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Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong Shines at the 80th UN General Assembly – Speaks and Moderates key Panels on the SDGs, Media Leadership & Impact
On Thursday September 25, 2025, the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) witnessed a strong display of African leadership and global collaboration as celebrated Ghanaian media personality Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong moderated two high-level panel discussions and delivered remarks on another panel at the Goals Lounge – a special initiative convened by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and hosted by the UN Office for Partnerships.
Nana Yaa, a passionate SDG Advocate who currently celebrates 26 years of impact in media, made Ghana proud at this year’s UNGA in New York.
The Goals Lounge brought together world leaders, UN officials, private sector executives, and media practitioners to address urgent global issues.
Nana Yaa Sarpong shared the stage with distinguished figures including Jessica Alupo, Vice President of Uganda; Annemarie Hou, Executive Director of UN Partnerships; Gerd Müller, Director-General of UNIDO; Edmondo Cirielli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy; Federica Diamanti, Associate Vice President for External Relations at IFAD; and Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communication.
The first session she moderated was dubbed “Brewing Sustainability: The Global Coffee Dialogue,” which examined sustainable sourcing and the future of global coffee trade as a means of sustaining livelihood.
The programme generated insightful sessions where people, ideas, and actions were shared on.
The event spotlighted a multi-stakeholder partnership, strengthening the global coffee value chain as a catalyst for sustainable development. Globally, over 12.5 million farmers depend on coffee production, with 80% grown by smallholder farmers.
The dialogue also brought to the fore coffee’s role linking agriculture, industry, and climate policy, while showcasing the Advancing Climate Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee (ACT) Programme as a platform for investment and collaboration.
Subsequently, she again moderated the insighful panel on ‘Reframing the SDGs: Africa’s Voice, Media’s Power and Impactful Narratives.’
The session explored how Africa can reset the SDG narrative by centering its own voices, experiences, and innovations. Through storytelling for impact, panellists discussed how media can amplify African-led solutions and drive public engagement.
The conversation highlighted the role of journalists, creatives, and communicators in shaping a development narrative that reflects Africa’s complexity, resilience, and promise.
She addressed a session on “Beyond the Headlines: How Women Media Leaders Are Expanding the Story.”
Women media leaders are transforming the industry, breaking barriers, challenging bias, and the evolving role of women in media on reshaping narratives.
This session spotlighted the contribution of women media leaders, with insights from the UN Global Women in Media Report 2025, and the power of inclusive storytelling in shaping public understanding of peace, security, and progress in today’s complex global landscape.
Reflecting on her participation, Nana Yaa Sarpong described the opportunity as both an honour and a responsibility, underscoring the importance of amplifying African voices and centering women in global conversations.
“It is a privilege to use my platform to highlight issues of sustainability, gender equity, and Africa’s leadership in shaping global narratives,” she noted.
The sessions, now available for public viewing, form part of the broader activities of the 80th UNGA in New York, which continues to convene world leaders, policymakers, civil society, and private sector partners in pursuit of accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Also present were Arthur Karuletwa – VP Sustainable Sourcing and Impact, Chobani, Vanusia Nogueira – International Coffee Organization, Executive Director, Solomon Sabiti Rutega – Secretary General, Inter-African Coffee Organisation, Andrea Illy – President of illycaffè, Ambassador John Ulanga – Ambassador and Director of International Trade and Economic Diplomacy at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of Ending Violence against Women at UN Women; Olusola Momoh, Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Channels Television in Nigeria; Jennifer Zabasajja, Chief Africa Anchor at Bloomberg; and Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist and Climate Correspondent for ABC News, among other global voices from international organizations and industry.
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong is also an Entrepreneur, International Trade Consultant, Pastor, Women & Youth and SDG Advocate.
She is the General Manager of Ghana’s media group – EIB Network, and the Founder and President of Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA), which was recently launched to mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the SDG gaps, including gender inequality.
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
