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Coconut theft on the rise in WR – Reg. Minister laments
The Western Regional Minister and Chairman of the Western Regional Security Council (REGSEC), MrKwabenaOkyereDarko-Mensah,has directed the Nzema East, Jomoro and EllembelleAssemblies to take immediate steps to check the theft of coconut on farms in the Nzema corridors.
He noted that, the stealing of coconut by some unscrupulous persons, was an affront to programmes to restore and promote an industry that has huge potentials to address the economic and social needs of the people especially farmers and investors in the region.
Mr Darko-Mensah, gave the directive following complaints by the Jomoro Coconut Hub about thefts of coconuts on their farms.
The complaint was lodged at the launch of the 2nd International Coconut Festival Ghana themed ‘Repositioning Ghana’s coconut sector for accelerated industrilisation agenda” at Alabokazo in the Ellembelle District last Friday.
Mr Darko-Mensah added “REGSEC directs all the three municipal and district assemblies in Nzema East, Jomoro and Ellembelle to mount road barriers to check thetransportation of coconut from these areas.The stealing of coconut must stop on our farms, we will not allow that. Anyone transporting coconut from these areas, must show receipts of where is coming from.”
He indicated that the region had distributed about five millioncoconut seedlings to yield about $100 per tree, saying that “farmers need the hybrid seedlings which were disease – resilient.”
Plans to add value to coconut, Mr Darko-Mensah said, were ongoing andhoped that, with the support of Ghana Tree Crop Authority, the industry would be revived with the establishment of factories, stressing “we will do it with coconut and create jobs and market for the farmers.”
The Regional Minister told the participants that happily, the Senior High Schools had also adopted the cultivation of coconut.
‘With Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) the African Coconut Group and Youth in coconut value chain, we believed we will tell a success storywith coconut.”
In an interview with the Chairman of the Jomoro Coconut Hub,Francis Aliefe, he recalled that, the theft of coconut which took place mostly in the nights,reached itheight about two years ago, and mentioned Anochie,Takenta, Nawule, Ndusuazo, Ellenda,Eguazo and Half Assini as area noted for such crime.
He told The Spectator that initially, the thieves stole the copra on farms but, now climbed thetrees to harvestbunches of fresh coconut.
According to him reports had been made to the District Police Command, but, the situation remained the same.
Commending the Regional Minister for the directive, he, however, suggested a multi- stakeholder approachcomprising the chiefs, police, the Jomoro Municipal Assembly and the judiciary, for permanent solution to the matter.
He stated for example that, anytime culprits were taken to court, they were made to sign a bond of good behaviour and let -off the hook, but regretted that “the situation continues and is alarming.”
Mr Aliefe continued “We are suffering; our incomes and future investment are going to criminals who have not shed any sweat. We have suffered for nothing. Coconut creates jobs for every household, indeed, it’s themainstay of the economy inthe Nzema enclave.
“We need more investments but how do we move forward with these criminal activities.The good newsis that investors are prepared to come but we need to protectthe coconut plantations, maintain supply of the raw material base, to make the industry attractive and for our incomes and economy to grow and flourish.”
From Clement Adzei Boye, Alabokazo
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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