News
Streets of Accra: Home for the Homeless
Every morning in Accra, particularly around Kwame Nkrumah Circle, a troubling scene repeats itself. Children who should be preparing for school instead weave through traffic, knocking on car windows, and begging for coins.
From Circle to Kaneshie, Tema Station, the Central Business District, and the 37 Military Hospital area, these young faces reflect a growing social crisis that Ghana can no longer pretend is solved.
Many of these children—and some mothers—sleep in front of shops, on pavements, or under footbridges. When night falls, cardboard replaces mattresses, and hunger replaces comfort. Some cook whatever they can find—discarded food, roadside leftovers, or partially spoiled items from refuse dumps. This exposes them to diseases, abuse, drug use, and human trafficking, turning survival into a daily danger.
Street life is stealing their future. While other children carry school bags, these ones carry fear and hardship. Without education, counselling, and care, they are pushed into labour, crime, and long-term poverty. The street becomes their classroom, but it teaches only struggle, not opportunity.
This is a matter for the government, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), and other municipalities across the country. The menace persists in various regions and must be treated as an emergency.
There is an urgent need for more shelters, feeding programmes, rehabilitation centres, and compulsory reintegration into school. Social welfare officers must patrol hotspots like Circle regularly—not only during special exercises.
Communities, parents, NGOs, and traditional leaders also have a role to play. Poverty, migration, and family breakdown drive children onto Accra’s streets, but cooperation can pull them back.
These children are still at Circle and the other areas mentioned, still begging, and still sleeping on concrete instead of beds. Their presence is a loud reminder of unfinished work. Ghana’s progress will mean little if its capital continues to abandon its youngest citizens.
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By Eric Gyimah
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
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The Ghana National Gas Company has denied allegations of wrongdoing in its recent procurement and insurance contract renewals.
In a press statement issued in Accra on April 13, 2026, the company explained that concerns raised in some media reports were linked to a change in its lead insurer.
It noted that the change followed the expiration of previous insurance contracts at the end of the year.
The company stressed that the new insurance arrangements are lawful and form part of efforts to improve its risk management system to protect its assets.
It further indicated that all contracts awarded so far have gone through the required approval processes by the Public Procurement Authority after receiving financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance.
The statement, signed by the Head of Corporate Affairs, Richard Ernest Kirk-Mensah, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
It added that management remains focused on delivering gas efficiently to meet the country’s energy needs while continuing to strengthen internal systems to ensure good corporate governance and compliance.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has clarified that it now supports the implementation of the Publican Artificial Intelligence system at the country’s ports, following earlier concerns raised in 2025.
In a press statement issued on April 9, the Association explained that claims suggesting it still opposes the system are misleading and based on outdated information from a December 18, 2025 media publication.
It noted that its earlier concerns were legitimate, pointing to a lack of stakeholder consultation, as well as issues related to data security, transparency, and system integration.
At the time, it called for broader engagement to ensure the system would be credible and beneficial to all stakeholders.
According to the statement, the Government of Ghana, through the Finance Ministry and the Ghana Revenue Authority, has since engaged industry players, including the Association, to address those concerns.
The Association described the engagements as constructive, indicating that they helped resolve key issues and showed government’s commitment to improving the system’s implementation.
As a result, it affirmed its support for the Publican AI system, which has already been rolled out at the ports.
The Association acknowledged that the system is facing some operational challenges but noted that such difficulties are common with major technological reforms.
It added that authorities are taking steps to resolve the issues.
It highlighted the potential benefits of the system, including improved revenue mobilisation, increased transparency, reduced revenue leakages, and a decline in unethical practices at the ports.
The statement cautioned the public against attempts by some individuals and groups to misrepresent its position, stressing that such actions undermine national progress.
It further emphasised that it will not allow itself to be used for propaganda or agendas that do not serve the interests of importers, exporters, and the wider economy.
The Executive Secretary of the Association, Samson Asaki Awingobit, signed the statement, reaffirming the group’s commitment to supporting reforms that improve efficiency at the ports and promote a fair trading environment.
By: Jacob Aggrey
