In this opinion piece, I engage with some key issues that stem from the revelations in the press briefings by the ministers of the Interior and Defence.

This first part addresses why the (alleged) problems are important, and I do so by placing them within a broader context of Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) and providing examples to back my observations and claims.

To begin my piece, I  provide an introduction and context. This section is followed by a long engagement with the alleged scandal around recruitment into the security services and what that means for trust and confidence in the sector. I end this part one with some pointers to what one must expect in part two. 

The Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr (Med) Paa Kwesi Baidoo, has appealed to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for support towards the hospital’s retooling.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said the dispute between Azuma Resources and Engineers and Planners (E&P) mining companies has been resolved, following his directive.

Hugh Clement A. Brown, the acting Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, has filed a defamation suit against Kwame Baffoe widely known as Abronye DC, a prominent opposition figure and Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, seeking GH¢20 million in damages.

A total of 202 Ghanaian nationals who fell victim to human trafficking and a scam syndicate operating in Nigeria have been rescued and repatriated, according to Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, July 23, the Minister revealed that the victims were linked to operations believed to be run by the Q-Net group, a notorious recruitment and trafficking network.

Samuel Gyamfi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, has initiated legal proceedings against media personality Valentina Nana Acyeiwaa, known as Afia Schwarzenegger, at the Accra High Court.

The Supreme Court has quashed the order directed at the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi to restore Nii Tackie Adama Latse II onto the national register of chiefs as the Ga Mantse.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced a series of planned maintenance exercises scheduled for Thursday, July 24, 2025, across several regions in the country, with power expected to be interrupted in dozens of communities.

Iddrissu Ibrahim, a final-year student of the TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School in Wa, was stabbed last night by a fellow student.

A Chinese woman identified as Mrs Jiang was shocked to find little chicks around her home when she returned from a trip. 

Mrs Jiang bought three cartons of eggs before heading out for a short trip. Two days later, she returned to high-pitched chirping and fluffy yellow chicks across the floor.  

Ghana's mining sector generated US$7.1 billion in mineral revenue, with US$4.9 billion returned to the country through the Bank of Ghana and commercial banks, according to the Ghana Chamber of Mines.

Ghana recorded a total of 7,289 road crashes and 1,504 fatalities between January and June 2025, according to provisional data released by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in collaboration with the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD).

The report further indicates that 12,354 vehicles were involved in various accidents during the six-month period, resulting in injuries to 8,300 individuals.

The government is set to deploy 530 newly trained Blue Water Guards this week as part of a nationwide effort to tackle illegal mining and help restore Ghana’s polluted rivers. The deployment, scheduled for Friday, July 25, 2025, will bring the total number of trained personnel under the initiative to over 1,000.

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) says it is preparing to launch targeted intelligence-led operations in the Volta Region to help dismantle cannabis farms where schoolchildren are reportedly being used as labourers.

Naa Abdul-Malik Azenbe, the Kusasi Chief in the Ashanti Region has been shot dead by unknown assailants at Asawase, a Kumasi suburb.

Former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, who has been accused of using his position to conspire with others to extort GH₵280.51 million from oil marketing companies, has pleaded not guilty to charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Ghana needs a legally binding national development plan to break the cycle of abandoned projects and ensure sustainable development. 

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has taken note of a publication on the front page of the Daily Graphic dated Wednesday, July 16, 2025, and similar reports circulating on online platforms, including Graphic Online, purporting that COA 72 is undergoing clinical trials as an anti-HIV drug with approval from FDA Ghana.

All is set for the 2025 edition of the Insurance Fair on Thursday at the Accra Mall meant to create awareness and bolster the country’s insurance sector.

Ablekuma North has brought into sharp focus the menace of woman beaters, who in their youth specialized in picking quarrels with girls. 

The Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, Patricia Appiagyei, has rejected a nomination to replace Alexander Afenyo-Markin as part of Ghana’s reconstituted delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament.

The Police on Monday thwarted what was a suspected planned armed robbery, which had targeted a foreign national in Accra.

The police response resulted in the death of two suspects and injury to a police officer. 

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has issued a new directive to all players in the shipping industry, mandating the adoption of transparent and market-reflective exchange rates in their pricing models. 

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced that several communities across its Tema, Greater Accra, and Volta regions will experience temporary power outages on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, due to planned maintenance works.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine has discontinued the criminal case against founder of the defunct UniBank, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, and seven others.

This according to the Attorney-General was coming after the State recovered over 60 percent of the funds allegedly lost through the collapse of UniBank Ghana Limited.