News
World Bank approves US$300 million project to help end double-track system in Ghana- Mnistry of Education reveals
The World Bank has approved a US$300 million financing package to support Ghana’s efforts to improve secondary education and phase out the double-track system in Senior High Schools by 2027.
The Ministry of Education announced the approval in a statement issued on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, describing the funding as a major boost to the country’s education sector.
According to the ministry, the funding will support the implementation of the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project, which is aimed at expanding access to quality secondary education, improving learning outcomes, and addressing infrastructure challenges in schools.
The ministry said the project would help tackle overcrowding and inadequate facilities in Senior High Schools, which have contributed to the introduction of the double-track system under the Free Senior High School programme.
It noted that through investments in school infrastructure, improved learning conditions, and greater efficiency within the education system, the government expects all secondary schools in the country to return to a single-track system by 2027.
Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, described the project as a significant investment in Ghana’s youth and future development.
He said the initiative would expand learning opportunities for students, improve conditions in schools, and ensure that secondary education is better aligned with the skills required by the job market.
Mr. Iddrisu added that the project would also help address the infrastructure deficit created by increased enrolment under the Free Senior High School policy.
The Ministry of Education expressed gratitude to the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance for their support in securing the funding.
The ministry specifically acknowledged the contributions of World Bank Country Director Robert Taliercio O’Brien, the World Bank education team, and the Ministry of Finance led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
According to the ministry, the STARR-J Project demonstrates the government’s commitment to providing equitable access to quality secondary education and equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the global economy.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, Mr. Azouz Nasri, has arrived in Accra to take part in the Next Steps High-Level Consultative Conference on the implementation of the landmark United Nations Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans.
He was received at the Jubilee Lounge, Kotoka International Airport, by Ghana’s First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor.
The 3-day conference runs from June 17–19, 2026 in Accra. It will bring together parliamentary leaders, diplomats, civil society, and other key stakeholders to reflect on the implications of the UN Resolution for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
Organisers say the meeting is aimed at advancing a coordinated global framework to strengthen advocacy around the Resolution and provide practical guidance for its implementation across member states.
The Resolution is described as a historic step toward acknowledging the transatlantic slave trade and addressing its lasting impact, with this conference marking one of the first high-level efforts to move it from declaration to action.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Aspiring National Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awentami Paul Afoko, has stated that the party has a unique opportunity to annex power in the 2028 elections.
According to him, the one person who has been on Ghana’s ballot paper for several elections will not be on the ballot paper in the 2028 elections, paving the way for the NPP to properly market its flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is already a formidable force to reckon with and will go ahead to win the polls.
He argued that voters already know him, he’s battle-tested and ready to win.
He reiterated that the NPP will have a well-marketed candidate in the 2028 election and just as the party did in 2016 when it annexed power from a sitting government, the same can be done.
The Former NPP National Chairman, however, noted that this can be possible if the NPP unites as a unit and approach the elections with all the seriousness it deserves to ensure that its quest for victory does not become a mirage.
Mr Awentami Paul Afoko made this known when he met with Regional Executives, Patrons and Elders of the party in the Volta, Oti and Eastern Regions yesterday.
“For the first time we have a unique opportunity. At the time I put the New Plan for Power in place, we knew that the sitting president could go again and if he won another term, we would sit in opposition for twelve years.
We had to put a plan in place to make sure we come to power and we came to power. This time around, he will not be on the ballot paper and this offers us a unique opportunity, but without unity we will not get there,” he stated.
“As for unity, it is not negotiable. You can’t sit here and look at the lady sitting next to you and say I don’t like her so we can’t work together. We are working together for power, and if we let emotions get in the way, we lose” he said.
“Those of you who are old enough to remember Muhammad Ali the boxer, he is in the ring with you, he’s talking and calling you names then you get emotional and he takes advantage. Emotions won’t give us power. I didn’t get anything so I won’t support; no, let that go because it is in the past,” he noted.
Afoko, who is pushing his 3R Agenda of Reunite, Rebuild, and Recapture power, said the party must adopt a clear message to win back the confidence of Ghanaians and believes, with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whom he described as the right candidate will guarantee the NPP victory in the 2028 polls.
“For years I chose to work quietly behind the scenes, supporting the NPP in private,” Afoko said.
“But recent developments have compelled me to step forward. We need to get our party back into winning ways, and that starts with unity of purpose,” Afoko reiterated.
He framed the upcoming period as a test of whether NPP politics would mature or remain stuck in cycles of blame, but was optimistic that everyone who loves the party would come on board to realize the goal of making Dr Mahamudu Bawumia the next President of Ghana.
By: Jacob Aggrey
