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Govt ready to add cancer treatment to NHIS
Ashanti Regional Minister
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, has indicated government’s readiness to add the treatments of cancer to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to enhance treatments.
The Minister was speaking at an outreach programme organised by Breast Care International (BCI) and partners at the Straight Way Chapel International Church at Santasi, in Kumasi to mark this year’s Cancer Day.
It was on the theme, “Close the Care Gap.”
Mr. Osei Mensah, who chaired the programme indicated that early detection would prevent the escalation of the disease and reduce the mortality rate.
Dr. Wiafe Addai, President and Founder BCI, stated that, currently, cancer was the second leading disease in Ghana and second cause of death worldwide, and that 10 million people die from cancer yearly, with more than 40 per cent being women.
She argued why government and all stakeholders were making the treatment of cancer costly and not affordable to patients.
In Ghana, she said, 2,020 women die every year, adding that every minute everywhere around the world, women die from Breast Cancer because of disparities and the cost of the treatment.
She indicated that, approximately 70 per cent of all cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries which were least placed to deliver the services needed by people living with cancer or manage the social or economic consequences of the burden.
Dr. Wiafe-Addai explained that, Union International Cancer Control (UICC) World Cancer Day Equity Report, shared a light on the barriers to care and significant disparities in outcomes due to prejudices and assumptions based on socioeconomic status, gender and other cultural norms, race and ethnicity, age, geographical location, sexual orientation and disability.
To further mark the final year of the Close the Care Gap campaign, she said, UICC was mobilising a global call to action that echoes the sentiments and recommendations expressed in the World Cancer Day Equity Report.
She noted that, UICC was encouraging all health organisations to sign the call to action, informing their respective ministries of health of the need to close the care gap and recommended actions that could help do so.
Dr. Samuel Amanama, Consultant Urologist and Sexopathologist, says it was time for the world to unite in the fight against cervical and other gynaecological cancers.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
