
Samreboi and its surrounding communities in the Amenfi West Municipality of Ghana's Western Region have been severely impacted by a devastating flood following heavy rainfall. Over 180 houses in Aboi, Cocoase, and Palazzo are inundated, displacing thousands of residents and claiming at least one life. Families have lost belongings, and schools and churches are serving as temporary shelters for victims, including children, the elderly, and nursing mothers. Residents attribute the catastrophe to illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey, which they claim have degraded the environment and altered natural waterways, increasing flood susceptibility. Priscilla Yorke, the Municipal Chief Executive for Amenfi West, along with officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO, assessed the damage and assured victims of forthcoming relief assistance. The community is calling for urgent government and stakeholder intervention to address the environmental destruction contributing to recurring disasters.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by GhanaWeb.
Must ReadGhana's Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced that the country's education sector requires between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to meet nationwide demand. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the Minister attributed the inability to recruit the necessary number of educators to financial constraints and limited budget approvals. Despite the high demand, the government received clearance to recruit only 7,000 teachers this year. Mr. Iddrisu explained that recent reforms in the education sector, including the establishment of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training CTVET alongside the Ghana Education Service GES, have increased staffing needs, making it more challenging to address the shortages within existing budgetary limits. This limited recruitment has raised concerns among education stakeholders and unemployed trained teachers.
Must ReadBernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party NPP, has requested a plea bargain in his ongoing criminal trial related to the Exim Bank fraud case. The court has granted this request, giving the state and Wontumi until July 18, 2026, to reach an agreement. Wontumi, along with Thomas Antwi-Boasiako and Wontumi Farms Limited, faces four charges: defrauding by false pretence, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution. The charges stem from allegations that in 2018, they obtained GH₵14.3 million from Exim Bank for a large-scale farming project, but no farming activities were undertaken, no machinery was purchased, and a document presented as proof of purchase was allegedly forged. If the plea bargain fails and Wontumi is found guilty, he could face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment if sentences run concurrently, or up to 40 years if they run consecutively, as each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years.

The Environmental Protection Agency EPA in Tarkwa has called on traditional leaders to utilize their cultural and spiritual authority to combat illegal mining, known as galamsey, in Ghana. Mr. Derick Ashia Logo, the Regional Director of the EPA in Tarkwa, stated that illegal miners are increasingly fortified and pose security risks to enforcement officers. He suggested that chiefs, as custodians of the land, could invoke cultural beliefs, taboos, and customary sanctions to deter illegal mining activities, thereby complementing government efforts. Mr. Logo also advocated for government financial support for community-based environmental protection initiatives and stricter accountability for traditional leaders who fail to protect natural resources under their jurisdiction. The EPA emphasizes that illegal mining remains a significant environmental challenge, causing destruction to rivers, forests, and farmlands, and creating security concerns for anti-galamsey operations.