Ayariga’s call comes on the heels of a painful 1–0 defeat the Stars suffered at the hands of Colombia in their Round of 32 clash at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, USA, in the early hours of Saturday, July 4, 2026.

According to him, the call has become inevitable because “the team failed to demonstrate the determination, discipline, confidence and strong fighting spirit that have always defined the Black Stars.”

In a statement issued after the 1–0 loss to Colombia, he posited that the team’s performance did not reflect the known qualities of the Black Stars, as Ghana failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.

He described the situation as “a disappointing one for our nation,” saying the team looked flat, dull and uninspiring throughout the game.

“In my view, Colombia was not an unbeatable opponent. Our players struggled to impose themselves on the game and failed to play with the urgency expected at this level of competition,” he said.

He urged the players to keep their heads high, saying, “One result does not define your careers or your love for Ghana. Learn from this experience, work harder, and return stronger. The nation still believes in you.”

Turning to the bigger picture, he called on the technical team and other major stakeholders to let the setback — which has pained football lovers across the country and broken their hearts — serve as a lesson and a foundation for a stronger comeback.

His call for a reset, he said, “is an opportunity for the technical team, the players, and all stakeholders to reflect honestly, learn from the mistakes, and rebuild with renewed purpose and determination.”

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Mr. Aludiba, who is currently standing trial before the High Court on charges of stealing and causing financial loss to the Republic, was reportedly arrested while attempting to travel to the United Kingdom.

According to the Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, in a Facebook post on Sunday, the High Court had earlier granted Mr. Aludiba leave to travel to the UK for a few days.

However, Dr. Srem-Sai alleged that Mr. Aludiba’s arrest followed an attempt on Thursday to use false means to access funds in his frozen Republic Bank account.

The Deputy Attorney General further disclosed that the Attorney-General is expected to apply to the High Court on Monday for a review of the order that granted Mr. Aludiba permission to travel outside the country.

No official statement has yet been issued by the Ghana Police Service or the Office of the Attorney-General regarding the specific circumstances of the arrest.

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In a statement issued by the Service, preliminary investigations established that the victim was attacked by two armed men on a motorbike while riding home from work with a bag containing the GH¢140,000.00. The suspects allegedly opened fire on his vehicle, damaging the right rear tyre and the front windscreen, before making away with the cash.

However, as the suspects attempted to flee the scene, the complainant fired at them. One of the suspects died on the spot, while the other escaped on foot, abandoning the bag containing the stolen money, which police have since recovered. The complainant sustained no injuries during the incident, the statement noted.

A search of the deceased suspect led to the recovery of an AK-47 assault rifle, two magazines containing fifty-five (55) rounds of live ammunition, an additional eleven (11) rounds of live ammunition, GH¢3,000.00 in cash, a Samsung mobile phone, and an identification card bearing the name Innocent Elemuwa Akachukeu, 46. Investigators also retrieved five AK-47 spent shells and two pistol spent shells from the scene.

The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary for preservation, autopsy, and identification. The Regional Police Command has since taken over investigations, with efforts underway to arrest the fleeing accomplice.

The Accra Regional Police Command has reiterated its commitment to combating violent crime and is appealing to members of the public with information that could aid the arrest of the fugitive suspect to report to the nearest police station or contact police via the emergency lines 18555 or 191.

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The disclosure was made by the National Coordinator of GARID, Dr. Kwadwo Oheme Sarfo, during a national press briefing at the Jubilee House on the recent floods that affected seven regions, with Greater Accra, the Central and Volta regions recording the worst impact.

The revelation is expected to trigger questions over Ghana’s development approval regime, as filling stations are required to undergo environmental, spatial planning and other statutory approval processes before construction.

Presenting aerial footage captured during GARID’s assessment of waterways and wetlands, Dr. Sarfo pointed to the facility and said:

“The development that you see here is a filling station and it is sitting directly on the water body. Just a little channel has been allowed to pass under it to take the water. So when there’s going to be excess water, it will have to flow backwards and spill into the communities that are upstream.”

According to him, the filling station has constrained the natural flow of stormwater by leaving only a narrow passage beneath the structure for water to pass.

Dr. Sarfo explained that the obstruction forces excess runoff to reverse direction instead of flowing naturally downstream, increasing the likelihood of flooding in upstream communities during heavy rains.

He said the Oyarifa facility formed part of a broader pattern of developments that have encroached on waterways and wetlands across the capital.

Continuing his presentation, Dr. Sarfo stated:

“Here you can see that this is a retention area, a natural retention area, and people have built within it. Some of it you can see that they have, even though they’ve walled it, water is ponding inside the spaces that they have kept.”

He added that developers had adopted a common pattern of occupying wetlands.

“This property, there was a property there, a number of properties here, they are all… they fence it off, wait for dry season, then they build. They fence it off, wait for dry season, then they build. This is what’s going on in certain sections of Oyarifa.”

Dr. Sarfo stressed that the problem extends beyond the watercourse itself.

“So not just the water body, but the water body in combination with the wetlands that are associated with them.”

He warned that as natural wetlands and flood retention areas continue to disappear, floodwaters are left with little room to spread without affecting surrounding communities.

The GARID Coordinator maintained that the flooding witnessed in recent years is increasingly being driven by human activities that obstruct natural drainage systems.

“The whole society’s attitude and behaviour… is affecting everybody.”

The briefing formed part of government’s national update on the floods that recently affected seven regions, with Greater Accra, the Central Region and the Volta Region identified as the worst-hit areas.

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Briefing journalists at the Jubilee House, Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah, Director General of Joint Operations at the Ghana Armed Forces, said owners and occupiers of structures located within waterways, drainage reservations and other environmentally sensitive areas were being urged to cooperate with authorities to allow the exercise to proceed.

He said security agencies were being mobilised to augment ongoing operations across the affected regions, and that residents should expect temporary traffic diversions and restricted access in some areas while cleanup and engineering works are carried out.

“Residents are therefore urged to fully cooperate with personnel on the ground and to comply with all traffic management and safety instructions issued by the security agencies,” he said.

Seven regions affected

The floods affected seven regions nationwide, with Greater Accra, Central Region and Volta Region the worst hit — the latest episode in a flooding challenge officials say the country has struggled to contain for nine decades.

“Not an event, it’s a process”

Brig Gen Okae-Yebiah said an area reconnaissance had already been conducted on the ground in coordination with stakeholders, and that detailed planning was underway to clear debris and waterways across the affected regions.

“This is not an event, it’s a process,” he said, adding that the exercise would take time. He confirmed that structures obstructing waterways would be pulled down where necessary. “If we have to pull down structures that are obstructing our waterways, we’ll do so,” he said — a directive a member of his team characterised as one that would proceed “without let or hindrance.”

Asked by journalist Emmanuel Mutete whether a timeline had been set for completing the nationwide cleanup, officials reiterated that the exercise was a continuing process rather than a fixed-deadline event, though clearing work was said to be starting immediately.

Legal and humane conduct assured

The government said it remained committed to ensuring that all actions taken during the exercise are carried out professionally, humanely and in accordance with Ghana’s laws.

Members of the public were further encouraged to support the operation by keeping drains free of refuse, avoiding indiscriminate dumping of waste, reporting blocked drains, damaged bridges and dangerous structures to the appropriate authorities, observing public health advisories issued by the Ghana Health Service, and cooperating fully with officials conducting the exercise.

Part of a broader resilience strategy

Officials said the cleanup forms part of a broader national flood resilience strategy already under implementation, aimed at improving drainage infrastructure, strengthening early warning systems, enforcing planning and environmental regulations, and enhancing emergency preparedness nationwide.

“The success of this exercise depends on the collective efforts of government, local authorities, the security services, the private sector, civil society organisations, and every citizen,” Brig Gen Okae-Yebiah said. “It is through this shared effort that we will restore our communities, protect lives, and build a cleaner, safer, and more resilient Ghana.”

On behalf of the subcommittees now at work on the response, he assured President through the Office of the Chief of Staff — who is leading the mitigation effort — that officials “shall not leave any stone unturned.” He said the Emergency Communications Committee would provide regular, sustained public briefings as the operation continues.

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Speaking at a news conference at the Jubilee House on the national flood situation, GARID Coordinator Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo, said an assembly-by-assembly analysis of short stretches of drainage across the affected areas had counted 10,497 structures built within buffer zones the law requires to be kept free of development.

“We have lost around 16% of the land [in these buffer zones], and thereby leading to the situation as we face it,” Dr. Sarfo told reporters, presenting satellite imagery and drone footage spanning more than two decades to illustrate the scale of encroachment on wetlands, streams and storm drains.

Worst-hit regions

The floods have struck roughly seven regions nationwide, with Greater Accra, Central Region and Volta Region bearing the brunt of the damage, according to the briefing.

A river reduced to a tenth of its width

Dr. Sarfo cited the Corridor Stream, which feeds into the Chippago, as a stark illustration of the decline. At a fixed monitoring point, the watercourse measured 261 metres wide in 2002. By 2013 it had narrowed to 211 metres; by 2022, to just 19 metres; and by 2026, to 10.6 metres.

“In a space of less than 25 years, we have reduced almost to 100% the size of the flow — until when it rains and people are complaining that it’s flooding,” he said.

Wetlands lost to development

The presentation traced similar losses across multiple catchments. In the Nensu Weja Basin, roughly half the Tetegu Wetlands have been developed since 2010, while in the Lafa Basin’s Malam Market section, more than half the wetland has been taken up by development over the same period. Around the Pambrose salt pans, large sections have been filled with solid waste, capped with laterite and built upon. At the Tessa Dam on the East Legon Boundary Road, more than 50% of the catchment has been lost since 2008, and the Sacramento Basin has seen more than half its site lost to development since 2011. The Sakumono Ramsar site, meanwhile, once extended as far as Community 12 in the mid-1980s, but has since shrunk considerably as Communities 12 and 6, parts of 5 and 3, and Klagon were built over.

Dr. Sarfo said the pattern of encroachment typically begins with developers importing fill material during the dry season, then constructing buildings once the land is raised — often forcing watercourses to meander or bend at sharp angles around new buildings rather than follow their natural course.

Structures on the rise, assembly by assembly

GARID’s assembly-level counts showed sharp increases in structures within buffer zones between 2022 and 2026. Ablekuma West rose from 904 structures to 1,293, while Ga North climbed from 1,049 to 1,261. Okaikwei North increased from 596 to 729, and Ga South from 746 to 801.

Weija-Gbawe grew from 462 to 511 structures, and Ledzokuku from 544 to 638. La Dade Kotopon nearly rose from 207 to 295, while Ga West increased from 456 to 559. Ashaiman East saw a sharper jump, from 337 to 494, and Ga East rose more modestly, from 693 to 711. Ashaiman Central moved from 793 to 801 structures, Krowor from 171 to 214, and Korle Klottey from 178 to 186.

Dr. Sarfo noted that in one location, Abokobi Central, only six structures were recorded in the surveyed stretch, with no new development since — an exception he described as “an isolated case,” largely because most other areas are already fully built up, leaving little room for further construction.

Compounding the crisis: blocked access for dredging

Video evidence shown at the briefing depicted construction directly to the water’s edge in several catchments, which officials said now prevents assemblies from bringing in equipment to dredge silted channels — undermining flood mitigation efforts even where the institutional capacity exists.

Footage also showed trucks dumping solid waste into wetland areas as recently as early June, land that is subsequently capped with laterite and sold off, according to the presentation.

Dr. Sarfo said the erosion of topsoil on the Akwapim range, where many of the region’s water bodies originate, has intensified siltation downstream, further raising flood risk in low-lying parts of the city.

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The Board announced yesterday that the latest disbursement is intended to ensure that farmers receive payments for cocoa supplied during the ongoing 2025/26 crop season, while also clearing outstanding arrears owed by some Licensed Buying Companies.

According to COCOBOD, it has so far disbursed GH¢34.52 billion to Licensed Buying Companies since the commencement of the 2025/26 crop season for the purchase of cocoa from farmers.

Out of the GH¢2.6 billion released, approximately GH¢1.4 billion has been earmarked to settle the remaining balances owed to farmers whose cocoa was taken on credit by Licensed Buying Companies.

The Board said it is collaborating closely with the buying companies to ensure that all affected farmers receive the monies due them without further delay.

To guarantee transparency and accountability, COCOBOD noted that it has instituted monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the funds are paid directly to the farmers who are owed.

The Board acknowledged the patience and resilience demonstrated by cocoa farmers during the period of delayed payments and assured them that every farmer who legitimately sold cocoa through the approved purchasing system would receive full payment.

“COCOBOD wishes to assure all cocoa farmers that no farmer will be denied payment for cocoa legitimately sold through the approved cocoa purchasing system,” the statement stressed.

The Board further encouraged farmers with outstanding payments to contact the Licensed Buying Company through which they sold their cocoa to facilitate the settlement process, adding that it would continue working with all stakeholders until every outstanding obligation is cleared.

According to COCOBOD, the latest release of funds demonstrates government’s commitment to protecting the welfare of cocoa farmers while preserving the integrity of Ghana’s cocoa industry.

It reiterated its commitment to safeguarding farmers’ interests and ensuring that they receive the full benefits of their labour.

COCOBOD also expressed appreciation to cocoa farmers for their continued dedication and invaluable contribution to Ghana’s economy, pledging to work with government and industry stakeholders to strengthen the cocoa value chain, improve farmer welfare and promote the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa sector.

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Cromwell, the fourth prosecution witness (PW4) in the ongoing GHS49.1 million cyber security procurement trial, testified before the High Court in Accra on Wednesday, presided over by Justice Francis Abangabuna Achibonga.

According to the witness, salary records obtained from the National Security Council showed that Adu Boahene earned an average monthly salary of GHS5,000 in 2017, GHS6,000 in 2018, and GHS7,000 in 2019.

Comparing those earnings with the assets identified during investigations, Cromwell said EOCO found it “strange” that Adu Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, jointly owned numerous properties.

“In the course of our investigations, we identified 11 properties belonging to them. Comparing these properties with A1’s salary from 2017 to 2020, we found it strange that A1 and A2 owned these properties,” he told the court.

The investigator further testified that investigations into Angela Adjei Boateng’s employment history showed she had only undertaken National Service between 2012 and 2013 before joining Advantage Solutions in 2018.

“Apart from being a director of Advantage Solutions, she was also a director of companies belonging to herself and A1. On record, there was no other employment history for A2,” Cromwell said.

He added that EOCO was unable to establish any legitimate link between the couple’s declared income and the wealth they had accumulated.

Led in evidence by Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai, Cromwell identified court-approved freezing orders covering properties allegedly owned by the accused.

The orders, issued by EOCO in April 2025, covered seven properties at Mayfair Gardens Estate, a 27-unit apartment development at Oyarifa known as Belsize Park, and another property at Dorchester Heights in Asokore Mampong.

The witness said intelligence gathered by EOCO led investigators to the properties.

During a search conducted on March 21, 2025, in the presence of the accused and their lawyers, investigators confirmed the ownership of seven properties at Mayfair Gardens Estate.

EOCO subsequently obtained payment receipts from the estate’s management, which, according to Cromwell, showed that one payment of GHS1.566 million made in April 2020 corresponded with funds traced from BNC Communications Bureau Ltd through Advantage Solutions to the estate.

He added that investigators also established that subsequent property payments were made through Advantage Solutions and Vertex Solutions, companies allegedly linked to the accused.

Cromwell testified that within two months of the first deposits into the BNC Communications Bureau Ltd account in 2020, UMB Bank filed a Suspicious Transaction Report after detecting irregularities.

He further told the court that in March 2023, Adu Boahene and his wife instructed the bank to close the account and transfer the remaining balance to an Advantage Solutions account.

The witness also tendered a letter from the Ghana Audit Service dated May 2, 2025, which he said indicated that Adu Boahene had not declared his assets to the Auditor General.

On the issue of the cyber defence system at the centre of the case, Cromwell said EOCO’s investigations found no evidence that the National Signals Bureau had received the system Adu Boahene claimed was procured from ISC Holdings.

He also referred to an inventory submitted by the NSB to the Attorney-General, which, according to him, did not include the alleged cyber defence system.

The witness told the court that although approximately GHS9 million was transferred to ISC Holdings, the remaining funds from the GHS49.1 million were transferred to companies allegedly linked to the accused, including Advantage Solutions.

He further referred to a memorandum submitted by Adu Boahene through his lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, in which the accused sought to explain how the GHS49.1 million had been utilised, listing expenditures such as “special operations,” Members of Parliament allowances and “stability of the nation.”

However, Cromwell told the court that EOCO’s investigations did not support those explanations.

According to him, investigators found that much of the remaining funds were channelled to companies associated with the accused, while some monies were allegedly withdrawn and used for private projects, including the Dorchester property development.

“Our conclusion was that those special operations listed by A1 as expenditure were not supported by our findings,” Cromwell told the court.

The trial continues.

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For a community still struggling to recover from one of the worst flood disasters in its history, the forecast has more or less rekindled painful memories and heightened fears that the nightmare could be repeated.
Although floodwaters have begun receding, allowing some displaced families to return to what remains of their homes, many say the prospect of three consecutive days of rainfall has left them living in fear.

The recent floods submerged more than 200 houses across Aboi, Cocoase, Popolozzo, Nsuo Akyir and Roman Hill, while at least 26 buildings collapsed under the force of the raging waters. Thousands of residents were displaced, with many forced to seek refuge in schools and churches after fleeing with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

The disaster also claimed a life and destroyed household property, food supplies and livelihoods, leaving many families dependent on relief assistance.

For residents now attempting to rebuild their lives, the latest weather forecast is more than just a prediction—it is a reminder of the trauma they have endured.

Many fear that weakened buildings damaged by the previous floods may not withstand another prolonged downpour, while others worry that homes still surrounded by water could once again be inundated if rainfall intensifies.

The anxiety has been heightened by warnings from environmental experts and local authorities that years of illegal mining, construction in waterways and poor waste disposal have significantly increased the community’s vulnerability to flooding.

Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson recently attributed the disaster to environmental degradation caused by illegal mining, encroachment on waterways and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, calling for urgent and long-term measures to address the root causes of the flooding.

Emergency response agencies are expected to remain on high alert as residents hope the forecast rainfall will not trigger another disaster. Community leaders are urging families living in flood-prone areas to remain vigilant and to heed any safety advisories issued by the authorities more especially NADMO.

For the people of Samreboi, however, the approaching clouds represent more than another spell of rain. They symbolize uncertainty, fear and the painful possibility of reliving a tragedy from which many have yet to recover.

As the skies darken once again this Thursday morning over both the mining and coastal communities, thousands of residents can only hope that this time, nature will be kinder.

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Bashiru Isak was shot dead in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Monday during demonstrations tied to the nationwide anti-immigrant campaign that came to a head on June 30 — the deadline set by protest groups for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued Wednesday, called the killing “a senseless act of violence” and pointed to what it described as a rising tide of xenophobia targeting African nationals in South Africa.

Diplomatic response already in motion

The Ghana High Commission in Pretoria has registered a formal protest with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation and filed a criminal complaint with the South African Police Service.

Isak’s identity has been confirmed, his family notified, and an autopsy has been carried out at Ghana’s request. The Foreign Ministry says it is now arranging repatriation of his body for burial in Ghana.

Accra is pressing for “a full, transparent and expedited investigation” leading to arrests and prosecution, and is calling on South African authorities to step up protection for Ghanaians still in high-risk areas.

The ministry has also renewed a standing petition before the African Union Commission on xenophobic violence against African nationals in South Africa, urging the AU to take it up at its next statutory meeting.

Part of a wider exodus

Isak’s death is the latest confirmed fatality in weeks of unrest that has already claimed lives from several African countries. Reporting from Al Jazeera indicates at least two Mozambicans, an Ethiopian and a Malawian had been killed in anti-immigrant violence in the lead-up to June 30.

The violence has been driven largely by the “March and March” movement, which issued an ultimatum for undocumented migrants to leave the country or face consequences, though the demand carries no legal basis.

The scale of displacement has been substantial. South Africa processed more than 15,000 Malawian nationals for deportation or voluntary repatriation through the Beitbridge border post — the largest single-nationality exodus since the 2008 pogrom, while Mozambique confirmed nine of its nationals had been killed.

Ghana is one of several African governments that responded by flying citizens home rather than waiting for the situation to stabilise — a pattern also seen with Malawi and Zimbabwe, whose nationals have camped outside embassies and consulates seeking evacuation.

A recurring pattern

South Africa has a documented history of cyclical xenophobic violence, including deadly riots in 2008, 2015, 2016 and 2019. Researchers at Wits University’s African Center for Migration and Society have documented over 1,300 Afrophobic incidents, at least 690 deaths, and roughly 128,000 displacements between 1994 and 2026.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly rejected the protest groups’ threats and warned against vigilantism, though critics — including Human Rights Watch — have said the police response to earlier attacks this year was inadequate.

Ghana’s emergency contact lines for citizens remaining in South Africa were reiterated in Wednesday’s statement, alongside advice to avoid high-risk areas and remain vigilant.

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