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United we stand… Beautiful scenes at Hogbestosto festival
Togbui Sri III
If there was a time in history to be proud of being a Ghanaian, it was at this year’s Hogbetsotso festival last Saturday at Anloga in the Volta Region.
Although hundreds of sons and daughters of the Anlo State converged on the Hogbe Park to celebrate the traditional festival of the Anlo people, it became a beautiful ‘inter-tribe’ festival as it was graced by leaders of two powerful ethnic groups namely; the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II with their entourage.
The festival which was the climax of a week-long activities was chaired by Ga Mantse King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II and it was also the first time an Asante King graced the festival with his entourage from Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
The 60th anniversary of festival which was hosted by Torgbi Sri III was on the theme: “Uniting for Development, Sustaining our Unique Cultural Commonwealth for Future Generations”.
Being the first since the coronavirus pandemic, the occasion further graced by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who pleaded with Ghanaians to bear with the government as it took steps to turn around the economic fortunes of the country.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also asked for unity between the Anlos and the Asantes and urged them to dismiss the perceived rift between the two stressing groups hinting that the relationship between the Anlos and the Asantes dated back to the 1700s.
Togbi Sri III, in his remarks said Asantes and Anlos had always been good neighbours and collaborated in the past and should reignite that relationship that existed between the two groups over centuries.
From a distance, the Hogbe Park was a sea of colourful kente cloths and ornaments as chiefs from the 36 communities of the Anlo State displayed their rich culture and journey to their present day location, as well as food, among other unique traits.
The festival which recounts the escape of the Anlos from Notsie in present day Togo serves as a convergence ground for the Anlo people, home and abroad, for the development of the 36 states of the area.
By Spectator Reporter
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
