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African Women Lawyers Association seeks collaboration with Gender Ministry
A delegation from the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), led by its Chairperson, Madam Christine Lartey, has paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey.
The visit aimed to formally introduce the Association to the new Minister and explore possible areas of collaboration to promote gender equality and women’s rights.
Discussions during the meeting focused on several critical issues, including the need to ensure that laws passed in Ghana are gender-responsive and inclusive.
The delegation also raised concerns about the increasing use of social media to harass individuals, particularly women, and emphasized the urgent need to address this growing form of digital abuse.
One key issue raised was that of surrogacy—specifically, the need to develop a policy to streamline or guide its practice in the short term, ahead of a comprehensive legal framework for long-term regulation.
The meeting also addressed the enforcement and review of the Interstate Succession Law, violence against women, and the vulnerabilities of kayayei (female head porters), especially their exposure to abuse and exploitation.
AWLA further proposed that the Domestic Violence Fund be adequately resourced to support survivors of abuse and to strengthen institutional responses to gender-based violence.
The need to advance the passage of the Property Rights of Spouses Bill was also emphasized as crucial to protecting the economic rights of women, particularly within marriage and family settings.
Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey expressed her appreciation to AWLA for their consistent advocacy on gender-related issues and their willingness to partner with the Ministry.
She assured the delegation that the Ministry would work closely with AWLA to follow up on all the points discussed.
In particular, she announced that the Ministry would form a joint team, in collaboration with AWLA and other stakeholders, to develop a draft policy framework on surrogacy and the empowerment of kayayei.
The Minister further reiterated government’s commitment to promoting gender equity and ensuring that all Ghanaians, especially vulnerable women and children, are protected under the law. She also pledged the Ministry’s readiness to deepen stakeholder engagement for sustained impact.
Also present at the meeting was the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr. Afisah Zakariah.
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
