News
Vultures: Natural cleaners of the environment
The Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) has identified “intentional poisoning” and killing of vultures as part of reasons for the decline in vulture population across the country.
Though it is considered “illegal” per the Wildlife Acts in many jurisdictions, the society said some individuals and communities continued to consume vulture meat while also trading in its parts for ritual purposes.
Mr Thomas Gyimah, Acting Manager, Biodiversity Research and Conservation at the Ghana Wildlife Society told The Spectator in an interview that vulture eggs, feathers, and other parts were being sold at exorbitant prices for ritual purposes.
“Some whole or dried vulture parts are sold close to GH¢2,000 and people are making money from them. People have confirmed killing and using vultures as a delicacy and there are vulture restaurants in parts of the country, he noted.
This, among other factors, according to him, was fast making vultures a critically endangered species, especially in Ghana.
Speaking ahead of the International Vulture Awareness Day which comes off today September 5, 2020, Mr Gyimah explained that, scavengers including vultures played an important role in the environment, hence the need to conserve the remaining species available.
According to him, vultures were often considered as “dirty animals” because they fed on carcasses, nonetheless it is supposed to be the “cleaner of the environment”.
“Their digestive system is so strong that they could quickly devour large amounts of flesh and their stomach acids neutralise pathogens, so they are able to digest them and it does not come back to the environment, they are disease control agents and environmental cleaners,” he explained.
This, he said, was very vital in the containment of bacteria and diseases such as anthrax and rabies.
Mr David Daramani, Principal Programmes Assistant, Ghana Wildlife Society also insisted that without vultures, foul smelling carcasses would likely linger longer, insect populations would boom, and diseases would spread to people, livestock, and other wild animals and this would have dire repercussion on the country.
He said the birds had been starved in their habitat over the years, therefore they had adapted to coming closer to human settlements to find food to survive.
He, however, lamented that some people had turned to killing and consuming it as their preoccupation — a situation he noted had caused a decline in the population of the birds and “if nothing is done we can lose them all”.
Mr Gyimah confirmed that there were about seven species of vultures in Ghana and four out of those species were endangered.
“Their population has dwindled to the extent that, nobody seem to care about them and we need to do something to save them. We must be prepared to battle diseases and other environmental challenges when vultures are extinct,” he also noted.
The wildlife official highlighting other threat to vultures, said the use of household and industrial chemicals also contributed to the “unintentional poisoning” of vultures.
He observed that electrocution on pylons as well as deforestation had affected vulture habitat and their reproductive ability, hence the need to intensify efforts at conserving the animals. He said because vultures laid only few eggs every year or two, their populations were usually few.
Mr Gyimah has therefore appealed to the public to stop killing vultures or buying its parts, as there was no scientific proof that vulture parts could treat any disease or even possessed any magical powers.
He also urged government to help enforce the Wildlife Act and its specific aspects that protected vultures, adding that, the society as part of the awareness day, intended to identify areas in the country where vultures were still available and try to protect them.
As part of the activities, citizens were asked to take pictures of vultures they saw and send them to the GWS social media handles to aid in locating and identifying the species.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
A new international whitepaper on democracy in Africa has placed Ghana’s Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, at the centre of a major research study on the role of opposition parties in strengthening democratic governance across the continent.
The study is being conducted by the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP) in partnership with the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Ghana.
It uses Ghana’s 2025/2026 parliamentary session as a case study to examine how opposition parties can contribute to peace, development and democratic stability.
President of the ACCP, Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, said the research forms part of a wider continental project aimed at identifying successful governance models in Africa.
He explained that the chamber is interested in promoting positive African stories and finding practical democratic systems that other countries can adopt.
Mr. Dwomoh-Doyen said political differences should not create division or hostility among leaders and citizens.
He stated that despite belonging to different political sides, people must work together in the interest of national development.
According to him, Ghana’s democratic journey and parliamentary system made the country an important case for the study.
The whitepaper, titled “A Strong and Responsible Opposition in Africa: A Ghanaian Case Study (2025/2026 Review)”, reviews the Minority Leader’s parliamentary activities, including his statements, motions and media engagements.
Researchers are also conducting public opinion surveys in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale as part of the study.
Head of ACCP’s Liberia branch, Dr. Murphy T. Jackson, said African countries should formally recognise and support the office of the Leader of the Opposition through legal structures and institutional resources.
He noted that such systems would help reduce the chances of unconstitutional changes of government on the continent.
Head of Research at ACCP Ghana, David Adofo, described Ghana’s opposition institution as one of the strongest in Africa.
He said although the current research focuses on Ghana, future studies would examine opposition institutions in other African countries.
Deputy Secretary General of UPF-Ghana, Tegha King, stressed the importance of a responsible opposition in national development.
Speaking on behalf of the Universal Peace Federation and the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), he said opposition parties should not be seen as enemies of progress.
According to him, respectful debate, alternative policy ideas and cross-party dialogue are necessary for strong democratic institutions and national peace.
The research comes at a time when some African countries are experiencing political instability and military takeovers.
Despite these challenges, Ghana continues to be recognised as one of Africa’s stable democracies, having recorded several peaceful transfers of power since 1992.
The completed whitepaper will later be submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal, while the abstract has already been made available upon request.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NuGhana Expat Center to launch ‘AfroTango Platform’ to support diasporans in Ghana and Africa — Nana Kofi Opoku-Agyemang
The Executive Director of the NuGhana International Expat Center, Nana Kofi Opoku-Agyemang, has disclosed that the organisation is preparing to launch the “AfroTango Platform” to support diasporans with integration in Ghana and across Africa.
According to him, the platform is intended to help diasporans navigate African systems, which many often find difficult to understand after relocating from Western countries.
“The AfroTango Platform will provide a structured bridge, offering orientation, vetted service referrals, and a trusted community to help them integrate smoothly for business or relocation,” he said.
Mr. Opoku-Agyemang made the disclosure while speaking about a proposal submitted by the NuGhana International Expat Center to the government of President John Dramani Mahama for the establishment of a specialised multi-agency Diaspora Protection and Human Capital Task Force.
According to their statement, the proposal has been submitted to the President and shared with key institutions, including the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI), the Ministry of the Interior, the Office of National Security, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Diaspora Affairs, and the Black Star Experience Secretariat.
Mr. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the proposed task force would help protect diasporans and foreign nationals from organised fraud and exploitation while also helping the country benefit from their expertise, investments, and professional skills.
He noted that many diasporans relocating to Ghana often face challenges such as land disputes, business fraud, and difficulties finding trusted people to guide them through local systems.
President of the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP), Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, who endorsed the proposal, described the initiative as timely and necessary.
According to him, the leadership of NuGhana understands the realities and expectations of diasporans because of their experience living in Western countries.
He appealed to the government to consider the proposal seriously, stating that it could help protect lives and investments while encouraging more diasporans to contribute to national development.
The statement identified key challenges facing diasporans, including organised land and business scams, the absence of a unified system to engage skilled professionals entering the country, and fears over investment security.
Some diasporans who spoke on condition of anonymity also welcomed the initiative and said a state-backed protection system would give them more confidence to relocate and invest in Ghana.
NuGhana said it has already built a human capital and risk database over the past four years to catalogue diasporans and foreign nationals according to their professions, skills, investment interests, and reported incidents.
The organisation added that it is ready to engage the President’s designated team to demonstrate its database and begin a pilot phase of the proposed framework.
By: Jacob Aggrey
