The public war of words between Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene and veteran broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere has made for compelling social media fodder — but it is doing precious little for the people either of them claims to serve.
The clash ignited in late March 2026 after Adom-Otchere used his flagship ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme to criticise aspects of the ongoing Ashantifest celebrations and, more pointedly, to question whether Dr. Amoakohene’s doctorate was a medical qualification at all. The insinuation was clear: that the minister’s credentials were not what they appeared to be.
Amoakohene fired back with force. Across Facebook and a live address, the minister defended his record as a medical practitioner, catalogued his achievements as both doctor and politician, and turned the lens squarely on his critic — labelling Adom-Otchere a “dropout” and accusing him of belittling professionals trained at KNUST. The exchange quickly shed any pretence of policy debate and descended into the kind of personal point-scoring that Ghanaian political watchers know all too well.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a journalist scrutinising festival expenditure, a minister’s qualifications, or regional development priorities. And there is nothing wrong with a public official defending his record. Both have legitimate roles to play.
The problem is what this exchange became. What could have been a substantive conversation about whether Ashantifest represents value for public money, or how visibly Kumasi’s infrastructure has improved under the current NDC administration, collapsed into credential-shaming and competitive biography. The result is precisely the kind of political theatre that generates social media heat but resolves nothing — entertaining for a news cycle, damaging to public discourse.
The Ashanti Region does not have the luxury of its leaders’ attention being consumed by online feuds. Kumasi’s road and traffic challenges remain stubborn. Healthcare access across the region continues to fall short of what citizens need. Youth unemployment, agricultural development, and long-simmering chieftaincy tensions all demand sustained, focused governance — not viral clapbacks.
Ghana Builds A New Generation Of Science Journalists
Dr. Amoakohene is a relatively young NDC-appointed minister operating in historically NPP territory. That reality demands political shrewdness and a demonstrable record of delivery, not energy spent trading barbs on Facebook. His strongest argument against any critic is not a counter-insult — it is results on the ground.
Equally, a broadcaster of Adom-Otchere’s experience commands a platform capable of something more durable than personal provocation. Rigorous, evidence-based journalism — tracking project timelines, interrogating budgets, demanding measurable outcomes — holds power to account in ways that no viral exchange ever can.
The Questions That Actually Matter
Healthy tension between journalists and government officials is the lifeblood of accountability in a democracy. But that tension is only productive when trained on the right targets:
- Is Ashantifest generating genuine, long-term cultural and economic returns — or is it largely optics?
- How are the region’s infrastructure projects progressing, and at what cost to taxpayers?
- What measurable improvements can residents point to in healthcare, education, and economic opportunity?
These are the questions Ashanti residents deserve to see debated with seriousness and evidence. Instead, both men have spent credibility on a dispute that rallies partisan bases — NDC supporters cheering the minister’s defiance, some NPP-leaning voices backing the broadcaster’s scrutiny — without changing a single outcome for ordinary Ghanaians.
A Higher Standard
Critique is necessary. Petty online warfare almost never is.
Both Dr. Amoakohene and Paul Adom-Otchere are capable of better. The minister’s legacy will be written in roads built, hospitals strengthened, and a region developed — not in who landed the sharpest insult online. The broadcaster’s legacy rests on journalism that endures beyond the trending topic of the day.
Ghanaians, and the people of Ashanti in particular, are not well-served by another round of “he said, she said.” They are owed results, and the reasoned public debate that helps hold leaders accountable for delivering them.