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Strengthening Policing Partnerships: IGP receives NYDP delegation
A senior delegation from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) traveled to Accra, Ghana, for a series of high-level engagements with the Ghana Police Service (GPS), reinforcing the growing partnership between the two police institutions and advancing discussions on operational cooperation, professional exchange, and modern policing practices.
The delegation was formally received at Police Headquarters by Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, Inspector-General of Police of Ghana, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB).
During the meeting, the NYPD delegation and the IGP held extensive discussions with POMAB focused on contemporary policing challenges and opportunities for cooperation between the two departments.
The dialogue centered on several core themes relevant to modern law enforcement. Both sides exchanged perspectives on the employment of technology in policing, including data-driven policing models, digital investigative tools, and integrated intelligence platforms used to support operational decision-making. The delegations also discussed officer safety and welfare, emphasizing the importance of training, equipment, and institutional support systems that protect officers while enhancing operational effectiveness.
Another significant component of the discussions addressed police accountability within a democratic dispensation.
The NYPD delegation shared experiences and institutional practices regarding transparency, internal oversight, and community trust, while Ghana Police Service leadership highlighted reforms and accountability mechanisms within Ghana’s policing framework.
A key topic during the meetings was the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the NYPD and the Ghana Police Service. Both sides reviewed the framework for strengthening institutional cooperation and facilitating sustained engagement between the two organizations.
The discussions emphasized information sharing, training opportunities, and collaboration on transnational crime investigations.
Beyond meetings with the Police Management Board, the NYPD delegation conducted working engagements with several operational units of the Ghana Police Service.
The team met with senior officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the INTERPOL Accra National Central Bureau, and the Police Intelligence Directorate, where discussions focused on investigative cooperation, intelligence coordination, and the evolving threat landscape related to transnational criminal activity.
The delegation also toured the Joint Operations Center (JOC) at Police Headquarters, receiving a briefing on Ghana’s integrated command and control capabilities used to coordinate nationwide policing operations, incident response, and intelligence monitoring.
One of the most forward-looking outcomes of the visit was the discussion between the IGP and POMAB regarding officer exchange programmes between the two institutions.
The leadership discussed placement of a senior NYPD detective at the Ghana Police Service Headquarters in Accra, as well as the embedding of a senior Ghana Police Service officer within the NYPD Intelligence Bureau in New York.
The proposed exchanges are intended to deepen operational collaboration, strengthen investigative partnerships, and build institutional familiarity between the two departments.
In addition to engagements within the Ghana Police Service, the NYPD delegation held courtesy meetings with the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, and leadership of the National Intelligence Bureau, led by Director-General Charles Alhassan Kipo, where discussions focused on national security coordination, intelligence sharing, and broader cooperation between Ghanaian and U.S. law enforcement and security partners. The delegation also paid a courtesy call on the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Rolf Olson.
The visit represents a continuation of growing cooperation between the Ghana Police Service and the New York City Department.
Minister for Government Communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has dismissed claims that staff salaries at the Presidency have increased under the current administration, describing the allegation as a “flat lie”.
In a response to a post on Facebook, Ofosu Kwakye said the current staff at the Presidency inherited the same salaries and conditions approved for their predecessors.
He argued that once arrears owed to former Article 71 office holders are paid, the total wage bill for the current administration will actually be lower due to a reduction in staff numbers.
“It is in fact a mathematical certainty that the total amount paid in salaries to the current staff will be smaller compared to yours once your arrears are paid because of the reduction in numbers,” he stated.
The Minister noted that delays in paying arrears to past Article 71 office holders are not new.
“Arrears owed to past Article 71 office holders is nothing new or unheard of. Many others before you have suffered same,” he said.
Ofosu Kwakye also stressed that the salaries and conditions in question were approved by Parliament on 6th January 2025, under the previous government.
He pointed out that the Constitution bars any changes to those salaries until a new committee is set up to determine emoluments for Article 71 office holders under the new administration.
“No such committee has been set up by President Mahama and no alteration has been made,” he clarified.
“So on what basis, apart from pure lies and mischief, can a claim of ballooning be made?” he concluded.
The response follows public debate over the size and cost of the presidential staff, with critics alleging a spike in the wage bill.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, has initiated plea negotiations with the Attorney General’s office in the GH₵30 million Exim Bank fraud case.
Information available to ghanaiantimes.com.gh indicates that lawyers for Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi & 2 other accused have formally written to the Attorney General to enter into plea negotiations on the charges of defrauding by false pretenses, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.
A plea bargain, under Section 162C of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 1079), allows an accused person to plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The agreement must be approved by the court after the Attorney General assesses factors such as the strength of evidence, recovery of state funds, and public interest.
Wontumi is facing four counts after his arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office in May 2025.
Prosecutors allege he used forged documents to secure a GH₵30 million facility from the Ghana Export-Import Bank to finance equipment for his mining company, Akonta Mining Ltd.
The state further charges him with money laundering and causing financial loss to the state.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted GH₵50 million bail with two sureties. The case is currently before the Accra High Court.
The Attorney General’s office is yet to confirm whether negotiations will proceed.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
