect and attempts to undermine their authority. I am ready to defend the Ga Mantse everywhere because enough is enough of the disrespect from strangers,” he said. The artiste said the Ga-Dangme community needed to take a stronger position on matters concerning its lands, arguing that political interests should not be allowed to determine the future of traditional communities. We need to stand up and prevent politicians from taking over our lands in Ga-Dangme,” Shatta Wale said. He made the rem...

  Okoe Bampoe Addo, twin brother of the late Dr, Isaac Bampoe Addo, the former Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), has died. Mr Okoe Bampoe Addo was 59. He died on Monday, September 14, 2026, just weeks after the death of his twin brother. The two were biological brothers of Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe Addo. On August 28, family, friends and public officials gathered at Winners Chapel International in the North Industrial Area in Accra for a remembrance service for Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo. The service was held to honour the former CLOGSAG executive and celebrate his life and legacy.