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World Kidney Day: National security arrests suspected Sukudai chemical supplier in Aboabo

By
Ivy Hollys
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local concoction sukudai

National security operatives have arrested a trader suspected of supplying chemicals used in the preparation of the controversial Sukudai drink in Aboabo. The suspect was picked up after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering by security agencies investigating the circulation of the drink in parts of Kumasi.

Ashanti Regional Deputy Security Coordinator Njeh Abdallah Umar, who led the operation, described the presence of the drink on the streets as a national security concern.

According to him, an unusual pattern has been observed among those involved in selling the product. “The most interesting aspect is that those selling it will not drink it when asked to do so. Even if you force them, they will not. Yet the product has been in circulation for many years,” he said.

The arrest comes as health experts intensify warnings about the potential dangers associated with the drink.

Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Cynthia Ameni-Dankwa, cautioned that substances detected in the concoction could cause severe irritation and damage to vital organs, including the liver and kidneys.

Professor Ameni-Dankwa explained that further biomedical studies are being planned to fully understand the drink’s effects on the human body. The investigations will include detailed examinations of tissues, liver enzymes, blood cells, and other biological indicators.

Despite the ongoing research, she urged the public to avoid consuming the Sukudai drink due to the potential health risks.

Medical researchers warn that the corrosive chemicals in the concoction could damage the digestive system and, once absorbed into the bloodstream, may severely affect the liver and kidneys, potentially worsening Ghana’s growing kidney disease crisis.

Health data indicate that chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 14 to 17 percent of the population in Ghana, with many patients diagnosed during their most productive years.

At the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, more than 400 end-stage kidney patients are admitted every year, while over 1,000 people in Accra currently rely on dialysis to survive.

Toxic ‘Sukudai’ Local Drink Raises Alarm Over Rising Kidney Disease in Ghana

By
Ivy Hollys
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kidney failure

Health experts are raising fresh concerns about the growing burden of kidney disease in Ghana as the country marks World Kidney Day, with new evidence linking a dangerous herbal concoction to serious organ damage.

Chronic kidney disease is emerging as a major health challenge in Ghana, affecting an estimated 14 to 17 percent of the population, with many patients diagnosed during their most productive years. At the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, more than 400 end-stage kidney patients are admitted every year, while over 1,000 people in Accra currently depend on dialysis for survival.

Medical experts say the increasing cases of kidney disease are linked to several factors, including hypertension, diabetes, misuse of painkillers, environmental toxins, and unregulated herbal medicines.

Crackdown on toxic herbal drink

In the Ashanti Region, authorities have launched a crackdown on a toxic herbal cocktail known as “Sukudai,” which is being marketed as a heart cleanser.

Researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have described the drink as toxic after laboratory analysis revealed that it contains harmful chemicals capable of causing severe damage to vital organs, including the kidneys.

According to the Department of Pharmacology at KNUST, preliminary tests found the drink contains acetone, zinc chloride, and ethanol.

Acetone is commonly used in nail polish removers, while zinc chloride is a corrosive chemical. Both substances are unsafe for human consumption.

Laboratory experiments conducted on rats revealed the severity of the danger. Rats administered low, medium, and high doses of a chemical substance used in this ‘sukudai’ concoction all died within 24 hours, showing signs of distress shortly after ingestion. Researchers also observed that the chemical mixture was able to melt plastic takeaway bowls, highlighting its corrosive nature.

Shatta Wale says he may contest Ablekuma parliamentary seat if residents call him

By
Ivy Hollys
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shatta wale

Dancehall superstar Shatta Wale has revealed that he could contest a parliamentary seat in Ablekuma if residents call on him to serve.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, March 11, Shatta Wale said he would only enter politics if there is a genuine demand from the people of Ablekuma. According to Shatta Wale, leadership should come from the will of the people rather than personal ambition.

“I love Ghana so much. If the people of Ablekuma call me, I will definitely go,” Shatta Wale said.

However, Shatta Wale emphasized that he would not force himself into the political space simply because of his popularity or financial strength.

The award-winning musician explained that he recently reflected deeply on leadership after watching a series about the biblical figure Moses, which reminded him that leadership sometimes begins when people call someone to serve.

According to Shatta Wale, that lesson made him realize that leadership should come as a response to the needs of the people.

“If the people call for it, I can stand out boldly. But I don’t want to enter people’s business myself,” Shatta Wale added.

Despite his openness to the idea, Shatta Wale stressed that he would not align himself with any political party if he decides to contest.

Instead, Shatta Wale says he would run as an independent candidate should the people of Ablekuma ask him to represent them in Parliament.

Finance: Uncovered bank transfer advices totaling GHS 293 million across six ministries…

By
Ivy Hollys
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thomas nyarko on ministry of finance discrepancies
Black hand with suit holding 3D rendered Ghanaian cedi notes isolated on white background

According to Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the deputy minister for finance, auditors have uncovered Bank Transfer Advices totaling GHS 293 million across six Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) without supporting documentation. He said the payment requests lacked contracts, Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs), or any records of completed work.

Speaking in parliament on the 10th of March, 2026, Thomas Nyarko Ampem said, among other things, that the audit findings showed that fraudulent documents had been submitted to the Ministry of Finance to facilitate payment requests for goods that had not been supplied.

The breakdown of the unsupported payment requests includes:

  • Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection – GHS 241.2 million
  • Ministry of Roads and Highways – GHS 26.3 million
  • Judicial Service – GHS 18.2 million
  • Ministry of Special Initiatives – GHS 3.7 million
  • Ministry of Health – GHS 2.4 million
  • Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice – GHS 782,262

At the Judicial Service, auditors also found evidence of falsified Stores Receipt Advice documents. Thomas Nyarko Ampem said the audit findings showed that fraudulent documents had been submitted to the Ministry of Finance to facilitate payment requests for goods that had not been supplied.

The Deputy Minister said that stricter verification procedures are necessary to ensure that payments are only made for goods and services that have genuinely been delivered to government institutions.

There is no way that the Ministry of Defence will pay 4.4M cedis because of receipts—Hon. Dominic Nitiwul

By
Ivy Hollys
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Hon.-Dominic-Nitiwul on ministry of defence discrepancies

The Deputy Finance Minister, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, revealed that auditors have uncovered questionable transactions involving a GHS 4.8 million contract under the Ministry of Defence. He said that about GHS 9.4 million, supported by forged Stores Receipt Advice (SRA) documents that were used to justify payments for goods that were never delivered, was uncovered.

According to him, the contract under the Ministry of Defence was awarded to a company to supply vehicles intended for border surveillance and monitoring during the 2024 general election.

He explained that although a Stores Receipt Advice dated October 12, 2024, confirmed that the vehicles had been received, auditors later established that the vehicles were never delivered.

The forged documentation was allegedly used to support a request for payment to the Ministry of Finance.

However, the former minister of defense, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, strongly opposed the allegations. According to him, the ministry never signed any contract to buy vehicles for the purposes of the 2024 elections. He said the ministry made a request for vehicles, and all the contracts of the various agencies were done at the agency of national security. 

“There is no way that the Ministry of Defense will pay 4.4 million Cedis because of receipts,” he said. 

Ministry of Education: Audit prevents loss of more than GHS 159 million.

By
Ivy Hollys
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The Ministry of Education, Ghana
The Ministry of Education, Ghana

The Ministry of Education is facing scrutiny after auditors uncovered discrepancies involving teacher trainee allowances and questionable payment requests that could have cost the state hundreds of millions of cedis.

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem disclosed the findings while presenting a report in Parliament on March 10, 2026, detailing alleged irregularities within Ghana’s public financial management system.

According to Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the Ministry of Education reported unpaid teacher trainee allowances amounting to GHS 160 million under the supervision of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.

However, when auditors engaged the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to verify the claim, the agency confirmed that no outstanding arrears existed as of December 2024.

The Deputy Minister noted that the audit prevented a potential loss of more than GHS 159 million in public funds.

Further irregularities were discovered in payment records involving donor-supported funds. Thomas Nyarko Ampem explained that GHS 6.1 million appeared on the Bank Transfer Advices schedule of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, even though the same amount had already been paid by a donor partner.

He said the entry created the risk of double payment, exposing weaknesses in financial coordination between donor funding records and government accounting systems. 

Thomas Nyarko Ampem warned that gaps in financial controls create opportunities for wrongful payments and potential loss of taxpayer funds.

Ministry of Food and Agriculture Under Scrutiny Over Missing Rice and Maize Supplies

By
Ivy Hollys
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Ministry defence under scrutiny

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem has detailed a plunder within the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) after auditors uncovered discrepancies involving thousands of metric tons of rice and maize meant for national food relief programs.

Speaking in parliament on the 10th of March, 2026, the deputy minister of finance said the government in 2024 paid for 34,000 metric tons of rice to mitigate the effects of a nationwide dry spell. However, the MOFA reportedly received and distributed only 24,000 metric tons.

The Deputy Minister told Parliament that 10,000 metric tons of rice remain unaccounted for, despite the government having fully paid for the entire quantity.

The minister further revealed that irregularities in a separate contract for maize supply were that the government contracted a company to supply 100,000 metric tons of maize valued at 771.2 million Ghana cedis, but the audit discovered that only 11,900 metric tons were actually supplied and distributed.

Overpayment for Grain Transportation

The report also highlighted alleged overpayments involving the transportation of food supplies under the Farmer Food Relief and Recovery Programme.

According to Thomas Nyarko Ampem, a transportation company was contracted to move 134,000 metric tons of maize and rice to farmers across the country at a contract sum of GHS 115.2 million. However, the company transported only 35,000 metric tons of the grains.

The Deputy Minister said the actual transportation cost for the quantity delivered should have been GHS 30.9 million. Despite this, the company was reportedly paid GHS 50 million in cash.

In addition to the cash payment, the transport company also received 7,311 metric tons of rice, equivalent to 14,622 bags of 50kg rice, valued at GHS 11.7 million, as compensation for work that was not carried out.

This brought the total payment to the transport company to GHS 61.7 million, significantly higher than the value of the services delivered.

The discrepancies form part of a broader report presented to Parliament, highlighting suspected abuses within Ghana’s public financial management system.

Fictitious Debt of GHS 89.4m Discovered in 1D1F Payments

By
Ivy Hollys
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Min

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem has revealed that auditors uncovered a fictitious debt of GHS 89.4 million linked to payments under the One District One Factory (1D1F) program.

Speaking during the 21st Sitting of the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on March 10, 2026, Thomas Nyarko Ampem explained that the alleged fictitious debt could have led to the wrongful disbursement of millions of cedis in public funds if auditors had not intervened.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry of Trade and Industry submitted a request in 2024 asking the Ministry of Finance to transfer GHS 89.4 million to five commercial banks.

The request, he said, was meant to cover the government’s contribution toward interest payments under the One District One Factory program. Although the Ministry of Finance processed the payment request and forwarded it to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, the payment instructions were still pending.

He explained that when auditors contacted the five commercial banks listed in the documents to confirm the government’s liability, all the banks denied owing the government any money under the arrangement.

The Deputy Minister said the responses from the banks confirmed that the GHS 89.4 million claim was a fictitious debt.

Without the audit intervention, Thomas Nyarko Ampem warned that the government could have mistakenly released the funds to settle what auditors described as a non-existent liability.

“Without the audit intervention, a whopping GHS 89.4 million of hard-earned public money could have been disbursed to settle this non-existent liability,” he stated.

Thomas Nyarko Ampem further expressed concern that similar fictitious debt claims may have cost the country significant amounts in the past.

“Only God knows how much of taxpayers’ money has been lost to similar fictitious claims,” he said. 

Following the discovery of the fictitious debt, Thomas Nyarko Ampem disclosed that the government plans to conduct a forensic audit into the One District One Factory program.

According to the minister, the move is necessary, especially since the government had reportedly spent GHS 391 million as its contribution toward interest subsidies under the 1D1F program by the end of 2024.

He emphasized that the planned forensic audit will help uncover any financial discrepancies and ensure greater accountability in the program.

Background on 1D1F Programme

The One District One Factory initiative was introduced to promote industrialization across Ghana by supporting the establishment of at least one factory in each district.

The program aims to boost local manufacturing, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth in rural and urban communities.

A/R: Recent power outages caused by a fault on the line connected to the ridge bulk supply point – ECG PRO

By
Ivy Hollys
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pro for ecg in ashanti region on recent power outages

According to the Public Relations Officer of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, recent power outages are the result of technical faults within the power distribution system.

Mr. Obeng Antwi clarified that one of the major outages recently was caused by a fault on a line connected to the Ridge Bulk Supply Point in Kumasi. According to him, a conductor on the line running from the Ridge Bulk Supply Point near the Georgia Hotel area to the Aduato Primary Substation was cut at the Bekwai Roundabout.

He explained that although the system normally operates with two lines so customers can be transferred to an alternative line when one develops a fault, in this case, it was not possible to transfer all customers because of the heavy electricity demand from critical facilities like the Ghana Water Limited installations at the Barekese and Owabi headworks, which require stable voltage to pump water to communities who are also along the line. 

“If we transfer all customers onto the other line, Ghana Water will have no voltage, and they will not be able to pump water,” he explained.

As a result, some communities had to remain without power temporarily.

Repairs required shutting down both lines

Mr. Obeng Antwi said that although engineers began repair work the following morning after the fault occurred, because the two lines run very close to each other and carry about 33,000 volts, the second line had to be switched off as a safety precaution while engineers repaired the damaged conductor.

Once both lines were off, the outage affected several communities, including Kwadaso, Techiman, Barekese, Asuofia, Kodie, Mankranso, Abuakwa, Maakro, Sepaase, and many others within the enclave. 

He said engineers have, however, later repaired the damaged conductor and restored the power supply to those areas. 

Mr. Obeng Antwi said ECG also dealt with another outage caused by a fault on an underground cable. He explained that, unlike overhead lines, underground cable faults are more difficult to detect because the damage cannot be seen physically.

But once identified, technicians excavate the area, remove the damaged section of cable, replace it with a new one, and reconnect the line before restoring power.

He said sometimes the excavation process can take time, especially when engineers encounter rocky ground or must work carefully to avoid damaging other cables buried underground.

Mr. Obeng Antwi emphasized that such technical challenges can lead to temporary outages but should not be mistaken for dumsor, since Ghana currently has enough power generation capacity to meet demand.

There are some faults in the system, but we are not in Dumsor—ECG

By
Ivy Hollys
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Obeng Antwi, pro for ECG; Ashanti Region on dumsor

According to the Public Relations Officer of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, dumsor is not back. He said, despite recent intermittent power outages experienced in parts of Kumasi and surrounding communities, the current outages are the result of technical faults within the power distribution system and should not be described as dumsor.

Speaking in an interview on Orange FM’s Orange Sunrise with host Alfa Ali, Mr. Obeng Antwi said customers should understand that the situation differs from the power crisis Ghana experienced about a decade ago.

According to Mr. Obeng Antwi, Dumsor happened when electricity generation could not meet national demand, forcing power providers to ration electricity supply.

He said power utilities had to deliberately switch off electricity in some areas and restore it later in others in order to share the limited power available.

Over the past 3 weeks, there have been intermittent power outages in many parts of Kumasi, with consumers raising concerns over the possible return of Dumsor. However, Mr. Obeng Antwi stressed that the current situation is different from Dumsor because the country has enough installed and available generation capacity.

According to him, there is enough installed and available capacity, although there are some bottlenecks within the system.

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