Category: News

President John Dramani Mahama has directed that boards of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and other public institutions should immediately stop undertaking international travel for training programmes, conferences, retreats, and study tours at the expense of the state.

The directive was contained in a letter issued by the Office of the President dated March 5, and addressed to all sector ministers supervising SOEs and public institutions.

According to the Presidency, the decision follows increasing concern about the increasing number of international trips undertaken by boards of public institutions and the rising costs associated with such travels.

President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghanaians to invest more in empowering women, noting that expanding opportunities and resources for women will drive broader national development.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, March 8, to mark International Women’s Day 2026, the President stated that the nation stands to benefit greatly when women receive the support needed to succeed.

He explained that empowering women consistently produces effects that extend beyond individual achievement, often bringing positive change to families and entire communities.

President John Dramani Mahama has imposed an immediate ban on international travel by boards of state-owned enterprises and public institutions for training, conferences, retreats and study tours funded at taxpayer expense, citing mounting alarm over the escalating cost of such trips.

The directive, issued from the Jubilee House on March 5 and signed by Secretary to the President Callistus Mahama, follows what the presidency described as a troubling pattern of overseas travel by board members that had placed significant strain on the public purse. The instruction applies to all state-owned enterprises and public institutions, bringing an abrupt halt to a practice the government said had grown both in frequency and expense.

“It has come to the attention of the President that some Boards of State-Owned Enterprises and other public institutions have increasingly undertaken international travel for training programmes, retreats, conferences, and study tours,” the directive stated.

Major transformer upgrade underway as ECG moves to stabilise Power in Adenta

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has rejected a proposal by the Constitution Review Committee to make the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) an independent body separate from the Ministry of Finance.

The association said the department was an implementing arm of the Finance Ministry and should remain under its administrative oversight to ensure effective coordination in public financial management.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo, said the CAGD played a central role in executing government accounting functions, controlling payments and managing treasury operations on behalf of the Finance Ministry.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has formally requested the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to conduct an independent random test of its meters in both laboratory and field settings, following mounting concerns from prepaid customers about the accuracy of the company’s billing systems.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the power distribution utility acknowledged the anxieties expressed by some consumers while defending the integrity of its metering infrastructure.

“All electricity meters deployed by ECG undergo rigorous testing and calibration to ensure their accuracy. Our quality assurance processes are aligned with both national and international standards,” the statement signed by William Boateng, Director of Communications, read.

No Ghanaian has been killed or injured in the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has assured.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, Mr Ablakwa said he had convened a virtual meeting with Ghana’s Ambassadors and Consuls-General in the Middle East to review the situation and strengthen protective measures for Ghanaian nationals in the region.

“I am glad to report that so far no Ghanaian has been killed or injured,” he stated.