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Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender, Children and Social Welfare visit Gender Ministry
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender, Children and Social Welfare, led by its Chairperson, Madam Helen Adjoa Ntoso, has paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to brief the Minister on their three-day monitoring tour in the Greater Accra Region.
During the meeting, Madam Ntoso stated that the purpose of the tour is to assess the conditions and standards of care in shelters and residential homes.
She emphasized that the visit will help the Committee identify critical challenges and gaps, which will inform stronger advocacy efforts and the mobilization of resources to improve services.
The delegation also engaged the Ministry in discussions on key government social intervention programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
They further deliberated on the importance of inter-agency collaboration to ensure the effective delivery of social protection services.
Madam Ntoso noted that at the end of the three-day tour, the Committee would compile a comprehensive report to facilitate further dialogue and collaboration with the Ministry.
In her closing remarks, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey expressed gratitude for the Committee’s visit and welcomed their findings and recommendations.
She urged the Committee to support the Ministry in advocating for the passage of the Social Protection Bill and the Domestic Violence Bill, both of which have been approved by Cabinet and are awaiting submission to Parliament.
Touching on gender-based violence, the Minister reiterated President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to constructing shelters in all 16 regions to provide care and protection for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender, Children and Social Welfare plays a critical oversight role in ensuring that policies and programmes under the Ministry are effectively implemented and aligned with national priorities on social protection and gender equality.
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
