Once every four years players from across the globe get a chance to perform on the world stage and force their way into the football zeitgeist.
Whether it is a young midfielder from Ghana who has been battling injuries the past couple of seasons, or a mercurial Dutch forward trying to push his way out of the Eredivisie, it is the perfect launchpad to alter the course of a player’s career.
Stats Perform has identified four players who have lit up Qatar and, in turn, have seen their profile and transfer stock skyrocket, opening the door to a new world of possibilities come the January transfer window.
Take a look at these young leading lights…
Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands
Cody Gakpo has perhaps been the breakout star of the tournament, finding the back of the net in all three of the Netherlands’ group matches.
Having spent his entire career with PSV, the 23-year-old six-foot-four forward took a huge step forward in the 2021-22 season when he shattered his best goal return, following up his 11 goals in the 2020-21 campaign with 21 last time out.
While those in the Netherlands set-up were waiting to see if he could replicate his terrific 12 months, he has taken another leap, with 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 combined Eredivisie and Europa League contests this term.
There were rumours in the most recent transfer window that Leeds United were among the clubs looking to lure Gakpo away from PSV for a fee in the range of €30million, but he opted to reject their contract offer in the hope of landing at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
That bet on himself has proven to be a masterstroke, with his performances on the Qatar stage well and truly putting him on the radar of Champions League sides including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, per Dutch journalist Marco Timmer.
He became the first player from any European nation since 2002 to score in each group match, while he also became only the second player to put his side 1-0 up in all three group fixtures.
Enzo Fernandez, Argentina
Just over six months ago, Enzo Fernandez was playing for River Plate back in Argentina, but just half a season after arriving at Benfica for a deal worth up to €18m, the attacking midfielder could be moving on to greener pastures.
Fernandez, 21, broke into the Argentina squad while still with River Plate, but did not receive his senior debut until September 24 this year.
His lead-up to the World Cup was strong enough to book his ticket to Qatar, and after coming off the bench in Argentina’s first group-stage loss to Saudi Arabia, he came on and scored against Mexico, forcing his way into the starting XI before contributing an assist against Poland.
His rapid rise has not gone unnoticed, and Marca is reporting Benfica have slapped a €100m fee on their new star if any team wants to pry him away while his contract still has another four seasons locked in.
Real Madrid are one side said to be accepting of that figure, with Marca claiming they now view him as an alternative option to Borussia Dortmund and England prodigy Jude Bellingham.
Mohammed Kudus, Ghana
Ajax’s Mohammed Kudushad begun to break out at the club level this season heading into the World Cup.
The 22-year-old central midfielder scored four goals – including one each against Liverpool and Napoli – while adding two assists in six Champions League fixtures.
After being awarded his first senior international cap for Ghana back in 2019, he was spotted at Danish side Nordsjaelland and brought over to Ajax for a €9m fee in 2020.
He missed extended stretches of both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns through injuries, and still has not been used as a guaranteed starter this season, but his emergence on the World Cup stage has been undeniable.
Against South Korea, Kudus delivered Ghana their only win of the group as he found the back of the net twice in a 3-2 triumph, and it was a performance that is said to have caught the eye of European powerhouses.
Fichajes named Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as interested parties, and Sports Illustrated believe his price will be around £90m.
Harry Souttar, Australia
Australia have now qualified for five World Cups in a row, but after not winning a game at both the 2014 and 2018 editions, they had centre-back Harry Souttar to thank for finally taking three points against Tunisia.
Souttar, 24, stands at a towering six-foot-six and showed off an impressive ability to cover ground in a hurry when he was called upon for a potentially game-saving, last-man challenge to defend Australia’s 1-0 lead.
It was one of the most spectacular defensive efforts of the tournament so far and one that will go down in Australian football folklore, and it is even more significant when taking into account his recent history.
Tipped as a potential £20m transfer target late in 2021, Souttar then tore his ACL and missed 12 months of action, returning to the field in time to get three games under his belt with Stoke City before jetting off to the World Cup.
While he could be forgiven for needing time to work his way into form, he has instead started all three group games and been the Socceroos’ top performer, including his stellar efforts in a second clean sheet against Denmark to help his side through to the knockout stage.
Clearly back to the player he was before his injury – at least – Souttar’s showings on the world stage have been the kind that can take a career to a new level.
A month after a cease-fire was reached, the World Health Organization claims it can only assist a “tiny percentage” of individuals in need in the Ethiopianarea of Tigray.
It claimed that it lacked unrestricted access to provide medical aid.
The federal administration is meeting with Tigrayan fighters to discuss disarmament as they begin to leave the front lines.
Aid workers say Eritrean troops and Ethiopian regional militias are continuing to kill and abuse civilians in Tigray.
The region was almost completely cut off from the rest of the world during the two-year war.
A Nigerian student who was arrested for allegedly accusing the first lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, of squandering public funds in a tweet has had all charges against him dropped.
Aminu Adamu was charged by the government with spreading “false” information and defamation, which he vigorously rejected.
The prosecution withdrew the accusation at a high court in Abuja on Friday, according to his attorney Chijioke Kingsley Agu, who spoke to the BBC.
Mr Agu said his client has been discharged on “compassionate grounds” and that they were “in the process of his release” on Friday evening.
The 24-year-old undergraduate’s detention and subsequent charge had caused outcry in Nigeria, with many social media users and advocates for human rights demanding his immediate release.
On Thursday Amnesty International said the student was subjected to “torture” and other forms of “ill-treatment” after his arrest, calling it a “deeply repressive act” that “brazenly violates his human rights”.
Nigerian authorities have not yet commented on these allegations.
He is studying Environmental Management at the Federal University in Dutse, in the northern state of Jigawa, and is due to start his final exams on Monday.
Senegal’s parliament turned chaotic on Thursday after opposition MP Massata Samb hit Amy Ndiaye Gniby from the ruling party.
The brawl took place during a budget presentation.
In videos circulating on social media, the agitated Amy Ndiaye Gniby could be seen throwing a chair at her attacker.
Since a July legislative election where the ruling party lost its comfortable majority, there has been tension between the ruling and opposition politicians.
❗*Chaos in Senegal Parliament after MP Slaps Female Colleague*
The brawl began when opposition member Massata Samb walked over and slapped Amy Ndiaye Gniby – an MP of the ruling coalition – during a budget presentation, TV footage showed. pic.twitter.com/9Y074xSVTS
According to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the majority leader, the sessions of Parliamentwill be adjourned on Wednesday, December 21.
The House is scheduled to meet on Monday, December 5, according to Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who presented the Business Statement for the week ending on Friday, December 9.
This, he said, was to enable the expeditious consideration of the Budget Estimates and the passing of the Appropriation Bill, 2023 prior to the House adjourning on Wednesday, 21st December.
The third meeting of Parliament for 2022 resumed from recess on Tuesday, October 25.
The mixed-crop and livestock farmer wins GH $1,000,000 in addition to a two-night, fully-paid stay at the Peduase Valley Resort.
About 900 acres of oil palm plantations, 65 acres of cocoa plantations, 36 acres of cowpea plantations, 37 acres of cassava plantations, and additional cattle, sheep, and goat breeding operations are owned by Mr. Serebour in the Ashanti Region.
Adjei Fosu Seth from Kintampo North finished as the first runner-up after closely trailing Mr. Serebour.
He went home with a tractor, trailer, ploughs, and sprayer.
Professor Akwasi Asabre Ameyaw of Techiman North in the Bono East area was named the second runner-up. He also acquired other agricultural implements including a tractor.
Yaa Adjeley of Wassa received the award for best female farmer in the country. She also won a study tour of Ghana and a monetary prize of GHS100,000.
Alex Cudjoe of Elmina in the Central area was named the nation’s all-around greatest fisher. He was given a truck with a double cabin.
First runner-up Christiana Modzifa of West Gonja won a modified tricycle, an outboard motor, a deep freezer, and a 44-inch television.
The second runner-up was a Kyebi native named Clement Addai Anokye. He was given a deep freezer, an outboard motor, and a customized tricycle.
Other winners included Bobie Akutusi, the finest sheer nut picker in the country, Peter Painstil, the most promising young cocoa farmer in the country, and Joyce Dapaah, the most entrepreneurial female farmer.
Tite advised Brazil to use extreme caution during the World Cup’s knockout round, when they would like Neymar to return from injury.
The Selecao finished first in Group G after losing 1-0 to Cameroon on Friday. As a result, they will play South Korea rather than Portugal in the next round.
Brazil would now play the winner of Japan’s match against Croatia in the quarterfinals after Spain’s defeat the day before appeared to further open up the draw.
Neymar has not yet exercised with a ball after his matchday one injury, but Brazil will feel more at ease regardless of their opponents once he returns to play.
Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar added: “With 72 hours before the next match, we have time on our side. We still have possibilities.”
With or without his star man, coach Tite certainly will not become complacent, explaining: “Brazil lost to Cameroon. Portugal lost to South Korea. France lost to Tunisia. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. I think the results speak for themselves.
“I think these are very strong, very tough matches. I don’t think we can think any prior situation makes it easy. We need to be very careful.
“We were very careful with the match against Cameroon. We were. We had all of those cares, we took them. They had their merits, played vertically very well. They have merit for the victory like Tunisia and the others.
“We can’t say it’s easier and we have an advantage. We can’t say that.”
Tite had made nine changes to his Brazil team, selecting an entirely different XI to that which started their finals opener.
But he said: “Who lost? All of us. Our preparation is joint preparation, our wins are joint wins, our losses are also joint losses.”
The coach called on Brazil to “feel the loss”, saying: “The World Cup doesn’t give you a second chance, but this time it did.
“We have to concentrate for 24 hours, suffer for 24 hours, and tomorrow we start getting ready.”
Aside from Neymar’s development, there was conflicting news on his injuries, with Alex Sandro continuing to rehabilitate alongside the striker while Danilo is expected to practice regularly on Saturday.
This is a timely boost because Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus’ knee injuries from the match against Cameroon will soon be subject to scans.
Despite being the first African team to defeat Brazil during the tournament, Cameroon was eliminated from Group G, and after their first two World Cup performances, Rigobert Song voiced sadness.
In order to have any chance of joining the pre-tournament favorites in the round of 16, Cameroon needed to defeat them on Friday.
They did it in thrilling fashion thanks to a goal from Vincent Aboubakar in stoppage time, which he celebrated by taking off his shirt.
However, Murat Yakin’s team finished two points ahead of Cameroon thanks to Switzerland’s stunning 3-2 victory against Serbia, sending them home after the World Cup’s group stage for the sixth time in a row.
By breaking Brazil‘s unblemished World Cup record against African teams (previously played seven, won seven), the Indomitable Lions at least left on a good note, but Song believed Cameroon might have done better.
“I didn’t even realise that this was such a historic victory. We are one of the African countries who have played more World Cups than most, and now we’ve beaten Brazil,” Song said.
“My players deserve to be congratulated. They showed tonight they could have done better in the first two games [a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland and a 3-3 draw with Serbia].
“I think we do have a feeling of regret. Now we realise we could have done better. But we need to look on the positive side as well.
“I’m trying to get across a team spirit, that lion’s spirit, which needs to be the key to Cameroon teams.
“We realise now we could have done better in this tournament. We’re a young team and today we’ve seen our young team getting stronger and stronger.”
Cameroon began 2022 by finishing third at the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, and with just over a year to prepare for the next edition of that tournament – which was pushed back to January 2024 due to weather concerns in Ivory Coast, Song is backing them to improve further.
“There’s another tournament in 2024 and we’ve built up some momentum now,” Song added.
“I’m satisfied with tonight’s performance. I took over the national team not too long ago and I think we are progressing and improving, so I’m proud of this team.”
Mohammed Kudussays the team has learnt valuable lessons from their participation in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals.
The Ajax Amsterdam man who caught the eye of hundreds of thousands football fans across the globe scored two goals in the tournament and was also adjudged the Budweiser Player of the match against South Korea on Monday.
‘’It’s very disappointing but we stick together as a team and look forward to what lies ahead. This has given us a lot of lessons in this tournament but the feeling now is a big disappointment but we look forward to what lies ahead’’ he spoke the media after the game.
‘’Right now, it’s more about the team, we lost regardless of my performance so the disappointment is still there but we will reflect about my performance later after everything has settled down emotionally’’.
‘’For almost ninety percent of the guys, it’s our first World Cup and I think it’s a big lesson for myself and a lot of the guys and I know this will really make us tough and help our progress”
‘’I don’t think the penalty miss by Andre Ayew was the key moment in the match, the easiest thing we can do is to blame one person’’.
‘’In the second half I also got chances that I could have scored, it qualified as a penalty also so we all had chances to have an effect in the game so I don’t really think the penalty had an effect on the whole performance’’.
‘’Andre is a great leader and a great captain. After the penalty miss, he was still in the game and stood up for the team like everyone did but the result went the other way so we learn from it and stay positive’’.
‘’I think what happened in the past we can’t really change it, the focus was to get out of the group, that was the main thing’’ he added.
Reggae dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, says Captain Andre Dede Ayewshould not have been made to take the penalty Ghana secured against Uruguay.
According to him, an oracle revealed that the Black Stars captain was not to play a penalty to ensure what happened 12 years ago did not repeat itself.
In 2010, Ghana and Uruguay faced each other in the World Cup tournament held in South Africa. Ghana lost because Asamoah Gyan, who was not yet the captain of the team, missed a penalty.
In a tweet, Stonebwoy revealed that “12 years ago, the captain should have played the penalty. Today, the captain shouldn’t have played the penalty.”
In 2010, Stephen Appiah was the captain of the senior national team.
Dede Ayew’s missed penalty has pained the musician and many Ghanaians who expected a lot from the Black Stars.
“This one hurt,” Stonebwoy wrote.
This one hurrrrrrrrtttttttttt!!
12 years Ago The Captain should have played the penalty.
Today The Captain Shouldn’t have played the penalty..
According to the oracle!! pic.twitter.com/hbfRlJCOOP
The Ghana Football Association has apologised to Ghanaians for the Black Stars’ inability to progress to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar.
“We regret our inability to progress to the knockout phase of the competition and offer our profound apologies to the government, the people of Ghana and all stakeholders across the globe,” part of its statement read.
The Authority, shortly after Ghana was dazed by Uruguay by two goals to nil on Friday, released a statement reacting to the disappointing performance exhibited by the Stars.
According to the GFA, “valuable lessons have been learnt from our qualification and participation in the tournament and aim to continue with the positives going into the future.”
— Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) December 3, 2022
They expressed gratitude to the government, the Ghanaian people, the football family, corporate Ghana, esteemed sponsors and supporters for their “unflinching, unwavering and unalloyed support during the Black Stars FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign.”
Meanwhile, the GFA has announced that it would in due course inform all stakeholders about any further developments concerning the Black Stars.
This has become imperative as the Black Stars are without a coach following the resignation of Otto Addo, who will now be focusing on Borussia Dortmund.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has called on government officials who traveled to Qatar to make their way back to Ghana following the country’s exit from the World Cup tournament on Friday.
Uruguay kicked Ghana out of the ongoing tournament by two goals to nil.
Reacting to the news, Mr Nartey George provided four takeaways from the defeat which included “Now can our government officials come back home to their real jobs.”
Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, is among the government officials who flew to Qatar to support their Black Stars.
During the debate on the 2023 budget statement presented by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, only 21 MPs on the Majority side were present. Also, the Minority was infuriated by the absence of Ministers who were to be present to defend the budget allocation to their respective ministries.
It is unknown where the remaining Majority MPs were on November 29, when Parliament debated the budget.
It comes as no surprise that Mr Nartey George has jabbed his colleagues who he says should return to do what they are being paid to do.
The remaining three takeaways provided by the heartbroken MP are that Ghana needs a “proper coach with technical know-how”, and “the GFA executives need to stop interfering in team selection.”
Despite Ghana’s defeat, he was pleased that “we are going home with Uruguay.”
Four take aways from this defeat;
1. We need a proper coach with technical know how
2. The GFA Executives need to stop interfering in team selection
3. Even if we lost, we are going home with Uruguay
4. Now can our government officials come back home to their real jobs.
Otto Addo ceases to be the head coach of the Ghana Black Stars following his resignation.
The 47-year-old stepped down after the senior national football team suffered a humiliating defeat to Uruguay today, December 2.
Ghana lost by two goals to nil in a game many Ghanaians expected the players to seek revenge against Luis Suarez, who cost Ghana a semi-final appearance at the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.
Otto Addo will continue as an assistant coach at Borussia Dortmund.
BREAKING: Otto Addo has stepped down as Ghana manager following their elimination from the World Cup 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/iBgWpzvqAN
President Akufo-Addo has praised farmers in the country as Ghana celebrates Farmers’ Day today, December 2.
The 38th Farmers’ Daycelebration was held at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The theme for this year’s celebrationis “Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition.”
Below is the President’s full speech:
I am happy to be back in Koforidua, capital of my home region, the Eastern Region. I am grateful to Almighty God for yet another opportunity to join you honour our farmers, fishers and, indeed, all actors along the agricultural value chain for their invaluable contribution to our sustenance, and for the development of Mother Ghana. Recent global events, which have led to a food crisis across the world, call for greater appreciation of what our farmers and fishers, here in Ghana, have done and continue to do for us.
On a daily basis, there are news reports of countries struggling under the combined weight of the forces of the COVID -19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The effects of these forces entail disruption of supply chains, hikes in fuel prices, spiralling inflation and sharp reductions in economic growth. On the agricultural front, the impact is seen in the shortage and high cost of critical inputs for farming such as fertilizers. Significant rises in fuel prices, globally, have contributed to rising prices of food stuffs across the globe, and Ghana is no exception.
In response to the impact of the challenges to general food security, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, rallied World Leaders to a Food Systems Summit in September 2021 in which I participated, on the sidelines of the meeting of the General Assembly, to strategise on how to mitigate the growing threat to food systems. The emphasis, at the Summit, was to help avert extreme poverty and looming hunger, as specified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals I and II, respectively. It was a call to action by all countries to prioritise agriculture, and recommit to the transformation of food systems to build resilience and ensure sustainable food security.
In this respect, I find the theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day Celebration, “Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition”, most appropriate and timely. Value addition, as a means of accelerating the development of agriculture, is one of the logical strategies for ensuring food security, and rightly so. I say this because of the perennial problem of post-harvest losses experienced in most countries, including Ghana.
Since 2017, strategic interventions in the agriculture sector have emphasised value addition through the implementation of the One-District-One-Factory flagship programme by Government. It is instructive to note that one hundred and seventy-two (172) of the two hundred and ninety-six (296) factories to be established under the programme are agro-based, processing the rapidly increasing farm output of our farmers.
Clearly, it is evident that Ghana has been put firmly on the track of value addition. Government appreciates fully that value addition is the one of the best ways to unlocking the huge potential of Ghana’s agriculture. Current developments in the country have reinforced the need to direct greater attention to promoting value addition. As a country, it is important to draw on very hard lessons from the impact of external factors on our food systems. Food prices in urban centres are unacceptably high. However, it is equally true that some internal factors are also contributing to the high prices. Government continues to evaluate the situation for appropriate action to be taken.
Indeed, in July 2022, Cabinet set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee with the brief to intervene directly in the foodstuff market, by buying food at the farmgate, and transporting it for sale at urban centres. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture started a pilot food market in November, by arranging for traders to bring food items, such as plantain, yam and rice, direct to Accra from the production areas for direct sale to civil servants and the general public. The market has been so well patronised that it has been extended to four other locations within Greater Accra, and is being rolled out in Kumasi, Koforidua and Takoradi urban centres. This is to enable consumers access to foodstuffs at affordable prices.
Chairperson, agriculture will continue to remain a top priority of my government. The massive investments made in the sector attest to this fact. The positive narrative about Government’s support to the agriculture sector is that, unlike several other countries, Ghana is better prepared, and has demonstrated resilience to the current adversities threatening to destabilise our food systems. This has been possible because of the sound, pragmatic policies and programmes rolled out at the inception of my stewardship.
Our flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), with its focus on improving farm productivity, through the use of technology on farms, has succeeded in increasing our food security, and opened up new opportunities for diversifying our agricultural exports by promoting six (6) tree crops for future substantial foreign exchange earnings. In 2016, Government inherited production levels of 1.7 million metric tonnes of maize and six hundred and sixty-five thousand metric tons of rice (665,000). Under the PFJ, maize production reached 3.4 million tonnes by 2021 and rice to 1.2 million metric tonnes. The credit must go to our gallant farmers, fishers and value chain actors who embraced the PFJ policies, and leveraged the opportunities created by the enabling environment for agricultural development.
By design, PFJ has targeted other sectors under agriculture with promising results. Under its Rearing for Food Jobs module, some one hundred and thirty-four thousand, four hundred (134,400) birds and small ruminants were distributed to one thousand, two hundred and fifty-four (1,254) beneficiaries in 2022 alone. In addition, nine hundred thousand (900,000) broiler day old chicks (chicken), together with nine hundred metric tons of feed and vaccines, have been contracted out for supply to farmers next year.
Still under the livestock sector, Government has released GH¢15.6 million as payment of compensation to two hundred and eighty (280) farms affected by the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza. There is also support for disease surveillance, public awareness creation, capacity building and the procurement of motorbikes for operational activities to enhance early detection, prevention and disease management. As part of institutional strengthening for the Veterinary Services Directorate, five hundred and fifty (550) veterinary officers and allied staff have been recruited this year alone.
Chairperson, the achievements of my government include the promotion of selected tree crops to diversify export earnings from the sector. For more than a century, Ghana has relied heavily on cocoa for foreign exchange earnings, whilst the potential for several other tree crops remains untapped. By an Act of Parliament, the Tree Crop Development Authority was established in 2020, to coordinate and promote the development of six tree crops, namely cashew, rubber, oil palm, coconut, mango and shea. At maturity, these selected crops will have the combined potential of generating annually an additional twelve billion dollars ($12 billion) to supplement the annual two billion dollars ($2 billion) from cocoa.
Since the launch of the Tree Crop Development programme in 2018, several nurseries have been established with the participation of private sector. The Ministry, through the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), facilitated the provision of 2.7 million improved seedlings to some eleven thousand, one hundred (11,100) farmers during 2022 cropping season. I commend the District Assemblies for their participation in this effort, and I continue to urge our chiefs, land owners and prospective investors to leverage the opportunities created in the tree crop sub-sector.
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other partners have facilitated the smooth introduction and enhancement of major interventions such as the National Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, Hand Pollination Programme, Mass Pruning Exercise, Cocoa Diseases and Pests Control Programme, the Subsidised Fertilizer Distribution Programme, amongst others.
I have been reliably informed that, two years after we re-launched the National Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme in the Western North Region, a total farm area of fifty-six thousand, three hundred and forty-three (56,343) hectares have been fully treated across the cocoa growing regions, as of 30th September 2022. As a result of the success of the programme, thousands of farmers, who had abandoned their cocoa farms due to the devastating effect of the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease, have returned, and are active again in the cocoa business.
It is important to underscore that these interventions brought back smiles on the faces of our cherished farmers, and also provided employment to some twenty-seven thousand (27,000) youth in scheme areas, that is one thousand, three hundred and sixty-one (1,361) as technical assistants; one thousand, eight hundred and forty-five (1,845) as disease spotters; and twenty-three thousand, nine hundred and thirteen (23,913) as farm hands.
Chairperson, in 2019, Government began the implementation of the Cocoa Management System (CMS) to help establish a credible database on Ghana’s cocoa. The integrated cocoa farmer database, which includes the development of a software data system, a census of all cocoa farmers in Ghana as well as mapping of all farms, will ensure, for the first time, the availability of accurate information on land size, geographic locations, population and record of cocoa farmers and farms in Ghana. I am happy to announce, again, that the CMS is ready, setting in motion the processes of rolling out fully the much-anticipated cocoa farmers pension scheme. The mandatory pension scheme, which takes effect in the current 2022/23 crop season, will provide a decent pension for cocoa farmers after a minimum of five (5) years contribution.
It is important to mention that that the Living Income Differential (LID) pricing mechanism, being spearheaded by Cote d’ Ivoire and Ghana, the two biggest global producers of cocoa, through the Cote d’ Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative, is progressing despite seeming obstacles from some of our international trading partners. I want to assure our farmers that everything possible is being done to see to the full implementation of the scheme to cushion them against price volatility, and also guarantee sustainable livelihoods for them.
Fellow Ghanaians, the sustainability of the cocoa sector is contingent also on how effectively we are able to fight the devasting effects of the illegal mining menace. All of us, farmers and citizens, have a collective responsibility to bring this environmental canker to a halt if we do not want to ruin the inheritance our forefathers bequeathed us.
Other interventions implemented by my government, which are critical for accelerated development of the country, include the following:
Greenhouse Training Centres
Three greenhouse training centres, with attached commercial units at Dawhenya, Akumadan and Bawjiase for training youth in high-quality vegetable production, have been constructed. These vegetables are sold to high end shops such as Palace Mall, Shoprite, Starbite, KFC and Burger King in Tema, Accra and Kumasi. To date some five hundred and thirty-seven (537) youth have been trained, with three hundred and forty (340) of them having received internship training in Israel.
Irrigation
Since 2017, substantial investments have been directed to the construction and rehabilitation of twelve (12) irrigation schemes for which six (6) are ninety percent (90%) complete, five are between forty five percent (45%) to seventy percent (70%) complete, and Pwalugu dam currently at five percent (5%) completion. Together, these irrigation projects will make available thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifteen (31,415) hectares of land for all year-round crop production when completed.
Warehouses
Measures taken by Government to address other major marketing problems in the agriculture sector include construction of eighty (80) warehouses of one thousand metric ton (1,000MT) capacity each for food storage, and to reduce post-harvest losses. Sixty-five (65) of eighty (80) have been fully completed, handed over and currently in use. The remaining are all at advanced stages of completion, ranging from seventy percent (70%) to ninety percent (90%).
Mechanization
To accelerate the process of agricultural modernization, my government, through various bilateral arrangements, has imported assorted agricultural machinery including tractors, power tillers, planters, threshers, combine harvesters and hand-held equipment for smallholder farmers at a total value of sixty-seven million United States dollars ($67 million). These farm equipment and machinery are being sold at subsidised rates to farmers and other investors. Currently, I am happy to report that processes have been concluded towards the establishment of a Tractor Assembly Plant in Ghana. This will go a long way to reduce cost of tractors, improve access to tractor parts and create jobs.
Agriculture Financing
To promote and increase investment in agriculture, Government established the Ghana Incentive Based Risk Sharing Agricultural Lending Scheme (GIRSAL) in 2018. A little more than three years on, GIRSAL has provided some three hundred and forty-seven million cedis (GH¢347 million) of guarantees, covering loans of some seven hundred and twelve million cedis (GH¢712 million) to some one hundred (100) agribusinesses. These businesses are engaged in sale of agricultural inputs, direct production, aggregation, processing, marketing and exports. The guarantees have contributed to lower interest rates for borrowers. To boost further financing for agribusinesses, Government has established the Development Bank of Ghana, capitalised, initially, at seven hundred and fifty million euros (€750 million), which will prioritise agriculture in its activities.
Ghana Cares
Under the Cares Obaatampa programme, provision has also been made to enhance access to affordable financing for agribusinesses. A fifty percent (50%) interest rate subsidy is provided to agribusinesses in selected value chains, namely rice, maize, soya bean, tomato, and poultry. This complements the Outgrower and Value Chain Fund, which was established eleven (11) years ago to provide medium to long-term financing at significantly reduced interest rates. Under the Savanah Investment Project, two million dollars ($2 million) is also earmarked to provide credit to poultry value chain actors, especially those in processing.
YouStart programme
Government has launched the YouStart programme to provide training, entrepreneurial skills and financial support to entrepreneurial youth within the age bracket of 18 to 40 years, to help them start, build and grow their businesses. The YouStart will be a very important vehicle for equipping the youth to enter into agro-based businesses such as input distribution, marketing and value addition, leveraging on digital technology. I use the opportunity to encourage the District Assemblies and faith-based organizations to support the youth to take advantage of the programme.
Chairperson, the overwhelming evidence points to an impressive performance of Government in pursuit of its agricultural modernisation and transformation agenda. From an average of 3.8% in the 5-year period from 2012 to 2016, average annual growth nearly doubled to 6.3% in the period 2017 to 2021. In the most recent years, the sector growth increased strongly from 4.7% in 2019 to 7.4% in 2020 and 8.4% in 2021 – the highest annual performance in the Fourth Republic. This sterling performance compares with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s (CAADP) benchmark target of 6% growth of agriculture for the attainment of national food security. Ironically, the highest growth rates posted were in 2020 and 2021 when the COVID-19 Pandemic and other negative forces, such as climate change and outbreak of diseases, were impacting the sector.
Going forward, Government will deepen investments in these areas, and build on the achievements so far through additional interventions.
Measures to Promote Import Substitution
As part of measures to ameliorate the current economic difficulties, I have already outlined policy measures to curtail the imports of some food commodities, for which we have comparative advantage. We will use the opportunity of this crisis to accelerate the agriculture modernisation and transformation agenda.
This effort will require strong intersectoral coordination at all levels, and effective engagement and collaboration with the private sector and all other stakeholders in the agriculture ecosystem. Consequently, institutions such as the TCDA and pipeline strategic institutions, like the Grains Development Authority, will be strengthened and supported to deliver effectively on their strategic mandate. We will also co-ordinate effectively with our foreign partners, leveraging their technical and financial resources to support this effort.
Grains Development Authority
Ghana has an untapped potential for grain production that can be exploited to feed the West Africa Region and beyond. This is evident in the loads of grains, such as maize, rice and soya, exported to neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast in the last three years.
To unlock the potential of the grain industry, a Bill is before Parliament requesting for approval to amend the erstwhile Grain Development Authority Act, 1970 (Act 234) to provide for the establishment of a body corporate to regulate, promote and coordinate development of the grain industry. The Authority, with private sector participation, will coordinate actors in the grain industry to achieve higher productivity, gain market access and increase value addition. This effort will also maximize the benefits from the grain sector through effective regulation.
Fisheries
The Fisheries and Aquaculture sector is an essential component of our nation’s economic development, providing employment to some three million people. Promoting value addition in the fisheries sector will not only ensure that Ghanaians have access to different fish products, but will also help protect the investment of actors in the value chain, improving exports, and creating additional job opportunities.
Government will continue to implement sustainable fisheries management measures to help conserve the dwindling marine fisheries resources and sustain the sector for future generations. The development of the aquaculture industry will also continue to receive Government support, as part of efforts to reduce our dependence on our marine fisheries resources.
I am happy to announce that Cabinet has granted three (3) key approvals to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for (i) the automation of premix fuel distribution at landing beaches, (ii) the implementation of a new National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, and (iii) the preparation of a new Fisheries Act to replace the current Act 625. These approvals are important for the sustainable management of marine fisheries resources and development of aquaculture.
The Ministry is also at an advanced stage with regards to the implementation of Cabinet’s decision for the acquisition of one (1) Research Vessel and four (4) Patrol Boats for the fisheries sector. The Research Vessel would facilitate regular fisheries research and stock assessment that would enhance data availability for science-based fisheries management, whilst the Patrol Boats will enhance the enforcement capacity to curb the pervasive incidence of illegal and unregulated fishing and related activities in our territorial waters.
To our artisanal fishers, I say I am also aware of the challenges regarding the distribution and sale of premix fuel to artisanal fishers. To address this, premix distribution activities at landing beaches will be automated by the close of December 2023. The first three (3) of the pilot phase is almost completed at Elmina, and would be commissioned in January 2023. Government is engaged in discussions with Bulk Distribution Companies to address supply challenges with regards to premix.
Chairperson, it is fairly obvious that a lot has been achieved in the sector, with many more projects and initiatives in the pipeline. At full maturity, these interventions will help consolidate the gains already made, strengthen the resilience of Ghana’s food system, and ensure sustainable food security.
Before I conclude, fellow Ghanaians, I want to point out again that our nation finds itself in considerable economic difficulties. It is important, therefore, that we put in place the relevant measures to address the hydra-headed economic challenges confronting us.
The 2023 Budget presented to Parliament by the Minister for Finance seeks to address these economic challenges through a number of very difficult, but necessary measures. These measures include a debt operation to address our fiscal and debt sustainability concerns. Debt operations alone will not be enough to address the debt sustainability concerns. It is for this reason that we are complementing the debt operations with fiscal adjustments, through improvement in revenue collection and expenditure rationalisation measures, to promote debt and fiscal sustainability. This is why the Minister for Finance outlined a number of revenue and expenditure measures for the consideration and approval of Parliament.
These revenue measures include a proposed increase in VAT rate by 2.5%, the review of the e-Levy rate from 1.5 percent to 1 percent and removal of the one hundred cedi (GH¢100) threshold; removal of selected VAT exemptions; implementation of the VAT e-invoicing system; revision of selected excise taxes; complete removal of discount on benchmark values; implementation of the unified property rate collection; and review of the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy (NFSL) to include all entities which are critical in supporting the fiscal consolidation process.
The fiscal adjustment envisaged is not only on the revenue side, but also on the expenditure side. Government is proposing significant expenditure rationalization measures, including a lowering of the cap on transfers to earmarked funds from 25 percent to 17.5 percent; review of Government flagship programmes to reflect relevance, promote efficiency, and ensure value for money; continue with the thirty percent (30%) cut in the salaries of the President, Vice President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MMDCEs, and political office holders including those in state-owned enterprises; manage public sector wage negotiations and hiring within budgetary constraints; and integrate the public procurement approval processes with GIFMIS and budget allocation.
There are other key public expenditure measures which seek to demonstrate government’s burden sharing in addressing the economic challenges facing us. These measures, which range from reducing fuel allocation, the size of convoys, the suspension of the creation of new government agencies, to a ban on the use of V8 vehicles, are expected to reduce spending towards fiscal sustainability.
Fellow Ghanaians, I am optimistic that all these fiscal measures, together with the debt operations and the implementation of key structural reforms to eliminate the structural bottlenecks in the economy outlined in the 2023 Budget, will go a long way to address the economic challenges.
I call on all Ghanaians, in these difficult times, to support these fiscal measures that the Government has proposed for approval by Parliament, to enable us achieve the goal of restoring macroeconomic stability and promoting inclusive growth, whilst protecting the poor. I would like to use this occasion to make a special appeal to Organised Labour, which has proved to be a stalwart, principled ally of my government in our collective efforts, over these last six (6) years, to build a strong Ghanaian economy, to continue its dialogue with its Social Partners to find rapidly an acceptable solution to the ongoing salary negotiations, a solution which is realistic and fair.
Finally, I want to end with a request on each one of us. Our economy suffers from another structural weakness, which we must address with urgency. Ghana has the second largest economy in West Africa, but with the lowest tax-to-GDP ratio of some twelve percent (12%), within the context of an average of eighteen percent (18%) in the ECOWAS Region. It is absolutely essential for our future, if we are to realise our goal of a Ghana Beyond Aid, that we make rapid strides to meet the eighteen percent (18%) and even higher target, in order to strengthen our self-reliance and our capacity to finance our own development. It is in this light that I am calling strongly for support for the measures that the Minister for Finance outlined in the budget proposals, which will enhance significantly revenue mobilisation. It should be obvious to all of us by now that we can only rely on ourselves to build the Ghana we want.
I wish you a happy and memorable Farmers’ Day celebration. Me ma mo afrihyia pa, and congratulations to all award winners, especially the National Best Farmer and the National Best Fisher Person!!
May God bless our farmers and fisherfolk, and us all, and may God bless our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.
Nurses at the Manhyia Hospital have been urged by the Manwerehene of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, Baafuor (Dr) Ossei Hyeaman Brentuo VI, to end their ongoing strike.
He claimed that because the Manhyia Hospital serves as the first port of call for local chiefs, a strike would worry the traditional leaders who live in Manhyia.
After giving the government a 72-hour ultimatum to fire Alex Opoku-Mensah,the director of the Ashanti Regional National Service Secretariat, the nurses at the Manhyia Hospital began an indefinite strike action earlier today.
Their request follows Mr. Opoku-verbal Mensah’s abuse of the on-duty nurse for treating his daughter disrespectfully.
The Manwerehene described the circumstance as really unfortunate in an interview with JoyNews.
“It is a very unfortunate situation but I trust that if we appeal to the feuding parties, specially the nurses that are now set to go on strike, we’ll plead with them to just have some patience for us. I called the Medical Superintendent who informed me that attempts have been made to resolve it.
“Unfortunately, it looks like the decision to stop the strike should come from above. The leadership of the nurses association has come up with the decision based upon what they think has been unfairly done to one of their members. We will plead with them.
“Manhyia Hospital is our first point of call. Almost all the chiefs who come to Manhyia or those that reside in Manhyia go there.”
The CEO also promised that the required actions will be done to prevent similar issues in the future.
Meanwhile, the Manwerehene has stated that he has reached out to senior members within the palace to help find a solution to the problem.
Uruguay have taken the lead position in their game against the Black Stars of Ghana.
Luis Suarez’ side scored a few minutes after Dede Ayew missed a penalty in the 21st minute.
G. de Arrascaeta took advantage of a confusion that hit Ghana and scored in the 26th minute.
Arrascaeta doubled his side’s dominance in the 32nd minute.
Ghana’s defense has proven to be porous.
Uruguay are on their toes to win today’s match to ensure they progress to the round of 16 at the World Cup tournament.
Black Stars captain Andre Ayew is leading Ghana once again. Ghanaians on Twitter are not pleased with him. They are pissed that he missed the opportunity to score.
His appointment comes following successful shareholder approval and regulatory approval from the Bank of Ghana (BoG), respectively, and follows Dr. John Kofi Mensah’s retirement, whose term expires on November 30, 2022.
Mr. Yakubu-Tali, a seasoned investment banker with more than 20 years of experience abroad, held the position of Deputy Managing Director of the Bank for the previous 5 years prior to his appointment.
He is a goal-oriented professional with remarkable abilities in managing people, creating new enterprises, managing risks, and adapting to different organizational cultures.
He was in charge of the 87 Bank retail locations as well as the Business Banking, Agribusiness, and Operations Divisions of the Bank.
He was primarily in charge of the Bank’s business units, accountable for operational performance, driving and enforcing a rigid performance culture within the Bank, and supporting the Managing Director in fostering an atmosphere that encourages staff commitment to the organization’s vision, mission, and strategy.
Mr. Yakubu-Tali has a Business Administration diploma from West London College in London as well as an MBA in marketing from City University in Bellevue, Washington (Frankfurt Campus).
He now holds positions on the boards of Agridev Limited, Cotton Development Authority, and Forestry Plantation Development Fund Management.
Mr. Yakubu-Tali joins the role of Managing Director with first-hand experience of the Bank’s trajectory and serves as Chairman of the Bank’s Strategy Implementation Committee. He is anticipated to steer the Bank’s expansion during the following stage.
Daasebre Akuamoah Agyepong II, the chairman of the ADB Board, expressed his congratulations on the appointment and Alhaji Yakubu-new Tali’s position.
“On behalf of the Board, we wish to congratulate Mr. Yakubu-Tali on his appointment and also assure him of our support, having been the Deputy Managing Director for the past five years, we are optimistic he will lead the Bank to higher heights” he said.
Mr. Yakubu-Tali expressed his appreciation to shareholders and the Board “I wish to thank all our shareholders and the Board of Directors for this opportunity to serve as Managing Director and thank my immediate predecessor, Dr. John Kofi Mensah for leading the team to position the Bank better than it was in 2016.”
Ghana head coach Otto Addo has released his first eleven who will be playing against Uruguay Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar.
Black Stars captain Andre Ayew will be leading Ghana once again. He will be receiving support from his brother, Jordan Ayew, who exhibited great skills when Ghana played against South Korea.
The other players in the list include Zigi, Seidu, Baba, Amartey, Salisu, Salis, Partey, Kudus and Inaki.
Tariq Lamptey who has been on the minds of many Ghanaian women is among the substitutes.
The remaining substitutes are Danlad, Odoi, Fatawu, Osman, Aidoo, Semenyo, Barnieh, Manaf, Kyereh, Mensah, Sulemana, Sowah and Djiku.
At Bimbila in the Nanumba North Municipality of the Northern region, a petrol tanker was engaged in an accident that caused its contents to spill out.
At daybreak on December 2, 2022, in Lepusi, the tanker struck another vehicle and a police barricade before rolling multiple times and dumping its cargo.
Adam Abdullah, a resident, claims that despite police attempts to shoo residents away from the sinking ship, residents stood their ground.
They didn’t leave until the fire department showed up and began dousing the area in water to put out any potential fires.
“The police tried to send them away but they were still fetching the petrol and they didn’t even care about the danger,” he said.
Hudu Baba, the Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Fire Service, claims that the fuel tanker’s brakes failed, causing it to collide with another vehicle carrying a variety of drinks, crash into the police barricade, and roll multiple times.
He stated that the Fire Service is prepared for any potential fire outbreaks.
The team has been chilling the tanker in the interim to prevent it from heating up.
To make kidney disease treatment consumables more accessible and inexpensive, the government has urged the private sector to work with it on their production.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice president, made the suggestion at the Ghana Kidney Association’s 50th anniversary celebration of dialysis on Thursday, December 1, 2022, in Accra. He said that similar to how the government partnered with the private sector to produce vaccines in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the private sector could work with the government to produce consumables, particularly Dialysate, which is currently all imported.
“One of the clear areas that we have seen, and all the presentations have repeated, is the high cost of consumables as a major factor in the treatment because many of these consumables are imported.
“Of course that means we are at the mercy of the high import cost. We have to find foreign exchange to import them in the first place. But a significant part of it is that we have to import all the Dialysate and the other consumables that we use in dialysis.
“One of the lessons we learnt from Covid-19 was the need to build our capacity to produce vaccines. Last week for example, we had a meeting where we were looking at the progress on vaccine manufacturing in Ghana. One of the lessons we learned is that the Covid vaccine manufacturing is actually a lot more complicated than if we were to manufacture some of the consumables for dialysis in Ghana. I believe very, very firmly that in collaboration with the private sector, what we have done to bring in vaccine manufacturing in Ghana, we can do the same for Dialysate manufacturing.
“We can do it. It’s less complicated than what we have for vaccines. And so government would be prepared to support in whatever way to make sure we manufacture here. Therefore, we reduce the cost component and make sure there is affordability.”
“I’m sure the private sector will be willing and government is not averse to tax incentives for the private sector to do this,” Dr Bawumia maintained.
Responding to calls for the inclusion of dialysis in the list of treatments covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr Bawumia said while the call is very laudable, it is also important to consider the financial health of the Scheme in order not to overburden and eventually collapse it.
“One of the issues that have come up here is the request for Government to take steps to make sure that the NHIS is able to cover dialysis treatment. This is a very good point, and I think that at the very least, the NHIS at least could cover treatment for children on dialysis to start with.
“The last couple of years, one of the areas Dr Nsiah Asare (Presidential Advisor on Health) and I have worked on is to look at sickle cell disease, for example, where we’ve made sure the NHIS is covering Hydroxyurea for people with sickle cell disease and that has come to pass and it is now the case.
“We also pushed to make sure childhood cancers are also now covered under the NHIS. So I think the third goal now for us is to push for dialysis.
“But, when we were pushing for childhood cancers to be covered, we saw the difficulty that the NHIS was facing because all the tests showed that there was going to be a major stress on their finances. So, whilst we also advocate for the NHIS to come in for dialysis treatment, we should also think about their finances and also advocate for more financing for the NHIS to make whatever challenges they take on sustainable. We don’t want to break the NHIS in the process; then everybody loses out.
“So we should look at our willingness to pay a little more to make sure that the NHIS is functioning,” he urged.
Players and the technical team of the Ghana Black Stars have set off to Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar, where they will play against Uruguay.
Ghana would decide whether they progress to the round of 16 in the World Cup tournament in today’s match.
At exactly 3pm GMT, the much-anticipated game will commence.
The two teams have history. For Ghana, it is a bad memory as Luis Suarez, who at the eleventh hour, decided to become a goalkeeper, robbed Ghana of a semi-final slot in the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.
Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, failed to capitalize on the penalty awarded to Ghana. But coach Otto Addo says he is not in search of revenge.
On his part, Uruguay forward, Luis Suarez, says he owes Ghanaians no apology for the Black Stars’ quarter final exit at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
A social media story that claimed the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) had levied fees on upscale vehicles has been denied by the Authority.
In a statement, the GRA asked the general public to ignore the aforementioned letter, claiming that its contents are entirely untrue and that neither the DVLA nor any charges on luxury vehicles have been authorized.
“The attention of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been drawn to a purported letter from the authority being circulated on social media titled ‘Implementation of Luxury Vehicle Levy’. The said letter states that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has been authorised to collect an annual levy imposed on luxury vehicles with high engine capacities”.
“GRA wishes to inform the general public that this publication was not issued by the authority and its contents are completely false No levies have been imposed on luxury vehicles and neither is the DVLA authorized to collect such levies”.
It further cautioned those spreading the false information to desist from doing so, adding, “Investigations are currently being carried out into the source of this misleading information and persons found to have deliberately fabricated and circulated this information will be sanctioned appropriately”.
The GRA advised its customers and the general public to verify information on taxes and levies or any information relating to the authority by contacting them on 0800-900-110, on info@gra.gov.gh or by WhatsApp on 0552 990 000 and 0200 631 664.
At Accra’s Central Post Office on Tuesday, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) discovered suspected narcotics drugs worth US$1.4 million.
NACOC representatives found five brown boxes with the logo “Ghana Post” at the post office, each containing 150 packets of coffee marked “Café Naijar Classic” and all intended for the United Arab Emirates.
The 150 packets included 93,600 tablets with an estimated street value of US$ 1.4 Million, according to a statement signed by Nana Osei Nkwantabisa, Head of Public Affairs and International Relations Department, NACOC.
In accordance with the statement, samples of the exhibits had been sent to the Ghana Standards Authority for analytical review while inquiries were ongoing.
It gave the public advice to abstain from drug trafficking, which was illegal in accordance with Section 37 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020. (Act 1019).
In particular, it recommended people to inspect the contents of packages before accepting custody, especially around and before Christmas.
Pele has taken action to reassure the public that his most recent hospital stay was only a “monthly visit.”
The three-time World Cup champion, who is considered one of the best players ever, has been receiving medical attention at home in Brazil.
Last year, Pele had surgery to remove a tumor from his colon, and ever since, he has been in and out of the hospital.
Following his admission earlier this week, his daughter Kely Nascimento stated on Wednesday that there was “no surprise or emergency” regarding her father’s hospitalization.
The Brazilian men’s team competing in the World Cup in Qatar delivered an encouraging message to the 82-year-old.
Pele took to Instagram to show his gratitude for the support, sharing a picture of a building in Qatar with his image and the words “get well soon” lit up.
“Friends, I am at the hospital making my monthly visit,” he wrote. “It’s always nice to receive positive messages like this. Thanks to Qatar for this tribute, and to everyone who sends me good vibes.”
Ghana will be seeking retribution and all three points against Uruguay, after been denied a spot in the 2010 World Cup semifinals by controversial scorer Luis Suarez’s red card 12 years ago.
A tie would be sufficient to disqualify Uruguay from the 2022 competition and is likely to be sufficient to do so. However, the Black Stars might believe they need a win as backup in case South Korea defeats already-qualified Portugal.
The likes of Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Godin are no longer essential to La Celeste’s success, despite the fact that some of the Uruguayans from 2010 are still present. Instead, they are being propelled forward by a superb midfield trio consisting of Matias Vecino, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo Bentancur.
In a 2-3 loss to Portugal, Ghana’s own 2010 veteran Andre Ayew energized his previously sluggish team. Meanwhile, Jordan Ayew pulled up two assists to help his nation upset South Korea 3-2, putting them on the edge of their first knockout stage appearance since 2010.
Team news
Gideon Mensah of Ghana had to leave the match against South Korea in the closing minutes, but it has subsequently been revealed that the left-back was just experiencing cramp, leaving Otto Addo with a fully healthy squad.
Mexican center back Since Ronald Araujo is still recovering from thigh surgery, he is expected to sit this one out as well. However, Diego Alonso is the only other reported absence.
The stats
Ghana will lean heavily on striker Andre Ayew if they are to have any chance of progressing
Ghana’s 3-2 victory over South Korea last time out was their first win at the World Cup since losing on penalties to Uruguay in 2010. They took just one point from the 2014 World Cup, did not qualify in 2018 and lost to Portugal in their opening match in Qatar.
But the Black Stars were hugely fortunate against South Korea. Addo’s men were outperformed on almost every metric, claiming just 37% possession, completing 270 passes to Korea’s 601, taking only seven shots to South Korea’s 22 and scoring with each of their three shots on target.
Uruguay have yet to score at Qatar 2022 but have been unlucky not to, hitting the woodwork three times across their two games against South Korea and Portugal.
Prediction
Uruguay will be frustrated with their one point from two games in Group H, and understandably so.
They were the better team against South Korea but twice hit the post in a 0-0 draw. And they deserved at least a point against Portugal, again hitting the woodwork and having a harsh penalty awarded against them in a 2-0 defeat.
By contrast, Ghana have been the great entertainers of the World Cup.
The Black Stars have been involved in two five-goal thrillers and could be involved in another in their final group-stage outing, so over 2.5 goals looks like a wise addition to BetBuilder selections with LiveScore Bet.
But Ghana’s fortune from their South Korea success may not follow them into this clash.
Uruguay are more technically accomplished in midfield and have been rock-solid in defence since Diego Alonso took over, with La Celeste conceding just one goal in five competitive matches before the start of the World Cup.
It should be a more entertaining match than their previous Group H outings, and this time Uruguay can celebrate in style. A win for La Celeste and over 2.5 goals looks the way to go and is available at 9/5 with Livescore Bet.
The 2023 Budget and Economic Policy, released by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, contains certain expenditure lines that the Tax Justice Coalition is pleading with lawmakers to reject.
The Coalition claims that the Minister of Finance broke the law when he gave money to the National Cathedral Secretariat that was intended for emergency use.
The coalition said it has noticed with concern the budget line “Contingency Vote” that appears in Ghana’s Annual Budget and Economic Policy Statement over the years and wishes to call on Ghana’s Parliamentnot to approve the expenditure line in the 2023 Annual Budget and future Budgets.
It described as unacceptable the contingency vote amounting to ¢1.41 billion, ¢3.41 billion, ¢5.9 billion and ¢14.5 billion for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively, saying “this is unacceptable as it defeats the purpose of budgeting and subverts the approval powers by Parliament”.
“This is because the practice is at variance with the laws of the country. The laws have prescribed the procedures that the Minister of Finance must follow in order to cater for unforeseen and unbudgeted expenditures that come up after the budget has been approved”.
“In other words, there is NO provision for a Contingency Vote in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and there is also NO provision for it in the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and its predecessor Financial Administration Act, 2003 (Act 654)” it explained.
On Thursday, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia made a suggestion that, due to the high expense of treatment, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) could be willing to offer financial assistance to kids with kidney illness.
The Vice President was of the opinion that Ghanaians should be willing to pay a little bit more to the Scheme in order to sustain it and function well, even if he did not give a date for when the NHIS would begin assisting kids with kidney illness.
He said that the government would assist investors who were prepared to produce intravenous infusion and other essential materials for kidney therapy locally.
At a public symposium held by the Ghana Kidney Association and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra to commemorate 50 years of dialysis in Ghana, Vice President Bawumia made this announcement.
According to recent figures, 14 percent of Ghana’s population of over 30 million people suffer from chronic renal disease. A kidney patient must spend between GHS 400 and GHS 595 for three weekly dialysis treatments.
For dialysis services, an individual should expect to pay approximately GHS4,800 per month and more than GHS 50,000 annually.
The symposium’s goal was to reflect on the past, present, and future of kidney therapy in Ghana and to map out a course for ensuring that all Ghanaians, regardless of their financial situation, could access it. Its theme was “50 Years of Dialysis in Ghana, the Past, Present, and Future.”
There are currently 103 dialysis machines and 15 dialysis centers across the nation, along with 14 nephrologists.
Vice President Bawumia emphasized the need for all Ghanaians to address the underlying causes of acute kidney failures and noted that the contamination of water sources with mercury and other hazardous chemicals by illegal miners may be a significant contributing factor to the rising number of cases of the disease.
He gave the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) the responsibility of monitoring the unauthorized distribution of herbal medications that claim to treat kidney disease but really make many patients’ health issues worse.
In order to provide better healthcare for renal patients in the nation, Dr. Bawumia believed that public-private partnerships were essential.
In his opening remarks, Professor Sampson Antwi, President of the Ghana Kidney Association, recalled the dark times when the failure of a vital organ like the kidney really resulted in a person’s demise.
However, he noted that over the previous 50 years, medical research had made significant strides, with the introduction of dialysis centers in Ghana keeping patients with chronic renal disease alive.
“It is no little accomplishment for Ghana to have been one of the first countries in Africa to build dialysis facilities half a century ago on the African continent,” he said.
He stated, “As we as a nation celebrate this accomplishment, we are conscious of the tremendous financial constraints faced by clients in maintaining themselves on dialysis.
“As we reflect on dialysis services for the past 50 years, the present and the future, we hope that the narrative will change from an out-of-pocket funding of dialysis to a fully funded chronic dialysis programme as pertains elsewhere,” he stated.
Prof. Antwi said, for instance, at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi a minimum of 15 children are diagnosed of Kidney failure every year and a maximum of 40 per year, noting that most of them either die at the health facility or at home because of the lack of funds to sustain dialysis therapy.
He, therefore, called on corporate Ghana, philanthropists and all well-meaning Ghanaians to join the Ghana Kidney Association in highlighting the need for funding support for dialysis in the country.
He was optimistic that the ultimate choice of renal replacement therapy-kidney transplant would become a well-established therapeutic service in the country in the not-too-distant future.
As Ghana celebrates Farmers’ Day today, December 2, 2022, the Keta Investment Promotion Center (KIPC) has praised farmers in the Keta Municipality and throughout the nation for their enormous contributions to the country’s economy.
“There’s no doubt that you have sustained this nation for ages. Without you, nothing is complete. We celebrate your bravery and sacrifices despite the enormous challenges you face in land tenure, farm input supplies, post-harvest losses and absence pension schemes for you”, it stated in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Enyonam Apetorgbor.
“On a day dedicated to former President Rawlings to celebrate your unappreciated contributions to national development, I join hands with thousands of our country men and women to congratulate you and thank you for feeding us. You have made us who we are”.
KIPC explained that it is determined to work with farmers to implement new farming practices and the supply of farm inputs, adding, “my team of agricultural experts stand ready to assist you in modern land use methods, fish farming and emerging trends in agriculture in general”.
In an effort to increase capacity, the KIPC noted that its team of specialists will shortly launch training programs for farmers in the municipality.
A value addition initiative is currently being promoted under the combined auspices of the KIPC and Keta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to enable farm produce to fulfill the export standards.
Thomas Muller strongly hinted at his impending retirement from international competition when he called Germany’s World Cup performance in Qatar a “utter disaster.”
While Hansi Flick’s team triumphed in their final match, defeating Costa Rica 4-2, Japan’s unexpected 2-1 victory against Spain resulted in yet another World Cup group-stage exit.
Germany had not lost in the group stage at a World Cup since 1954 before the 2018 event in Russia, but they have now suffered an early exit in the last two competitions.
Muller, a member of the team that triumphed in Brazil in 2014, acknowledged that he was unsure of his next steps and that this might be his last participation on the world scene.
“It’s an absolute disaster! I don’t know what happens next,” he told ARD after the match.
“If this was my last game, then I would like to say a few words to the German football fans.”
He continued: “It was an enormous pleasure, dear people. We experienced great moments. I tried to keep my heart on the pitch in every game.
“I have always delivered commitment and sometimes there were tears of joy from my actions, sometimes the spectators also had pain in their faces.
“Even if I did not succeed in all actions, I did it with love. I’ll have to see about everything else.”
The 33-year-old has earned 121 caps for Germany, joint-fourth all-time for his nation, netting 44 goals, putting him seventh in the scoring charts.
In light of Thursday’s thrilling Group E finale, Luis Enrique claims he would have “had a heart attack” if he had known Spain was momentarily on its way out of the World Cup.
Samurai Blue defeated Spain 2-1 at the Khalifa International Stadium, with Japan rallying from a deficit after Alvaro Morata’s early goal.
La Roja entered the match at the top of the standings but needed a point to ensure progression without a doubt.
Even though they failed to accomplish that, Germany’s 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in another match meant Luis Enrique’s team would continue to compete, placing Die Nationalelf in second place behind Japan.
Spain, though, entirely dropped out of the top two for a brief period while Costa Rica took the lead in Germany.
Luis Enrique stated that he was ignorant and that he was appreciative of his ignorance.
“We were knocked out for three minutes? Why do you say this? I was not paying attention,” Luis Enrique said with a look of bemusement. “When did that happen?
“Okay, fantastic. I didn’t know this. Why? Because I was paying attention to my match. If I’d have found out, I’d have had a heart-attack.”
Of course, the defeat ultimately cost Spain little because many will argue their immediate path in the knockout stages is now kinder than it would have been if they won the group.
Topping Group E would have put them on track to face Croatia next and potentially Brazil in the quarter-finals.
Finishing as runners-up means they are now likely to come up against Portugal in the last eight, assuming La Roja get beyond Morocco.
Avoid talking about manipulating results. Prior to this game, Brazil dominated the news cycle, but Luis Enrique was not in the mood to celebrate advancement given how close Spain came to packing their bags.
“In football there are no good or bad sides,” he added. “In football you deserve or not and today I’m not happy at all.
“Yes, we qualified, I’d have liked to be top by winning this game, but this was not possible because in five minutes they got two goals, and in 10 minutes we were completely out.
“We were dismantled. We tried to close the game, but it wasn’t possible. But we didn’t have any danger in the first half, then in the second… I told them in half-time [Japan] will push us, they had nothing to lose.
“We didn’t have good game management, we collapsed. I’m not happy, I never celebrate defeats.
“I have nothing to celebrate. Of course, the bracket changes and many things are different, but I have nothing to celebrate.”
Japan’s winning goal by Ao Tanaka was somewhat controversial in nature, as replays showed the ball was agonisingly close to going out of play before Kaoru Mitoma’s cut-back to the match-winner.
Luis Enrique was shown an image of the situation and was left concluding it to be fake.
“I saw the images, they must be wrong or fabricated,” he said. “I saw an image and said that can’t be true.
“I have nothing else to say. I have full respect. I knew something going on as VAR took so long.”
Sergio Busquets refuted claims that Spain was happy to avoid playing Brazil in a potential World Cup quarterfinal after La Roja came through a major scare to advance from Group E.
Alvaro Morata handed Spain an early lead against Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday, putting them on track to win the group. However, Ao Tanaka responded to Ritsu Doan’s equalizer within 142 seconds to propel the Samurai Blue to the top spot.
As Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in the group’s second match, Spain’s loss allowed them to advance on goal differential. La Roja was briefly on the verge of an astonishing group-stage elimination when Los Ticos lead Hansi Flick’s squad with 20 minutes remaining.
However, Busquets was dismissive when asked if that represented a positive outcome, saying: “It has nothing to do with it.
“We wanted to win and be first. We go to the other side of the bracket, but that does not guarantee that it will be easier or more difficult.
“We didn’t want this to happen, our intention was to win. To continue, we have the round of 16 against Morocco, which is going to be a very difficult match.
“We were not comfortable. They closed the pass between the lines very well and it was very difficult for us to connect and create danger.
“We knew it was going to be like that, it’s a shame about the goals. We have to continue, try to correct the mistakes, and go through the knockouts.”
Spain dropped to third place when Manuel Neuer’s own goal put Costa Rica 2-1 up against Germany at Al Bayt Stadium, before the four-time winners levelled the scores through Kai Havertz three minutes later.
Busquets’ midfield partner Pedri revealed Spain were made aware of their perilous situation during that brief period, as he emphasised the need to improve against Morocco.
Oliver Bierhoff is aware that Germany‘s failure to advance past the group stage of the World Cup on Thursday was entirely their own fault.
At Al Bayt Stadium, Hansi Flick’s team defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in their final Group E encounter, but it wasn’t enough to advance them to the round of 16.
The Samurai Blue took first spot because to Japan’s unexpected 2-1 victory over Spain, while Luis Enrique’s team came in second thanks to a better goal differential than Germany.
Germany was left speechless after falling short once more in Qatar, four years after failing to advance from their group in Russia.
Germany suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to Japan in their initial game, but they held Spain to a draw before winning their first match of the competition against Japan in what turned out to be their final match.
Bierhoff, Germany’s national team managing director, said: “We’re extremely disappointed. We’re angry too because we had things in our own hands in all three games.
“Ultimately, football is a simple game. You have to score lots of goals and concede as few goals as you can, which we didn’t manage to do.
“We could have put more pressure on Spain tonight if we had taken our chances and scored more goals. A trend of the last few years has been us throwing away games we’ve controlled.”
Japan will face Croatia for a place in the quarter-final next Monday, with Spain taking on Morocco 24 hours later.
The 38th edition of the National Farmers’ Day happened at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
A Grand Durbar and Awards Ceremony were held and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana confered national honours on best performing farmers.
The theme for the 38th National Farmers’ Day Celebration –Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition- is instructive and an eye opener in the wake of prevailing global challenges.
Jack Grealish admitted that his harsh remarks against Miguel Almiron were “one thing I regret” and expressed regret for them.
In the wake of Manchester City’s Premier League victory earlier this year, the winger directed a stinging jab at his Newcastle United counterpart.
In a viral video, Grealish referred to Riyad Mahrez’s final-day performance against Aston Villa as “playing like Almiron” and said he had welcomed Mahrez’s removal because the Algerian had struggled for the Magpies.
Almiron, who scored six goals in six games in October, won the Premier League’s Player of the Month and Goal of the Month accolades after seeing his play improve this season.
As he revisited the infamous incident, Grealishrevealed his respect for the former Atlanta United player, who he is thrilled to see thriving in the English top flight.
“I haven’t actually been asked about that and let me just address it,” the England international told The Independent. “It was the day after the season finished, and obviously I’d had a few drinks.
“Straight after that, because I didn’t realise, we were out celebrating, and I wasn’t on my phone on social media. I remember I was in Ibiza, and it had obviously come out. That was one thing I regret.
“I’m actually buzzing the way he’s reacted. He said something about me in the interview the other day, he wished me the best. I thought ‘what a guy’.
“Because if that was me, and somebody had said that about me, I’d have probably been the other way and been like ‘f**k it’.
“I messaged [Newcastle defender] Matt Targett because I’m close with him from Villa and I said to him ‘can you message him for me and say to him that I apologise? I obviously didn’t mean it’.
“When I look back on that, that was just one thing that was stupid of me to say. I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t realise it was a video to go out, I thought it was just private. But even in private, I shouldn’t have said it because he’s a fellow professional.
“I’m actually buzzing for him, I’ve had a lot of stick off the Newcastle fans and rightly so. At the end of the day, they are backing their player, which I fully understand. He seems like the most harmless, nice guy, so fair play.”
Grealish is on duty with the Three Lions at the World Cup in Qatar, appearing as a substitute in all three of their matches so far, while scoring the final goal of the commanding 6-2 win over Iran.
The winger will hope to feature again on Sunday, when Gareth Southgate’s side lock horns with Senegal at the Al Bayt Stadium for a place in the quarter-finals.
After a thrilling Group E final on Thursday, Japan and Spain advanced, and Joshua Kimmich referred to Germany’s devastating World Cup departure as the worst moment of his career.
Hansi Flick’s team kept their half of the deal with a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in their penultimate match, knowing that a victory would likely advance them to the round of 16 if Japan were to lose to Spain.
However, Japan mounted a dramatic comeback to defeat La Roja, ensuring they emerged as a surprise group winner and ruining Germany’s hopes of winning a sixth World Cup. Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka scored in the process.
Kimmich is devastated because Germany has now failed to go past the group stage at two World Cups in a row after doing so on each of their previous 16 visits at the competition.
“For me personally, this is the worst day of my career. I’m afraid I’ll fall into a hole,” Kimmich told reporters. “It makes you think these failures are connected to my person.
“This is definitely the most difficult day of my career for me. The second time being eliminated at a World Cup, in between we had the Euros, where we were eliminated early.
“That is bitter and there have been many missed opportunities within the last four years.”
Germany reached the semi-finals of Kimmich’s first major tournament at Euro 2016, but they have since fallen at the first hurdle at two World Cups and suffered a last-16 defeat to England at Euro 2020.
Costa Rica briefly took a surprise lead when Manuel Neuer put through his own net with 20 minutes remaining on Thursday, and Germany have now gone 12 major tournament games without a clean sheet (World Cup/Euros) – their longest ever streak.
Kimmich’s fellow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan hit out at Die Nationalmannschaft’s defending as he called on his team-mates to reflect on their shortcomings.
“We concede goals too easily, we lose balls too easily and up front we miss goalscoring chances too easily,” Gundogan said.
“Of course, as Germany, we have to have different aspirations, so we have to take a good look at ourselves.
“We just didn’t manage to do our best as a group, or maybe individually. We have to question what the reasons were and everyone has to look in the mirror and tell themselves that it wasn’t enough.”
At the current World Cup in Qatar, many fans’ favorite team is still Ghana’s Black Stars.
The Daily Show host, Trevor Noah, has publicly expressed his support for the West African team, the Black Stars, who will play Uruguay in their third match on December 2 in an effort to advance from the Group stages.
On his show, the South African comedian and writer revealed that whenever his nation is eliminated from the competition, he automatically switches sides to Ghana.
Since 2002, the South African national side has failed to earn a spot in the World Cup.
On November 14, 2021, Ghana’s penalty ended their chances of moving on to the next round of World Cup qualification, shattering all of their dreams.
“If South Africa is not in the World Cup which is most of the time, we used to be but now we are not anymore. I then immediately switch to Ghana.
“Ghana is the number one for me. I am glad that they actually won the game,” said Trevor Noah.
The popular TV host also named Senegal, Brazil and France among his favourite teams at the World Cup.
The prestigious Bhim Concert 2022 will feature Busy Signal as its headliner, according to official confirmation.
The sixth iteration of the yearly festival is scheduled for the Grand Arena (Accra International Conference Centre, AICC), on Friday, December 23, and will feature specially curated music, arts, and culture that aims to bring together locals and visitors with African and Caribbean roots.
The Jamaican-born reggae and dancehall singer, who is well-known for his musical inventiveness and creativity, brings a successful career spanning two decades to this year’s edition of Ghana’s largest artiste-led musical extravaganza. Since he launched his first hit single, “Step Out,” in 2003, he has gained recognition as one of the most renowned performers on the global dancehall scene.
Signal’s knack for lyrics and creating out-of-the-box musical dialogues while infusing traditional Caribbean music with afro-beats, soca, edm and hiphop have shown his vast versatility and attracted the likes of prominent EDM group Major Lazer for the hits “Watch Out For This (Bumaye)” and more recently “Jump.” Other collaborations with No Doubt and Damian and Stephen Marley, have further enlarged his international audience, while hits such as “Come Over”, “Bedroom Bully,” “One More Night” and more and have been staples in his core Caribbean fanbase.
Created by revered Ghanaian-international musician Stonebwoy, Bhim Concert has established itself as Ghana’s largest-scale and most well-attended artist-led music festival, expanding on the success of previous editions. Since its inception, the festival has featured a huge lineup of highly reputed musical artistes from across Africa and the Caribbean.
Recent Bhim Concert lineups have included special guests Morgan Heritage and Jamaican reggae and dancehall heavyweight Beenie Man, as well as some of the country’s most talented musical artistes, including DBlack, MzVee, Samini, Sefa, Kofi Kinaata, and others, who all delivered memorable performances amid the concert’s incredible stage design, production, and immense fans reaction.
You can find more information about tickets for this year’s event via Bhim Concert’s website: https://bhimconcert.com/ or dial *365*2022# For tables and reservations call +233501550000.
Today’s highly anticipated encounter between Ghana and Uruguay is a game with a special significance for Ghana’s Afropop singer KiDi.
It’s a “revenge match!” he declared on Twitter.
“Go Black Stars, go,” he also cheered.
He once more used the emoji for crossed swords to criticize Uruguay.
The tweet was posted on Monday, November 28, in the jubilation of Ghana’s 3-2 victory over South Korea in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Ghana had lost 3-2 to Portugal in their Qatar 2022 Group H debut, but this victory gave them reason for optimism.
The West African nation faces off against Uruguay, their bitter rivals who prevented them from achieving history at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, on Friday, December 2.
Ghana was on the verge of becoming the first nation from Africa to advance to the World Cup semifinal round.
However, Luis Suarez parried the ball with his hand, denying Ghana the victory in the frantic match’s closing seconds.
Asamoah Gyan’s subsequent penalty, which was similarly unsuccessful, broke the hearts of many supporters throughout Africa, but especially in Ghana.
To advance to the round of 16, the Otto Addo-led Ghana Black Stars must defeat Uruguay tomorrow.
Luis Suarez has emphasized that tomorrow’s game is a must-win while noting that Portugal and Ghana are leading Group H with 3 and 6 points, respectively.
“We have one point and the final match against Ghana is do and die. We have no option than to win to make our fans happy,” he has noted to the press.
“We are going to put our lives and soul in this last match,” he emphasised, adding confidently that: “Ghana is a good team but we know them, we have beaten them before and we know how to beat them again.”
Ayisha Modi, who is regarded as Stonebwoy’s biggest fan, and the musician have had a tense relationship for some time.
Ayisha latter has openly expressed her feelings on a jab the musician leveled at her in an interview.
Prior to Thursday, December 1, when Ayishajoined Stonebwoy on stage during a live performance at Lamajo Fest to spray cash on him, it seemed that their enviable romance had fallen apart.
Attendees, who were also shocked to see the two together, cheered loudly in response to the move.
The owner of Bhim Nation gave the female talent manager a hearty embrace and a wide smile. Users of social media claim that this represents peace at last.
One of the star athletes at the World Cup in Qatar has been Mohammed Kudus.
Anyone who has watched the 22-year-development old’s at Ajax and his Eredivisie season will not have been surprised by his performances for Ghana.
Kudus has established himself as one of football’s most sought-after attackers after excelling for both club and nation.
We put the Black Stars’ talented prodigy in the limelight as they attempt to secure their spot in the tournament’s last-16 in a crucial match against Uruguay.
World Cup versatility
Kudus’ performances in Ghana’s first two World Cup games served as ideal illustrations of his versatility.
He played central midfield in the 3-2 loss against Portugaland sent a risky ball into the penalty area, where Andre Ayew was able to score.
Kudus was then utilized on the right side of Ghana’s attack in the triumph over South Korea when manager Otto Addo changed to a 4-2-3-1 system and scored twice.
He gave his team an early 2-0 lead with a superb header before giving them the lead back with a composed left-footed effort after the Koreans had rallied for an equalizer.
Those goals took his tally at international level to seven in 20 appearances, which suggests that as good as Kudus is in a deeper position, his future with Ghana is likely to be further forward.
Mohammed Kudus’ touch map shows his versatility in Ghana’s World Cup campaign
Striking performances
Ajax head coach Alfred Schreuder certainly seems to think that the talents of Kudus are best used in attacking areas.
Schreuder has been using him as a false nine after two injury-plagued seasons under former manager Erik ten Hag, and he has responded with 10 goals in 21 appearances.
Six matches from the Champions League account for four of those. His goal against Liverpool at Anfield in particular stood out, with Kudus unleashing a powerful finish that rebounded off the crossbar.
The rising star is accustomed to this position because he filled it during his final year with Danish club Nordsjaelland, where he scored 11 Superliga goals and caught the eye of the Dutch powerhouses.
However, the 5-foot-9 player is rumored to like playing in the middle of the field, and Thiago Alcantara was his childhood hero.
Transfer talk
Europe’s biggest clubs do not seem put off by the debate over his positional future.
Before transforming his options with his performances for club and country, Kudus came close to making a summer transfer to Everton, even refusing to train to try and force through a move.
With no disrespect to the Merseysiders, it would appear that any chance that they had of signing him has come and gone.
Just about every major Premier League club have been linked with a move for Kudus since the World Cup started.
So too have the cream of Europe. With Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid all said to be monitoring the player, Kudus truly has the world at his feet.
Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus is a wanted man
Future roles
The fact that Kudus has already proved his ability to play in deep or attacking midfield roles, along with on the wing and as a striker just makes an eventual transfer more inevitable.
His many talents mean that any suitors do not have to worry too much about where they will utilise him, as he can seemingly play anywhere.
The player himself is likely to be more discerning and choose a club where he will be used in a settled role, rather than as a solution to multiple problems.
Ajax have a rich history of using creative midfielders as a No9 and it makes sense for Ghana to use him in a position where he can provide a cutting edge.
With his finishing ability, pace, skill and strength, Kudus has everything needed to be a top forward but his ability off the ball, both going forward and back, are also perfect for a midfielder.
For all the speculation regarding where Kudus will end up playing, it appears certain that it will be at an extremely high level.
Kwame Asare Obeng, well known by his stage as A Plus, was found guilty of contempt of court along with three other people after debating the merits of a defamation case that was now before the court.
He [A Plus], Felicity Nana Ama Agyeman, alias Nana Ama Mcbrown, Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, alias Afia Schwarzenegger, and Emmanuel Barnes, alias Mr. Logic, had been sued by Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling NPP.
Along with Fadda Dickson Narh and UTV, the four were present.
In its decision on December 1, 2022, the High Court found all of them guilty and sentenced them to pay GH60,000 in fines. If they fail to do so, they will serve two months in prison.
However, due to her absence from court on Thursday when the matter was called, Afia Schwarzenegger will serve 10 days in jail. A bench warrant was issued by the court for her immediate arrest.
However, the court granted Fadda Dickson Narh, the Executive Producer of the United Showbiz program on UTV, a pardon in its decision since he expressed regret before the issue was presented to court by ordering an apology to be published on UTV.
Reacting to the court ruling on his verified Facebook timeline, A Plus compared a similar contempt of court cases that happened under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration.
He said contemnor under the Mahama administration were made to pay as low as GHC3,000 as a fine but under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his “useless government” a contemnor is paying as high as GHC65,000 – because GHC3,000 under Akufo-Addo can be used to dragon spray and viagra.
A Plus wrote in pidgin, “as they take the money then the white for my eyes inside want turn yellow. Chai!! Immediately then I want write something for Facebook. Wey McBrown say, herh!! Another 65 be that. Gyae!!
“So if they catch the people wey they k!ll Jesus self like they go pay 65 thousand? This judge errrh…. my friend, money before you talk ooo. If e be you like by now your family members dey plan how to sell the cocoa farm to come comot you.”
He added, “Under Mahama, Hopeson Adoye paid 3000 for contempt. Sir John paid 10,000. Sammy Awuku paid 5000.
“Under Akufo Addo and his useless government, there is so much inflation that we were convicted to a fine of 65.000.00 because 3000 can only by dragon spray and viagra.”
“My right to freedom of expression is inalienable. If you can’t stand me just die. Such a ridiculous and shameful judgement!!!” A Plus stressed.
Roberto Martinez stated he would resign as the nation’s head coach after Belgium‘s 2022 World Cup group stage elimination on Thursday.
The Red Devils were eliminated from the World Cup after a scoreless tie with Croatia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, despite the fact that they were in need of a victory.
In his post-game interview, the Spaniard made an official announcement of his departure.
“This was my last game as national coach. I said goodbye to the players and staff,” Martinez said.
The third-placed team from the 2018 World Cupbegan their campaign with a valiant 1-0 victory against Canada before falling to Morocco. They needed a victory over the winners of the 2018 Russian Cup to advance, but they blew their chances.
“Today we were ourselves again. It is never easy to win a match at a World Cup. In that first match against Canada, we won, but we weren’t ourselves. We deservedly lost the second match against Morocco. We weren’t ready,” the 49-year-old added.
Despite 15 shots at goal, Belgium was unable to break through against the Croats. Notably, Lukaku blew three good opportunities.
Martinez stated that despite being one of the favorites to win the championship, they are leaving the international competition proud with what they have accomplished.
“Today we created a lot of chances, so no, I have no regrets. We can leave the World Cup with our heads held high.”
Mr Kofi Asare contends that rather than punishing students who engage in examination malpractice, the Exam Council ought to take proactive measures to avoid it.
He revealed this in an interview on JoyNews on Thursday.
Mr. Asare’s remarks come after WAEC cancelled a number of candidates’ exam results due to exam fraud during this year’s WASSCE exams.
In his words, “looking at the information issued by WAEC, we realized that there is an increase in the number of subjects that were cancelled relative to last year by almost 187 percent. So it has increased from from 1,300 last year to roughly 3,600 this year.
According to the data, the prevalence of exam fraud is growing, hence WAEC needs to be more aggressive in responding to such events as they happen.
The greatest method to stop examination malpractice, according to Mr. Asare, is to make sure it doesn’t happen in the first place rather than trying to fix it after it has already happened.
Even though Ghana performed better this year in the WASSCE exam, he pointed out that the country still has a long way to go.
For WASSCE applicants taking the 2022 exam, the West African Examination Council has announced preliminary results.
According to a statement released by WAEC on Thursday, the results only apply to students from Ghana who sat the examinations this year.
The exam body claims that candidates can view the results on its website.
The most senior US general, Mark Milley, stated last month that since the start of the war, roughly 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded.
Ursula Von der Leyen, the leader of the EU Commission, said that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in a video message on Wednesday. A representative for the EU Commission later stated that this was an error and that the number really included both the dead and the injured.
Mr. Podolyak claimed that Kyiv was “openly discussing about the number of the killed” in an interview with Ukrainian television station Channel 24.
He added: “We have official assessments by the General Staff and the commander-in-chief [Mr. Zelensky], and they range from 10,000 to 12,500-13,000 killed.
He continued by saying that “substantial” numbers of civilians may have been killed. By the middle of June, 3,600 civilian fatalities had been reported by BBC News. The number is probably considerably higher now.
According to Ms. von der Leyen, 20,000 civilians in Ukraine were slain. Although the EU Commission did not retract that figure, it was eliminated from later iterations of the movie along with the claim that 100,000 troops had been slain.
Mr Podolyak also suggested that up to 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began on 24 February, and that a further 100,000 to 150,000 had been wounded, or were missing or unable to return to combat.
The BBC’s Russian Service has established that at least 9,311 Russian soldiers of all ranks have been killed since the invasion on 24 February while the true death toll could be more than 18,600.
In other developments:
The Ukrainian military said Russia was using dummy nuclear-capable missiles to exhaust Ukraine’s air defences. Russia was using rockets designed for nuclear use without explosive warheads, Ukrainian military experts said, suggesting this might be because the country has used so many of its other missiles in massive strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure
Another senior adviser to President Zelensky, Oleg Ustenko, accused BP of being entitled to hundreds of millions of pounds in “blood money” from investments in Russia. BP said it was no longer receiving any profits from Russian energy giant Rosneft
The US and French presidents have said they will keep working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its actions. At a press conference during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to the White House, President Biden also said that he was “prepared to speak to Mr Putin” in order to broker an end to the war
TikTok is hosting dozens of videos glorifying violence by Russia’s Wagner group of mercenaries, according to a new report. The videos have been viewed more than a billion times, found US-based organisation NewsGuard. Tiktok said it will act against any content violating its policies.
The ongoing SIM deactivation would not affect anyone who have not yet received their Ghana Cards, according to the National Communications Authority (NCA).
According to a statement made on Wednesday by the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, some services would be cut off for users who did not finish the biometric registration step.
Voice, data (mobile, phones, mifis, and other data-providing devices), SMS (incoming and outgoing), USSD, mobile money services, and emergency services are among the services that will be blocked.
However, Nana Defie Badu, the NCA’s Director for Consumer & Corporate Affairs, stated that those who have not yet received their Ghana Cards will be excused.
“For those who did not have their Ghana cards and have not been able to register, those people will be exempt from any punitive measures pending the NIA giving them their Ghana card,” she disclosed on JoyNews on Thursday.
She continued by saying that the reason the NCA had been established was to assist in addressing the general public’s worries regarding their incapacity to register SIM cards.
“We acknowledge that there are some people who actually did the stage where they actually linked the sim to the Ghana card but unfortunately, after doing that their Ghana card were either lost, damaged or through no fault of theirs, they could not proceed to do stage two.
“So, for these people, we have actually asked that they should engage the NCA by calling our toll-free number. After we do an investigation and verify the issue, these people will also be put on the exclusion list pending them getting their Ghana cards reissued to them,” she told the host.
Meanwhile, AirtelTigo has announced that all SIM cards that are not fully registered on its network as of November 30 2022, will be blocked from accessing all services.
Customers who have successfully linked their SIM cards to their Ghana Cards but have not undergone biometric capture will effectively have all partially registered SIM cards blocked from making and receiving calls, accessing the internet and mobile money services, sending and receiving SMS, and other services.
Ghana will today play Uruguay in the ongoing 2022 World Cup tournament happening in Qatar.
At exactly 3pm GMT, Otto Addo’s side will ensure they do not break the hearts of Ghanaians by qualifying to the next stage, as well as beat Uruguay to atone for sins of the former team led by Asamoah Gyan.
The two teams have history. For Ghana, it is a bad memory as Luis Suarez, who at the eleventh hour, decided to become a goalkeeper, robbed Ghana of a semi-final slot in the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.
Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, failed to capitalize on the penalty awarded to Ghana.
On the other hand, coach Otto Addo says he is not in search of revenge.
In his interactions with the media, he has stated that their match against Uruguay is just ‘normal’ and is optimistic that Black Stars will progress from Group H.
“For me, it’s a normal game, but like everyone, I was really sad in 2010 when that incident [of Luis Suarez denying Ghana a certain goal] happened and we missed our chance to proceed to the semis. But it is 12 years ago and Friday will be a different match with a different approach,” Addo said as quoted by the Ghana FA website.
“We are confident enough to know that we can beat them and make it to the next round. We are gradually picking up and I know the boys will show a lot of fight and a lot of passion.
“I am sure our efforts will be rewarded and we will go to the next stage.”
On his part, Uruguay forward, Luis Suarez, says he owes Ghanaians no apology for the Black Stars’ quarter final exit at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“The first time, I don’t apologise about that,” he told the media at a press conference ahead of Uruguay’s final group game against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.
“I take the handball – but the Ghana player missed a penalty, not me. Maybe I apologise if I injure a player but in this situation, I take a red card, the referee says penalty, it’s not my fault.”
In Group H, Ghana are second with three points following a 3-2 win over South Korea, while Portugal have already advanced with two wins over the Black Stars and Uruguay.
Uruguay drew with South Korea and are at the bottom of the group with a point, the same as the latter who have a superior goal difference.
Usain Bolt is disappointed at Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United, praising the forward for helping the team finish last season in the Premier League.
The Portugal captain left Old Trafford last month by mutual consent after harshly criticizing the team, manager Erik ten Hag, and owners, the Glazer family, in an interview.
Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and United supporter, expresses disappointment over the star’s decision but emphasizes that he understands it.
“It’s sad to see him go,” said Bolt of Ronaldo. “He played such an important role for us last season. He kept us in the Premier League last season. Because many games he was the one he scored, kept giving us points.
“So it is sad to see him go, but I understand by listening to his interview there is a lot going on that a lot of us don’t know.
“I wish him all the best on his journey because I am a massive Cristiano Ronaldofan. So it is sad to see him gone.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford.#MUFC
The sale by the Glazer family, who have long drawn criticism from the club’s supporters, has been anticipated by Ronaldo’s departure, and Bolt adds that it is something that fans have been eager to see for a time.
“For me, it has been [a] long time [coming] for the fans,” he added. “[They] have spoken about this for years. Since Alex Ferguson [left], the club has been up and down,
“It surprised me as a supporter to know that the club hasn’t really moved on technology-wise to try to improve and to help the players to move forward.
“So, to get new owners, hopefully they’ll come in and develop the club in a way that is necessary.”
According to Neymar’s father, the Brazilian superstar will be “back to his best” in time for the World Cup championship game.
After defeating Switzerland and Serbia in their opening two games in Qatar, the Selecao has already advanced to the round of 16 and only needs a point to take top place in their group.
Neymar was forced to sit out until the knockout rounds due to an ankle injury he sustained during the matchday one triumph over Serbia.
Despite Neymar’s uncertain return date, Brazil are still among the favorites to win the competition.
The forward, though, will reportedly return in plenty of time for the World Cup final, provided Brazil advances that far. He is just two goals shy from tying Pele’s record total of 77 goals for Brazil.
The most crucial factor is that he can return to the field and perform at his top, Neymar Sr remarked in an interview with talkSPORT through an interpreter.
“When he was injured before and he came back again he was at his best. He will do his best.
“Everyone knows Neymar is very important, a great influence on the field and [on] all his colleagues. When Neymar is on the field it’s totally different because he’s number one. We know Neymar’s importance to the group.
“I believe Neymar will be in the field again in the final match and he’ll do his best to win the World Cup together with his colleagues in the Brazilian team.
“He’ll do his best to help them and together win the competition.”
Brazil face Cameroon in their final group game. They will meet the still undecided Group H runners-up if they do finish top.
The Selecao are aiming to win the tournament for the first time since 2002.
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