According to TV3 News, Mussa Dankwah, the Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, has suggested that it would benefit the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if their 2024 presidential candidate, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, chooses not to run in the 2028 elections.

He believes that the challenges surrounding Dr. Bawumia contributed significantly to the party’s unexpected loss in the recent elections, indicating a need for him to step aside for the party to rebuild effectively.

“It will be in the best interest of the NPP if Bawumia says I won’t run again on his own, not to be pushed. . if he does that NPP can begin to rebuild the party earlier without him. Because the problems he brings are systemic,” he stated.

According to the Electoral Commission’s results announced on December 9, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, John Dramani Mahama, secured 6,328,397 votes, accounting for 56.55% of the valid votes.

In contrast, Dr. Bawumia received 4,657,304 votes, or 41.61%.

During an appearance on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana program, Dankwah emphasized that it would be advantageous for Bawumia to voluntarily decide not to seek re-election.

He argued that this decision would allow the NPP to begin the rebuilding process without the systemic issues that he believes Bawumia brings.

In response to the election outcome, the NPP has announced plans to establish a committee in January 2025 to evaluate the party’s performance.

National Chairman Stephen Ayesu Ntim addressed the media at the party’s headquarters, expressing disappointment with the election results, which did not meet their expectations.

Ntim acknowledged the hard work of party members throughout the campaign and reaffirmed their commitment to the ideals of the NPP, despite the electoral setback.

He confirmed that the upcoming review committee would engage both party stakeholders and the public to analyze the factors contributing to their defeat.

Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku addressing the media

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on the government to honour its pledge to cocoa farmers and pay them 70% of the world market price for their produce.

This request follows promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2024 election campaign, in which they committed to providing cocoa farmers with a fairer share of the cocoa market price.

Speaking at a press conference, the Minority stressed the need for immediate action, emphasising that cocoa farmers’ expectations have been raised after the NDC’s consistent campaign message that farmers deserved a larger portion of the world market price.

During the election period, leading members of the NDC, including Eric Opoku, who is now the Minister for Agriculture, accused the previous government of underpaying farmers, stating that cocoa farmers were being shortchanged by the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

At the time, the world market price of cocoa had surged to $10,000 per ton, an amount equivalent to GH¢150,000 per ton at the exchange rate of GH¢15. However, the farmers were paid far less, with the Minority party arguing that they should have been paid GH¢6,250 per bag of 64 kilos, a two-thirds share of the world price.

Since then, the world price of cocoa has continued to climb, exceeding $11,000 per ton in early 2025, offering good news for the country’s cocoa farmers.

According to the Minority, the Minister for Agriculture, Eric Opoku, recently reiterated the government’s commitment to pay farmers 70% of the world market price, a move aimed at boosting farmer motivation, increasing production, and strengthening Ghana’s position as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer.

However, the Minority Caucus, led by Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, Member of Parliament for Offinso South, expressed concern that the government has not yet acted on this pledge.

Dr. Opoku reminded Ghanaians that the NDC made a clear promise to farmers during the election period, and they must now follow through.

“The time for action is now. With the price of cocoa on the rise, we demand that the government immediately review the producer price and pay farmers their rightful share of the world market price,” Dr. Opoku stated.

“Farmers have been waiting for a long time, and the government must not let their anxieties grow further,” he added.

According to the Minority, the world market price of cocoa has risen to GH¢170,500 per ton, which equates to GH¢7,495 per bag of 64 kilos.

They called for farmers to be paid at least this amount per bag, urging the government to swiftly implement the revised price.

The Minority pointed out that in the past, the government had reviewed the producer price during the crop year when market conditions warranted it, citing previous price revisions in 2023 and 2024.

Dr. Opoku also urged the government to remember its campaign promises to cocoa farmers and to make the necessary adjustments without further delay.

“We believe that the new price should be no less than GH¢7,400 per bag, and this should be announced as soon as possible,” Dr. Opoku added.

By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House

The late Nana Ama Dapaah (L) is the mother of former President John Agyekum Kufuor (R)

The Kufuor family is undoubtedly one of the powerhouses in Ghana’s political landscape, having made significant contributions to the country’s democracy.

This influential family produced Ghana’s second President of the Fourth Republic, John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as other notable statesmen such as former Minister of Defence, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor.

But did you know that the driving force behind the Kufuor family was a powerful woman named Nana Ama Dapaah Kufuor, a respected queen mother?

Nana Ama Dapaah Kufuor was the mother of former President John Agyekum Kufuor. The late Ama Dapaah was a formidable woman, highly independent and wealthy individual who had ten children with four different men.

Speaking about his mother in an interview shared by The Asante Nation on Facebook, former President Kufuor revealed that his family’s strong political background was largely influenced by her.

He explained that his late mother married four powerful men, most of whom were involved in politics, which greatly shaped their upbringing.

“Our mother married four times. We learned from her; she was the biggest politician… She was an independent woman. She had her first children with her first husband. Her next husband was her distant relative, Baffour Osei Akoto, the founder of the National Liberation Movement (NLM). They had one child together.

“She left her second husband, and four years later, she married my father and gave birth to three boys in succession; myself, Addo Kufuor, and George Kufuor. She later left him as well. About four years after leaving my father, she married her last husband, Nana Fosu Diabuor, the Chief of Bechem in the Brong Ahafo Region,” he said.

The former president continued, “All these powerful men were married to this one woman. So can you imagine growing up with a mother who had children with a key figure in the United Party (UP) and another in the Convention People’s Party (CPP)? Your mind would be full of politics.”

Former President Kufuor emphasized that his mother was able to leave her marriages because she was financially independent.

“The reason she was independent was that she had everything including properties and all that but she was also naturally intelligent. So, if she was not happy with a man, she moved on. She had a lot of properties, including lands.”

He further stated that despite being a single mother to ten children, she ensured that they never lacked financially and provided them with the best education possible.

“I would be pretending if I said we had financial difficulties… She took me to boarding school at Achimota, then later to Bristol University in Britain.”

Interestingly, former President Kufuor disclosed that the name “Kufuor” came from his mother’s side, not his father’s.

He explained that his mother’s family insisted on adding “Kufuor” to their names so they would also receive recognition for raising them.

“My mother is the Kufuor, but we are matrilineal. Because it was her family stool that took care of all her children, they told us, ‘Your fathers love you, but the stool provides for you. So we won’t use our money to raise you, only for you to give all the glory to your father’s house.’

“My father was Nana Agyekum, and they said, ‘We are not asking you to remove your father’s name. But imagine, after sending you to Lincoln and Oxford University, and you later become president, all the recognition would go to the Agyekum name. You are John Agyekum, but Kufuor will be added to your name.’ That is what they did for all ten of us,” he disclosed.

Watch the interview below:

BAI/MA

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Media personality and lawyer, Samson Lardy Anyenini

Ghanaian media personality and lawyer, Samson Lardy Anyenini, has taken a swipe at the New Patriotic Party (NPP), over their recent complaints about governance.

In a post on his Facebook page, Anyenini highlighted what he sees as the irony of the NPP’s criticisms of President John Mahama’s administration, given their own track record in government.

“NPP, as they complain about wrongs, especially to Akufo-Addo regime appointees/recruitments, they are so terribly guilty of these and not fit to cast the first stone,” he wrote.

He further expressed frustration at how the NPP now claims to be victims of the same governance issues they were previously criticized for, adding, “So, your first reaction when you read and hear them each day cry foul over things they may have done worse, may be to shout, ‘shut up, hypocrites!’”

His post also pointed out the irony of the party’s attempt to rally media support on issues they once dismissed, stating, “It may sound funny as they court media attention and even worse, attempt, I don’t know, a stampede or ‘blackmail’ trying to accuse media houses or journalists of not doing enough about some matter or complaint.”

While acknowledging that some of the NPP’s concerns may be valid, Anyenini stressed that they should be judged by principles of justice and good governance rather than the party’s past behavior.

“Some of their complaints are genuine, but only if measured in the scales of justice, good conscience, and good governance – and not by their own standards while in government,” he noted.

Touching on the need to break Ghana’s cycle of political retaliation, he expressed hope that President Mahama’s measured approach to leadership could mark the beginning of meaningful change.

“Ghana’s progress should not be hindered by the flaws of the NPP or NDC, and the cycle of retaliation must end. President John Mahama appears naturally measured, and this could be the starting point for change, even if there’s no guarantee of reciprocity in the future, for God and Country,” he remarked.

Ending his post on an aspirational note, Anyenini envisioned a Ghana that rises above partisan politics and embraces justice and progress.

“I have a dream – I have a dream of a Ghana where the Black Star of Africa shines brightly, guided by the principles of justice, equality, progress, and all that is envisaged in the preamble of the Constitution and the directive principles of state policy,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, you can also watch the latest compilation of Twi news below: