GHANAIAN ELDER URGES YOUTH TO RECLAIM COUNTRY Ghana's young people must urgently step up and reclaim the country by any means necessary. That's this 70-year-old unnamed Ghanaian man's passionate message during recent protests against illegal mining in the gold-rich West African nation. Government officials, politicians and party financiers have been implicated in illegal small-scale gold mining - known as 'galamsey.' The term comes from the phrase "gather them and sell." Galamsey has been blamed for the destruction of Ghana's forests, farmlands and water system. On becoming President in 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo established the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, chaired by the environment minister. However, the problem has persisted, with warnings from authorities that the country may have to import water by 2030. Major rivers - such as the Pra, Ankobra, Oti, Offin and Birim - have all been contaminated by illegal mines, leading to an increase in kidney failure, cancer and birth defects. Perhaps Ghana’s next generation should take inspiration from Kenya’s Gen Z, whose defiant protest scuppered IMF-backed tax hikes. Video credit: @Starr 103.5 FM

'ITALIAN LEATHER'? NO, IT'S NIGERIAN! Africans have denounced Western luxury fashion brands for exploiting the continent's resources, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, having not provided returns and credited the respective communities. Isa, a Hausa man residing in New York, took to TikTok to pat his lawyer sister's back for taking luxury fashion brands to court on behalf of the Nigerian leather manufacturers producing leather for them. Instead of getting credit, the final products using their leather were marketed abroad as 'Italian Leather.' After winning the case, fashion houses, rather than stamping their leather goods with ‘Nigerian leather,’ began using ‘Genuine Leather.’ Many brands have drawn inspiration from African cultures, using traditional patterns and designs in their collections without proper attribution or compensation. Other top brands, such as Gucci, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, also have been called out. Credit: @isa_bako (TikTok)