News
DR Congo president’s top aide jailed for corruption
A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has found President Felix Tshisekedi’s chief of staff guilty of corruption.
Vital Kamerhe was sentenced to 20 years’ hard labour on Saturday, after facing charges of embezzling almost $50m (£39m) of public funds.
Kamerhe’s supporters say the trial is a political move designed to prevent him from standing for president.
The judge presiding over the case was murdered in May.
Kamerhe, who was also a key ally of a former president, is the most high-profile figure to be convicted of corruption in the DRC.
He was convicted by a court in the capital Kinshasa on Saturday.
Much of the missing funds were intended to be used in a housing project announced by the president following his inauguration.
Lebanese businessman Jammal Samih was also sentenced to 20 years’ hard labour in the same trial, while a third man in charge of logistics at the presidential office faces two years in prison.
Kamerhe will also be banned for running for the presidency for 10 years after completing his sentence.
His lawyers have said they will appeal, arguing that hard labour is prohibited by the DRC’s constitution, according to AFP news agency.
Anti-corruption activists have praised the verdict.
“I sincerely think that this is a positive sign for the fight against corruption,” Florimond Muteba of Congolese transparency organisation, the Observatory of Public Expenditure, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
The trial continued with a replacement judge after the death of Judge Raphael Yanyi in May. An initial police report said he had died of a heart attack.
But a post-mortem examination later found Yanyi “died a violent death, due to the blows of sharp points or knife-like objects, which were thrust into his head”, the country’s justice minister said. -AFP/Reuters
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.
