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‘Patronise local foods to boost economy’
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The Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Juliana Abbeyquaye has urged Ghanaians to patronise locally manufactured foods to help build a stable and better economy.
She said patronising such local food stuffs would help support local farmers financially and promote agricultural development in the country.
“Purchasing fresh local foods from your typical markets instead of those huge supermarkets that import most of their foods will help place money in the hands of local farmers and build the local economy as well.” She added.
Mrs Abbeyquaye said these when she addressed participants at a cooking competition organised by the Eastern Regional Centre for National Culture (CNC) with support from Onga, last Wednesday.
The cooking competition was for organised groups including the Beads Market Association, Wood Workers Association, Garment Traders Association among many others who were tasked to prepare different Ghanaian dishes.
At the end of the competition, Beads Market Association emerged first, Ghana Association of Visual Arts chalked second and the third position was won by the Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association.
The winners received prizes including souvenirs from the Onga company.
She said that by buying and eating local foods, Ghanaian would be helping to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.”
Speaking on child’s development, Mrs. Abbeyquaye stated that to guarantee a bright future for the young generations, there was the need for parents to focus on the nutrition of their children, by patronising local foods that would give the children the right nutrition to grow well.
She noted that in the era of COVID-19, it was essential for Ghanaians to boost their immune system by eating local foods to ensure their overall wellbeing.
On his part, the Acting Eastern Regional Director of CNC, Mr Peter Marfo also said there was the need for parents to patronise the country’s local foods and introduce same to their children, not only for health benefits but to also preserve and promote the country’s culture by encouraging their children to make good use of Ghana foods.
“Food gives a clue to any person’s culture and we know that our culture is a way of life of a group of people,” he said.
He added that recently, the influx of foreign foods was worrying adding that it did not only compromise our health but made the country lose its foreign exchange.
He said as a Centre established to promote the nation’s culture, they were ready to partner with organisations to promote the culture of the country.
He expressed appreciation to Onga for their support and thanked all the Associations for actively participating in the competition.
From David Kodjo, Koforidua
Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) appears more concerned and emotionally invested in the imprisonment of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, than the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Accra, Mr. Gbande argued that the NPP played a major role in the legal process that led to Wontumi’s conviction.
According to him, the law under which Wontumi was convicted originally carried a maximum prison sentence of three years but was later amended by the NPP administration to increase the maximum punishment to 15 years.
“The law that jailed Wontumi was three years. The NPP enhanced it to 15 years,” he stated.
Mr. Gbande further claimed that the evidence used to prosecute Wontumi was gathered during the previous NPP administration.
He maintained that the case against the NPP chairman did not begin under the current government but was built by officials who served in the former administration.
“The docket that jailed Wontumi was built by the NPP. The evidence that convicted him was built by the NPP,” he asserted.
To support his argument, Mr. Gbande referred to actions taken by the former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in July 2022, when the minister declared activities linked to Wontumi in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve illegal.
He stressed that once an activity has been declared illegal, it remains a breach of the law regardless of who is involved.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has warned that traders, transport operators, businesses and individuals who refuse to accept Ghana cedi coins as payment for goods and services could face arrest, prosecution, fines or imprisonment.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the central bank expressed concern over the widespread refusal to accept 1 pesewa, 5 pesewa, 10 pesewa, 20 pesewa and 50 pesewa coins, as well as the GH¢1 and GH¢2 coins.
It explained that all coins issued by the Bank of Ghana remain legal tender and must be accepted for transactions across the country.
According to the BoG, none of the coins has been withdrawn from circulation or demonetised, and no trader, transport operator, business or individual has the right to reject them because they consider them inconvenient or of low value.
The bank cited the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612), as amended, and the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), as the laws governing the use of the country’s currency.
It noted that under the Currency Act, refusing to sell goods or provide services simply because a customer is paying with legal tender coins or banknotes is a criminal offence, unless the currency has been withdrawn from circulation.
The BoG stated that anyone convicted of the offence could face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
It added that people who encourage or instruct others to reject coins, including business owners who direct their employees to do so, are equally liable under the law.
The bank further indicated that a person caught committing the offence may be arrested without a warrant.
To ensure compliance, the BoG said it would work with the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to enforce the law against offenders.
It encouraged members of the public to report cases of coin rejection to the nearest Bank of Ghana office, the Ghana Police Service or through the bank’s official communication channels.
The central bank called on individuals, businesses and institutions to accept and handle Ghana’s currency responsibly in all its denominations, saying this would help uphold confidence in the country’s legal tender.
By: Jacob Aggrey
