Ashanti Regional Minister accused of making sexual advances towards NPP’s Akosua Manu
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has found himself at the center of a growing controversy following a heated social media exchange with former Adentan New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate and former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Akosua Manu, popularly known as Kozie.
The incident, which has generated widespread debate across social media and political circles, has drawn condemnation from gender advocacy organizations, including the Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED), which has accused the Minister of making sexually suggestive remarks toward the opposition politician.
The controversy reportedly began after Dr. Amoakohene shared a satirical image on Facebook depicting former Vice President and NPP 2028 presidential hopeful, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, wearing diapers.
The post quickly attracted reactions from supporters and critics of both the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition NPP.
Among those who commented was Akosua Manu, a former parliamentary candidate for Adentan and one of the NPP’s vocal communicators.
According to reports, she challenged the Minister’s post and urged him to show respect to Dr. Bawumia and the office he previously occupied as Vice President of Ghana.
The online exchange subsequently escalated, with screenshots circulating on social media showing comments attributed to the Minister, including the Twi phrase, “Akosua Kumaa, wokɔn dɔ anaa? You want to have a taste of it?”
Critics interpreted the remark as carrying sexual undertones and accused the Minister of engaging in inappropriate conduct toward a female political opponent.
The remarks triggered strong backlash from several social media users and civil society organizations. Leading the criticism was GenCED, which described the comments as “deeply offensive, unacceptable, and incompatible with democratic standards.”
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Esther Tawiah, the organization argued that women in politics continue to face unique forms of harassment, including sexist attacks, intimidation, online abuse, and attempts to undermine their participation in democratic discourse.
According to GenCED, Akosua Manu had become the latest victim of gender-based attacks directed at women who actively participate in political debates.
The organization maintained that public officials have a responsibility to uphold civility and avoid language that could be interpreted as demeaning or sexualizing political opponents.
“Women in politics already face discrimination, intimidation, online abuse, sexist stereotypes, character attacks, and threats to personal safety,” the group stated, while calling for greater respect in public discourse.
The organization further urged political parties to enforce internal disciplinary standards and appealed for a public apology and retraction of any comments deemed offensive.
However, Dr. Amoakohene has strongly rejected the interpretation that his remarks amounted to a sexual proposition.
Responding to the controversy on social media, the Minister defended himself and insisted that critics had deliberately misrepresented his comments.
He argued that the expression being cited was being misunderstood and taken out of its intended context.
In a Facebook response referenced by several media reports, Dr. Amoakohene wrote: “Type ‘Akosua Kumaa’ in AI for the meaning. Akosua Manu is my close sister,” suggesting that the phrase had a different cultural and linguistic meaning from the one being attributed to it by critics.
The Minister’s defense has, however, done little to calm the debate, with critics maintaining that public officials must exercise greater caution in their choice of words, particularly when engaging female political actors on public platforms.
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