News
Parliament considers Community Service Bill to reduce prison congestion
The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior has begun deliberations on the proposed Community Service Bill 2026, aimed at addressing prison overcrowding and reducing the cost of maintaining inmates.
The Committee met with officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Ghana Prisons Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the Gaming Commission on Tuesday.
The meeting also reviewed the 2024 Audit Committee’s annual report on the Ministry and its agencies.
During the meeting, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, said the bill is designed to decongest prisons across the country, reduce government spending on feeding and maintaining inmates, and lower reoffending rates.
He explained that the proposed law will apply to offences punishable by a prison term of not more than three years, with or without a fine.
Under the bill, offenders may be required to undertake community service for not more than eight hours a day instead of serving time in prison.
A roundtable discussion was held during the meeting, allowing stakeholders to share their views and contribute to the ongoing deliberations.
The Chairman of the Committee, James Agalga, and the Ranking Member, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, both called for the bill to be fast-tracked.
They stressed the need to ensure that its implementation does not create an additional financial burden on the state.
The Committee is expected to continue its sittings until Friday, April 17, 2026, as it works towards finalising its recommendations on the bill.
By: Jacob Aggrey
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
