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SEND Ghana engage Gender Minister for strategic dialogue on social protection and gender equality
A delegation from SEND Ghana visited the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to discuss collaboration on gender equality, social protection, and economic empowerment.
SEND Ghana, known for its policy advocacy and equitable development efforts, works closely with farmers and empowers young women aged 18–35 through Mastercard Foundation-supported projects focused on livelihood and agricultural support.
The Minister welcomed SEND Ghana’s initiatives and highlighted the Ministry’s alignment with their priorities.
She reaffirmed that social protection is a top priority under President John Mahama’s government and emphasized ongoing efforts to expand coverage and enhance service delivery through flagship programmes like Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), which remains vital for vulnerable households.
Regarding the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), the Minister noted plans to introduce legislation to ensure its sustainability and improve the nutritional quality of school meals.
She praised civil society’s role in monitoring local implementation.
The Minister also voiced strong support for menstrual hygiene and reproductive health campaigns, stressing education and access to sanitary products for adolescent girls, and encouraged efforts to break menstrual taboos and keep girls in school.
Broader gender issues discussed included reducing unpaid care work, promoting gender-sensitive leave policies (maternity and paternity leave), and boosting women’s economic opportunities.
Both parties agreed on the need to build gender-responsive systems that empower women socially and economically.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to work together for inclusive development, gender equity, and stronger social protection systems in Ghana.
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
