News
Ghana offers free entry visas for Diaspora Summit 2025
Following the pledge made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa during the media launch of the Diaspora Summit 2025, the Ministry has announced that it is granting free visas to all participants attending the event from 19 to 20 December at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The Ministry explained that participants must visit the nearest Ghana Embassy, High Commission or Consulate in their country of residence to secure the free visa before travelling to Ghana.
It noted that the gesture is an act of solidarity in the spirit of Pan Africanism and is meant to give Africans and people of African descent the chance to take part in the summit, which aims to build cooperation and strong partnerships for shared development.
It reminded the public that online registration ends on Monday, 8 December, through the official summit website.
The Ministry pointed to existing visa waiver agreements.
It said nationals from Barbados, Bahamas, Dominica, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, Sao Tome and Principe, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Rwanda, Morocco, Guyana, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Malawi and Grenada can enter Ghana without visas.
The ministry added that holders of diplomatic, official and service passports from Brazil, Colombia, China, Cuba, Germany, Sudan, Türkiye, Namibia, Hungary, Iran, India, Equatorial Guinea, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Venezuela, Malta and the United Arab Emirates were also exempt.
The Ministry encouraged all registered participants to visit Ghana Missions abroad promptly for visa processing and directed the public to its official channels for further information.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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
