Former US attorney general Pam Bondi defends her handling of Epstein files in congressional probe

October 12, 2026

• Ghana's Interior Minister disclosed that 84 people are in custody facing narcotics charges.
• Approximately 73 suspected assets linked to individuals under investigation have been frozen.
• The judiciary and Attorney-General's Department are supporting reforms, including dedicated courts for narcotics cases.
• The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has been granted direct prosecutorial powers, allowing its officers to handle cases.
• A new approach to asset recovery involves identifying and securing suspected proceeds of crime earlier in investigations, with assets transferable to the state upon conviction.

October 12, 2026

• Cocoa farmers and traditional leaders in the Ashanti Region expressed satisfaction with the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), following engagements with COCOBOD.
• Participants acknowledged the rationale behind the new cocoa producer price, despite initial expectations for a higher amount, after receiving explanations on the determination process.
• They called for sustained public education on the new Act, particularly provisions protecting farmlands from illegal mining and unauthorized sand winning, and urged depoliticization of cocoa issues.
• Farmers requested improvements in the free distribution of agricultural inputs, speedy implementation of the Farmer Pension Scheme, and transparency in the cocoa tertiary education scholarship scheme.
• COCOBOD committed to continuous dialogue and stakeholder participation, with further engagements planned on input distribution and disease control, and will submit farmer concerns to management.

October 12, 2026

• The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is reviewing how research and evidence are used to guide national development planning and policy in Ghana.
• Preliminary findings from a study by Mettalytics and the University of Cape Coast (UCC) indicate challenges in effectively integrating available evidence into the planning process.
• Prof. William Cantah of UCC highlighted that the main issue is not evidence availability, but rather its movement and influence within the planning process.
• Key factors affecting evidence use include institutional arrangements, political priorities, timing, access to decision-makers, relationships, ownership, and technical capacity.
• The NDPC Director-General, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, welcomed the findings and stressed the importance of clearly defining the study's scope for proper application in Ghana's planning process.