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SDD-UBIDS holds maiden graduation ceremony at Wa
The Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) at Wa in the Upper West Region on Friday, held its maiden graduation ceremony for 1,176 diploma, graduate and postgraduate students.
Addressing the congregation, the Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Philip Duku Osei charged the graduands to show proof of their higher learning to the outside world by translating the knowledge they had acquired into tangible products for consumption by society.
The Vice-Chancellor maintained that northern Ghana and the country by extension was bedevilled with varied developmental and economic challenges that required maximum thinking and innovation by graduates and people in the academia to turn the fortunes around.
“Proving your higher learning will be reckoned in your ability to translate knowledge into tangible products, peace and security for the population and your ability to work in the trenches of conflict to bring peace and development to our rural and urban population”, he said.
He cited for instance that democracy in Africa was still in infancy, given the numerous conflicts around election and succession processes and other forms of insecurity and said it beckoned on nations in Africa to broaden their human resource base to be able to counter the challenges.
“All these are a reflection that democratic consolidation in Africa is a project that is still in its infancy and can be better handled through affordable and adequate development of human capital and we are hoping the university will firmly position itself to create solutions to the myriad of developmental problems, especially in the northern part of Ghana”, he expressed.
Prof. Osei who announced the approval of a school of Law at the university commended the graduands and invited them and others to explore their new programmes for further training.
Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Mrs Gifty Tum-Ampofo encouraged the graduands to create a pool of knowledge that would support the business community of the country with contract-winning proposals and ideas.
“Go out there and prove to the world that you are deserving of the degrees you have been awarded, create room for excellence and avoid mediocrity; use your knowledge to identify problems and set up consultancies to enhance capacities of people in business”, he said.
She stressed that government would continue to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the face of recent economic constraints to ensure businesses thrive and also boost investor confidence.
She used the opportunity to encourage universities to form healthy relationships with TVET institutions to ensure that they worked collaboratively to promote the development of the nation.
Ms Vivian Larbi and Mr Philemon Nandongee were presented with a laptop and cash awards for emerging best female and male graduating students respectively.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has denied claims circulating on social media that the sector minister, Samuel Nartey George, has misused public funds.
In a statement issued to media houses, the Ministry explained that the document being shared online was part of an official request seeking Commitment Authorisation from the Ministry of Finance in line with public financial management and procurement procedures.
According to the Ministry, the request was based on budgetary allocations approved by Parliament for the 2026 fiscal year and covered planned projects, operational activities and programme interventions to be carried out within the year.
It stressed that the request has not yet received approval from the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry therefore clarified that no funds have been released, disbursed or spent in relation to the items captured in the circulating document.
It described claims suggesting that public funds had already been squandered as “inaccurate, misleading and devoid of context.”
The statement urged the public to treat the allegations with caution and disregard what it described as false interpretations of the document.
The Ministry further reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and strict adherence to public financial management regulations in the execution of its duties.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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