Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have resumed formal dialogue with ECOWAS at a ministerial meeting in Dakar, where the two sides agreed to establish joint working groups to prepare a proposed cooperation agreement between ECOWAS and the Confederation of Sahel States. The groups will report their findings to ministers before a future meeting, whose date and venue remain to be determined. The talks follow earlier consultations in Bamako in May 2025 and come after the three countries announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2024, raising concerns about regional trade, mobility and security cooperation.

University of Cape Coast political science lecturer Jonathan Asante called for Ghana to reconsider how Electoral Commission commissioners are appointed, suggesting election or selection through the Public Services Commission. He criticized President John Mahama’s appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo as deputy chairperson, saying her perceived political exposure had created avoidable controversy and faulting the government for publicly describing the choice as an effort to balance partisan affiliations. NDC representative Hamza Suhuyini defended the appointment as carefully considered and based on Council of State advice, while NPP representative Kamal-Deen Abdulai argued it contradicted Mahama’s earlier position. Asante said concerns came from independent observers and other organizations as well as political critics, and noted that seeking the removal of commissioners through petitions would be difficult.

A Ghana Education Service regional committee recommended reposting Obuasi Senior High Technical School headmaster Abdulai Zakaria and other staff implicated in the August 5, 2026 riot, but GES headquarters has not made a final decision. The riot followed students' allegations of ritual activity after a claim that a fresh baby had been found near the school; students attacked Zakaria and damaged property, and police arrested six students. Separately, Zakaria has been suspended while allegations of sexual abuse of female students are investigated. GES official Dr Issahaque Munawaru said proven sexual misconduct would result in dismissal, and the committee also recommended disciplinary referrals, ending informal student groupings, and stronger confidential reporting channels for sexual harassment.

Ghana’s Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said Emelia Afi Agbenyo’s appointment as a deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission is consistent with the 1992 Constitution, while acknowledging that people may question it politically. Opposition figures have raised concerns about Agbenyo’s past National Democratic Congress activities, while government and party representatives have defended her suitability. Iddrisu called for legislation setting additional eligibility criteria for EC members to strengthen independence and public confidence, and said political activity while serving on the Commission would be unacceptable.

Ghana's Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, says the government plans to polygraph-test personnel assigned to sensitive security operations amid suspected information leaks that are undermining anti-drug investigations and international partners' confidence. Authorities are also reviewing procedures, improving supervision and training staff for more frequent rotation. The minister described informants demanding large payments, including one who reportedly sought $20 million, as an obstacle to investigations. Ghana has engaged foreign authorities on ongoing cases, with arrests linked to investigations involving France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia. About 84 people are in custody across various narcotics cases; the minister stressed that they are not all linked to the cocaine seizure in France.

Ghanaian police arrested five people suspected of belonging to an armed robbery syndicate accused of attacking residents in Wa West District and Wa Municipality, injuring victims with machetes and forcing them to reveal Mobile Money PINs. One suspect, Nasiru Abdul Rahman, died after sustaining injuries during the operation; police said the circumstances were unclear and an autopsy was planned. Investigators link the group to several robberies between March and August, with estimated losses of GH¢22,070 in cash and GH¢3,274 transferred from victims’ accounts. Two alleged associates remain at large, and police are examining seven recovered phones while urging residents to report suspicious activity.

Police arrested William Opoku, known as Father Blessing, in Ahwiaa near Tafo over alleged involvement in carjackings across Kumasi and the Ashanti Region. Police said he admitted taking part in several vehicle thefts and led investigators to a workshop where a stolen Toyota Corolla was recovered. They also linked him and alleged accomplices to an attack on a police officer in 2025 in which an AK-47 and ammunition were stolen. In a follow-up operation, police said suspects riding a motorbike attempted to flee and opened fire; Suley and Long Story were shot and later pronounced dead, while Bonkro escaped. Opoku remains in custody as police seek other suspects and try to recover stolen vehicles and weapons.

Ghana’s Interior Ministry has deployed armoured buses disguised as STC, VIP and OA commercial coaches to identify and arrest highway robbers, with the minister reporting that the operation has already resulted in arrests. At a town hall in Damongo, Roads Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza linked poor road conditions to robbery attacks and urged contractors who had abandoned Big Push projects to return to work. Regional leaders raised concerns about water, roads, a delayed hospital, district creation, a university and Gonja-language teachers. President John Mahama said the Damongo water project had reached procurement, announced plans for a science and technology university backed by a Chinese grant and a funding request to the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, and promised a 300-bed regional referral hospital.

After an attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso killed eight people and injured three, Ghana is strengthening security and protection for its citizens. Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi said forward operating bases at Jirapa and Hamile are ready to become operational, border surveillance has been intensified, and defence attachés will be deployed to six countries: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Israel, Iran and Libya. Ghana is also pursuing joint training with Burkina Faso and further training for selected security personnel, including in escort operations and intelligence. The measures are intended to protect Ghanaians at home and abroad and address risks to cross-border trade.

The government has pledged not to harm journalists, prevent others from harming them, punish attackers, and compensate journalists who are attacked while working. Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai said the commitments reflect the state’s constitutional duty and announced that the Attorney General’s Office is reviewing a High Court injunction barring journalist Innocent Appiah from publishing investigative findings. Ghana Journalists Association President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour condemned the ruling as unconstitutional and harmful to public-interest reporting, while National Media Commission Executive Secretary George Sarpong called it dangerous. President John Dramani Mahama reaffirmed support for press freedom, and Inspector-General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno promised stronger police protection and cooperation with journalists.