News
Ghana Publishing Company launches nationwide Gazette 360 campaign
The Ghana Publishing Company Limited (GPCL) has rolled out Gazette 360, a nationwide public education campaign designed to deepen public understanding of the Ghana Gazette and make access to the official journal easier for all citizens.
The campaign, which will feature media engagements, community outreach, and digital learning platforms, seeks to demystify the Gazette, highlight its importance in legal and civic life, and protect the public from fraudulent publications.
It also aims to ensure that individuals, businesses, and institutions know how to obtain authentic gazettes and use them as reliable legal references.
Under the theme “Know it, Use it, Trust it,” Gazette 360 emphasizes transparency, accountability, and the protection of Ghana’s democratic governance.
Launching the initiative in Accra, GPCL’s Managing Director, Nana Kwasi Boatey, said the Gazette had been upgraded with new security features, including a gold coat of arms and watermarks, to prevent counterfeiting.
He explained that the features were not ornamental but crucial safeguards to track authenticity.
He revealed that electronic verification systems were also being developed to make it easier for the public to confirm genuine publications.
Mr. Boatey cautioned that fake gazettes were damaging the reputations of many Ghanaians through fraudulent marriages and name changes.
He stressed that those who falsify the Gazette were “waging war against the state” and warned that offenders would be pursued, arrested, and prosecuted.
He urged the media to support the fight against fake gazettes, describing the campaign as a national responsibility to protect the integrity of Ghana’s most authoritative legal record.
GPCL’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Lantam Papanko, explained that Gazette 360 was created to break down misconceptions about the Gazette and highlight its relevance to everyday life.
He said the campaign would not only involve the press but also extend into schools, universities, churches, mosques, and community forums, so that every Ghanaian could understand the Gazette and its role in governance.
Mr. Papanko stressed that Gazette 360 was not just a GPCL initiative but a national campaign calling on citizens to value truth, legality, and integrity in public records.
He thanked MarryRight Ghana and AngloGold Ashanti for their partnership and called on the media to keep the conversation alive.
Operations Manager at MarryRight Ghana, Barimah Agyemang, said marriage officers and venues must be published in the Gazette to give weddings legal force.
He warned that ceremonies conducted without proper gazetting risked lacking binding legal authority, which could expose couples and institutions to legal disputes.
Mr. Agyemang pledged MarryRight’s support in spreading the campaign’s message nationwide and commended GPCL for taking steps to protect the integrity of marriages and other legal processes.
Background
The Ghana Gazette is the official journal of record of the Republic of Ghana. It publishes laws, parliamentary instruments, government notices, company registrations, and other legal documents.
Any information published in the Gazette is legally recognized and enforceable, making it a trusted source of communication between the state and the public.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has amended the charges in the ongoing case against former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others.
The number of counts has risen from 25 to 54 after investigators uncovered new evidence.
The accused are facing trial for alleged large-scale extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering involving over GH¢291 million and US$332,000.
According to the OSP, the accused persons allegedly extorted huge sums of money from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies under the pretext of carrying out official duties.
The proceeds were reportedly laundered through the purchase of properties and investments in business entities to conceal their source.
The accused persons include Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited.
The OSP has also seized and frozen several assets, including tanker trucks, fuel stations, houses, apartments, and parcels of land valued at more than GH¢100 million pending the outcome of the trial.
The case, titled The Republic v. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid & 9 Others (Cr/0603/2025), is currently being heard at the Accra High Court.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The National Operations Directorate (NOD) Surveillance Unit, of the Ghana Police Service has arrested a 32-year-old man, Akoto Nelson, for posing as a police officer during a public event at the Black Star Square in Accra.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday, 19th October 2025, by a team of officers deployed to provide security at a musical concert. The team observed the suspect dressed in a police uniform with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) behaving suspiciously. Upon interrogation, he admitted that he was not a police officer.
Investigations revealed that the suspect impersonated a police officer to gain free entry to the event, claiming he did not have money to pay the entry fee. He further disclosed that the uniform belonged to a deceased Chief Inspector, identified as Gyasi, from whom he obtained the police accoutrements in 2022.
A subsequent search conducted at his residence in Taifa-Ashaiman uncovered several items that were retained as exhibits. These include one toy P99 pistol, one pepper spray, two ZTE mini handsets, one pepper spray pouch, one ZTE charger, one Xinfa cutter knife, some complimentary cards, one voter ID in the name of Akoto Nelson Elikem, and one birth certificate in the name of Nelson Akoto.
Preliminary investigations further established that the suspect works as a security guard and a messenger at a private company. He remains in police custody and will be put before the court.
