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Health alert! Contaminated ‘shito’ floods market
Information available to this paper indicates that some unscrupulous dealers in hot pepper sauce (shito) in Accra are said to be selling contaminated product to the unsuspecting public in order to make more profit.
It is alleged the “shito” is usually made with unhygienic and discarded fish heads and scales of dried herrings (amane or Keta School boys) for sale.
But a trader at the Kaneshie Market (name withheld) in Accra, confirmed this in an exclusive interview with The Spectator when this reporter took it upon herself to interrogate the veracity or otherwise of the issue at stake.
She said the “shito” makers purposely came to the market to buy these discarded parts of the herrings and add a few uncontaminated ones to it before grinding them together in a near-by mill.
She said these illegal and criminal activities had been going on for a long time, but it was only now that, she had got the courage to expose them, following the COVID-19 outbreak which calls for consumption of healthy foods.
“I have always wondered why some hot pepper sauce (shito) bought from the market had so much sand in it,” a customer lamented.
“I was disappointed when I saw dried fish heads and scales poured on the bare floor and flies hovering all around it just in front of a fish seller’s basket at the Kaneshie market,” another said .
The informant said she approached the fish seller and asked her if the fish scales and heads were for sale and she responded in the affirmative.
Still surprised and wanting to know more, “I asked her what it was used for and she said “for shito.”
According to her, that was what most “shito” makers used in preparing their product .
Many health experts had predicted that, disease would hit consumers harder if the high level of insanitary conditions in the markets were not addressed.
In a telephone interview with a senior health official at the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) who pleaded anonymity, he confirmed that they had received reports of some women making “shito” with unhealthy and discarded fish parts.
He gave an assurance that their health officials would go round some of the markets in Accra to check on these aberrations and those found culpable would be brought to book or prosecuted in the law courts.
Dr Kojo Cobba Essel, a Medical Doctor and Chief Executive Officer of Health Essentials Limited, commenting on the subject was of the view that if the traders used only a part of the fish that is edible then there is no problem.
But “if (the traders), indeed, used fish scales then that should be a cause for worry because the “scales are not digestible,” he said.
He explained that the presence of sand in the hot pepper sauce (shito) could cause stomach disorders as the sand may contain other impurities.
For this reason, Dr Essel stressed the need for food inspection agencies to step up their game by conducting random checks at the markets and, where neccessary, issue warning whenever they identified contaminated products.
“Not everybody can go to the high-end places to buy their “shito”; many people would still buy from the street. So we are at the mercy of the enforcement agencies. Once they identify and blacklist people [through enhanced surveillance], those who sell unwholesome products would refrain from the practice,” he noted.
He has therefore advised individuals to prepare their own hot pepper or black sauce (shito) at home, if they can, or allow someone they trust to prepare it for them.
The Africa Investment Network has entered a new partnership with 17 Asset Management to expand investment opportunities for Africans in the diaspora.
The two organisations will work together to open more pathways for diaspora investors, provide better data on markets, and connect investors to viable projects across the continent.
The partnership will focus on mapping investment opportunities across countries and sectors, building a Diaspora Pathways Program to guide new investors, and creating a shared research platform that provides market insights, returns benchmarks, regulatory updates and sector outlooks.
The two groups will also develop a trade and deal catalogue to help match businesses with partners.
As part of the collaboration, both institutions will host investment roadshows through the Global Africa Summit series, starting with GAS Accra from December 11 to 12 at the Alisa Hotel.
The event will showcase deals, hold sector briefings and connect investors with government and private sector actors.
Africa Investment Network founder and Chief Executive Jane Reindorf Osei noted that diaspora capital remains one of Africa’s strongest advantages because it is patient, purpose driven and closely linked to local development outcomes.
She explained that the partnership will help direct more diaspora investment into areas where it can make the most impact.
Chairman of 17 Asset Management, John Morris, highlighted that the joint effort will blend strong investment design with Africa Investment Network’s networks and convening power.
He stressed that improved research and compliant market access will give diaspora investors more confidence across different markets.
The two institutions will open their diaspora investment platform in the second quarter of 2026, followed by the launch of a co investment window.
Investment roadshows will also be held in North America, the Caribbean and key African centres next year.
Africa Investment Network and 17 Asset Management invited governments, development finance institutions, family offices, asset managers and other partners to support deal creation, risk sharing and market building initiatives aimed at boosting diaspora participation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu insists that neither President Mahama nor the National Democratic Congress has filed any petition seeking the removal of the Electoral Commission Chairperson and her two deputies.
In a one on one Interview with GHone, he explained that the President only forwarded petitions he received, as required by law, and has not initiated any action against the EC leadership.
According to him, the identities and motives of the petitioners remain unknown to government, and the Presidency is not involved in that part of the process.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that while the NDC has openly disagreed with some actions of the Electoral Commission in the past, the party has not submitted any petition asking for the removal of the EC Chair or her deputies.
He noted that comments by the NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, questioning the EC’s competence, do not amount to a formal petition.
He added that criticism of public officials is normal and does not automatically translate into a request for their removal.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that once a petition is received, the President’s only role is to forward it to the Chief Justice.
The Chief Justice then decides if the allegations have merit. If they do, a committee is set up to investigate.
He said those named in the petitions will be officially informed by the Chief Justice, not the Presidency.
They will then have the opportunity to appear before the committee, respond to the claims, and provide any evidence in their defence.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu expressed confidence that the process will be fair and will protect the rights of all those involved.
By: Jacob Aggrey
