News
Armed robbers attack traders at Paga border
Six armed robbers on Tuesday attacked and robbed some black market exchange traders of their monies at Paga border in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region.
The incident started at about 9 am, near Dakola at the Burkina Faso side of the border where some of the black market exchange traders transact their businesses.
The Ghanaian Times gathered that the six robbers who were armed with guns came to the robbery scene with three motorbikes, and robbed the traders who had just begun their businesses in the main market in the morning.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times, some eyewitnesses said some of the robbers blocked both sides of the ECOWAS road amidst sporadic gun shots, whilst others also moved to stalls, threatening the traders with the guns to give up their monies to them or face the consequences.
Some of the traders who managed to escape to the border site of Ghana informed personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority stationed at the Paga border town of Ghana who proceeded to the robbery scene and exchanged gun fire, forcing the armed robbers to retreat.
The border security personnel, however, called for reinforcement from the police and the military, chased the robbers and finally arrested two of them at Pindaa, whilst the rest escaped into the bush.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Kassena-Nankana, Mr Gerard Ataogye, who confirmed the story to the Ghanaian Times said, he was informed by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service about the incident.
He said the two arrested robbers are foreigners from neigbouring Burkina Faso and have since been handed over to the law enforcement agencies in Burkina Faso.
Mr Ataogye said the security agencies in Ghana were in talks with their counterparts in Burkina Faso to see how they could apprehend the rest of the perpetrators who escaped to deal with them
The DCE lauded the efforts of the Ghanaian security agencies for their timely intervention and entreated the residents of the area, particularly traders, to immediately report to the security agencies any suspicious criminal.
Meanwhile, some of the residents who spoke to the Ghanaian Times said it was not the first time such an incident had happened and called on the security agencies to be extra vigilant.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, PAGA
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
