News
Ntotroso celebrates annual Apomasu Yam Festival
THE chiefs and people of Ntotroso in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region on Saturday celebrated their Apomasu Yam Festival at Ntotroso amidst pomp and pageantry.
The colourful festival, which featured a week-long activities including traditional cultural rites, was held under the Theme: ‘Mining and Tradition: Building Resilient Communities through Sustainable and Responsible Mining.’
It attracted a lot of guests including chiefs, politicians, businessmen and women, foreigners, school children and members of the public amidst drumming and dancing.
The Apomasu Yam Festival, celebrated biennially, honours the Apomasu deity believed to safeguard the community’s wellbeing.
The festival also served as a fundraiser to support ongoing educational infrastructure projects initiated by the Ntotroso Traditional Council.
Addressing the people, Barima Twereku Ampem III, Paramount chief of Ntotroso, said the Apomasu festival was not merely a celebration of harvest, but signifies a spiritual homecoming as well as a moment of thanksgiving to the Almighty God and to the ancestors for protecting the land, blessing the farms, and sustaining them.
The festival, he noted, symbolises renewal of unity, purpose and collective responsibility to protect the land entrusted to us.
Touching on the menace of illegal mining activities, Barima Twereku Ampem, who is also the president of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, pledged the support of the chiefs and people in the area to complement government’s efforts at finding a lasting solution to the problem.
According to him, illegal mining remains a threat not only to our environment but to national security and long-term development of the country.
He, however, urged the government to ensure strict enforcement of the law, in a fair, consistent and transparent manner so as to deal with the menace.
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, who led the government delegation, commended the chiefs and people of Ntotroso for organising a successful festival.
He praised their commitment to be accountable and transparent in their dealings with the people.
“Most leaders finds it difficult to be accountable to their people. What you have shown here is a demonstration of your commitment to honesty and integrity—a virtue that must be emulated by who aspire to lead,” he stated.
He later donated a cash of Gh₵100,000 to support the celebration.
After more than 300 years of existence, Ntotroso has seen a lot of changes both the social and economic fronts.
From a largely subsistence local economy, Ntotroso and other surrounding communities have now been placed on the global map of gold producing areas following the acquisition of mining concession in 2003 by Newmont Ahafo Mines.
From Daniel Dzirasah, Ntotroso
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Miniser for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed a major shake up at Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) following recent power outages.
In a post on Facebook, Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into fire incident at Akosombo power control center.
Also, he further noted that there has been a major shake up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region.
“At 2pm tomorrow, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon John Jinapor, will hold a major briefing on recent developments in electricity distribution,” he concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
