Black Stars forward Inaki Williams has been seen in the Athletic Bilbao camp after Ghana was disqualified from the 2022 World Cup.
Following a 2-0 loss against Uruguay, the Black Stars fell out of the tournament after the first round.
After defeating South Korea in their second group game, the Black Stars needed a draw or win against Uruguay to advance to the last 16 stage.
But the team failed to negotiate for points against their ‘enemies’ Uruguay.
Ghana made a strong start to the game, but fell apart after captain Andre Ayew missed a penalty in the 21st minute, a repeat of what happened in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Inaki, who switched nationality in June returned to Spain after the Black Stars were crashed out of the tournament at the group stage.
The forward featured in all three games for the Black Stars as the four-time African champions won only one match at the World Cup.
Following Ghana exit, the striker went straight to camp to receive his itinerary ahead of his return to training.
Williams has been given a week off and will resume training on Monday, December 11 before competitive football returns.
The 28-year-old will be available for Athletic Club’s mid-season friendly against Udinese before the Cup match against Sestao in Las Llanas
“I’m already in Lezama. I’m going to take a week’s vacation to come back as strong as possible, the return comes hard and with a lot of desire and enthusiasm,” said the forward.
Boost Media in partnership with Optimum Homes, a real estate firm, is scheduled to host Ghana’s first Ultimate Entrepreneur Competition to provide opportunity for young Ghanaian entrepreneurs to access the much needed funding for their entrepreneurial ventures.
The competition will further aim to provide mentorship and other support services needed to significantly reduce the startup failure rate in Ghana, improve business performance of startups and their impact on the larger society.
The competition, with a star prize of ¢10,000, is expected to contribute to enhancing job creation and poverty alleviation in the country whilst it inspires, cultivates and promotes the culture and spirit of entrepreneurship among young Ghanaians. It is also expected to boost the socio-economic development of the country through the creation of successful businesses and employment.
Organisers of the competition have described entrepreneurs as the driving forces of positive change and development in any society. In view of this fact, the apparent absence of an initiative aimed at discovering, developing and empowering young Ghanaian entrepreneurs at a significant scale in Ghana has motivated the creation of this competition ‘Ghana’s Ultimate Entrepreneur Competition’ (GUEC).
The Chief Executive Officer of Boost Media, Assistant Professor, Dr. Cynthia Addae, making a statement said the competition is a reality nationwide entrepreneurship competition designed to elicit, develop, and showcase the latent innovative ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit in Ghanaian youths towards realizing a broader purpose of nation building.
Accordingly, the contestants will be given a set of tasks which they will have to complete in the course of the competition. Also, during the period of the competition, the contestants will develop and sharpen their entrepreneurial skills as they complete different tasks and progress through the different stages of the competition.
specific criteria for evaluation and judgment at this stage will include – entrepreneurial vision, feasibility, innovation (technology integration), profitability, scalability, social impact and sustainability.
All voting will be done through a designated USSD code to be provided to the contestants and the general public.
Ghana is in talks with Emirates National Oil Co. for a barter arrangement that will enable the West African nation to buy fuel with gold.
The government reached a “tentative” agreement with the Dubai-based oil firm, said Kabiru Mahama, an economic adviser to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
Ghana, Africa’s second-largest gold producer, last week ordered large mining companies to sell 20% of the metal they refine to the central bank from January 1 as it builds up reserves of bullion to be used to import fuel and reduce demand for dollars after its currency plunged 57% this year.
“We’re open to any international oil-trading company that is interested,” Mahama said in a phone interview on Friday.
“Starting next October, all our oil-product needs would be swapped for gold.”
Ghana is struggling to stabilize its economy and sees the barter system as a way to stem a slide in the cedi — the world’s worst performer among currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
The weakening cedi is fueling inflation and depleting the nation’s foreign-exchange reserves.
Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government, which lost access to international capital markets this year because of ballooning debt and loan-service costs, plans to ask international bondholders to accept losses on their investments to pave the way for an International Monetary Fund bailout.
ENOC didn’t immediately respond to an email and a phone message requesting comment. Dubai’s government, which owns ENOC, also didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Government-to-Government
Dubai has a long association with the gold trade. While critics say that regulatory loopholes allow bullion used for money laundering and smuggled out of war zones to be traded in the city, Dubai’s commodities exchange has rejected those claims.
Gold trading was brought into the United Arab Emirates’s federally managed anti-money laundering reporting system last year.
“ENOC is interested in giving us refined oil for gold,” Steve Opata, head of financial markets at the Bank of Ghana, said in an interview on Monday.
“Depending on what quantities they are committed to giving us, we will give them the equivalent in gold. This is a government-to-government program.”
Ghana spends about $10 billion annually on imports, of which 48% is spent on purchasing fuel.
The government expects bartering gold for refined crude will help it rebuild gross international reserves that fell to $6.7 billion at the end of October, enough to cover just 2.9 months of imports, from $10.8 billion a year earlier.
The plunging currency resulted in inflation accelerating to 40.4% in October. That prompted the central bank to raise borrowing costs by 250 basis points to 27%, the highest level in more than 19 years.
The Bank of Ghana will buy the gold from mining companies in cedis. Ghana began buying gold last year — the first time in 60 years — to bolster its foreign reserves. The latest move ramps up the purchases.
“If we implement it as envisioned, it will fundamentally change our balance of payments,” Bawumia said in a Facebook post.
Oil importers’ demand for dollars “in the face of dwindling foreign-exchange reserves results in the depreciation of the cedi and increases in the cost of living with higher prices for fuel, transportation and utilities,” he said.
The Sawla police have detained three farmers from Nasoyiri in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah area for consuming suspected human flesh.
The three are said to have cooked what they thought was chimpanzee flesh that had been burned by bushfires on their property.
A fourth person present examined the flesh and believed it was human.
The three farmers then went to the landowners in Jentilpe for cleansing, but the landlords denounced them to the police.
Police investigations are still ongoing.
Bagbol Eridon Eric, an Assembly member for the area, verified the story to Citi News, saying the farmers only realized the meat was human after they had devoured some of it.
The Church of Pentecost forbids its members from producing or selling alcohol or cigarettes.
Members are not permitted to sell anything that are damaging to the physical, emotional, or spiritual welfare of others, according to the religion.
The command was included in new standards of conduct for members of the Pentecostal Church.
“In your business, endeavour to make all your dealings and transactions Bible-based, honest and transparent. A true child of God should not deal in items known to be detrimental to the spiritual, mental and physical health of others, e.g., alcohol, cigarettes and narcotic drugs.”
The church also stated that members who participate in pre-marital or extra-marital sex will be penalized as part of the edict.
“Pre-marital and extra-marital relationships have no place in the Church of God; members found in such relationships should be punished by suspension and/ or withdrawal from fellowship.”
The Church also requested members not to talk disrespectfully or disparagingly about the Church or God’s servants, but instead to express their concerns and grievances to the proper authorities for explanation or remedy.
The 4th National Communications Honors was held this past weekend at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, and Vodafone Ghana won five important awards there.
The Vodafone Ghana Fixed Broadband team received the Access Innovation Award for Broadband Connectivity, while the Vodafone Ghana Foundation received the Social Contribution Award.
Furthermore, the organisers named Vodafone Cash one of Africa’s Top 20 Technology and Telecom Products.
Two of the telco’s executives were also honoured with Patricia Obo-Nai, Vodafone Ghana CEO, named Transformational Technology Leader of the Year, and Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, HR Director of Vodafone Ghana, was named Telecom HR Personality of the Year.
In her remarks about the awards, Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Human Resources Director at Vodafone Ghana, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the event’s organisers, Vodafone employees, and customers.
“These awards demonstrate Vodafone Ghana’s commitment to introducing innovative and creative ways to ensure that we adhere to best practices.”
It validates our commitment to providing our customers with an unparalleled experience.
“We will continue to invest in our network and people to provide quality services to our customers,” she said.
These new awards, along with Vodafone’s extensive list of past honours, solidify the technology company’s leadership in product innovation, creative and engaging advertising, and sustainable community campaigns that promote development.
The National Communications Awards are a prestigious, high-impact development communications program created and produced by RAD Communications Limited to promote effective communication as a means of national development.
The awards are given to individuals and organisations that have demonstrated excellence while tackling new challenges in Ghana’s media, information, and communications sectors.
Vodafone Ghana received five prestigious awards at the 4th National Communications Awards, which was held this past weekend at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
The Vodafone Ghana Fixed Broadband team received the Access Innovation Award for Broadband Connectivity, while the Vodafone Ghana Foundation received the Social Contribution Award.
Furthermore, the organisers named Vodafone Cash one of Africa’s Top 20 Technology and Telecom Products.
Two of the telco’s executives were also honoured with Patricia Obo-Nai, Vodafone Ghana CEO, named Transformational Technology Leader of the Year, and Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, HR Director of Vodafone Ghana, was named Telecom HR Personality of the Year.
In her remarks about the awards, Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Human Resources Director at Vodafone Ghana, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the event’s organisers, Vodafone employees, and customers.
“These awards demonstrate Vodafone Ghana’s commitment to introducing innovative and creative ways to ensure that we adhere to best practices.”
It validates our commitment to providing our customers with an unparalleled experience.
“We will continue to invest in our network and people to provide quality services to our customers,” she said.
These new awards, along with Vodafone’s extensive list of past honours, solidify the technology company’s leadership in product innovation, creative and engaging advertising, and sustainable community campaigns that promote development.
The National Communications Awards are a prestigious, high-impact development communications program created and produced by RAD Communications Limited to promote effective communication as a means of national development.
The awards are given to individuals and organisations that have demonstrated excellence while tackling new challenges in Ghana’s media, information, and communications sectors.
Director of African Studies Center at the Oxford University, Professor Miles Lamer says a major way of ensuring optimal benefit of the mineral resources on the African continent is through Corporate Social Responsibility.
The University of Oxford in partnership with Ghana Gold Expo is seeking to drive a frame work geared towards promoting corporate social responsibility in mining communities.
Speaking in an interview ahead of a workshop, the Oxford University Professor said there is no better time than now for a push for Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.
“We think Corporate Social Responsibility provides one great avenue to ensure that more resources produced on the continent stays on the continent.
“So we are bringing Africans together to learn about practicing Corporate Social Responsibilities and to find ways to influence and to encourage good CSR. Aside, paying taxes and royalties there should be focus on support the community that produces the gold,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Director of Ghana Gold Expo, Dr. Stephen Blessing Ackah explained the rationale behind the collaboration with Oxford University and how the nation stands to benefit.
“We have more than 16 mineral resources in the country, but we can all see that the ordinary people are not benefiting, so we’re hoping that this workshop will make mining companies understand how to give back,” he said.
The Spanish winger Nico Williams does not want to be continually compared to his older brother Inaki Williams and instead wants to forge his own path.
Since making it onto Athletic Bilbao’s first team, the 20-year-old has seen his career soar.
Williams Jr earned his first Spain invite in September and represented the European country at the World Cup in Qatar.
However, anytime his name is mentioned, there is a reference to his senior brother who plays for the Black Stars of Ghana.
“Being the little one I have always been the brother of, and it is something that is difficult to digest. I will always be proud of my brother and very grateful for everything he has made by me, but I also have to fly on my own and mark my own destiny in football,” he told El Correo .
“With your help and with the help of many others, I am sure that I can achieve the goals that I have set for myself. I am young and I still have a lot to grow as a soccer player,” he added.
The Williams brother has been in red-hot form for Athletic Club in La Liga, with the duo sharing eight goals between them this season.
Black Stars forward Inaki Williams is off the view that Mohammed Kudus is growing too large for a team like Ajax.
After dominating in the World Cup in Qatar, the 22-year-old midfielder for Ajax made headlines for all the right reasons. In three games, Kudus contributed an assist and two goals.
Several clubs have started circulating around the Ghana midfielder with Barcelona linked with the Right to Dream Academy graduate.
Williams who played with Kudus at the World Cup was surprised by the potential of the player and insists the Ajax star is destine for greatness.
“I already had him signed before coming, because I had heard about him and had seen his goals. When I played the last national team break with him, he already surprised me a lot,” said Williams on La Pizarra de Quintana.
“To my colleagues, when they asked me if someone had impressed me, I always talked about him. I think Ajax is starting to get too small for him and hopefully he will make the leap to a big one soon. I would have liked him to have had a Basque family member to be able to bring him to Bilbao because he is a bomb, he is a machine. He is very complete and with his young age he still has a lot of room for improvement,” he added.
Williams was emphatic when asked if he sees Kudus at Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid.
“Yes,” he answered. “I see him playing in a great club. It has plenty of potential and a great margin for improvement, its ceiling has not yet been seen at all. I think she may be one of the short-term revelations,” he added.
The Black Panther sequel is still raking in some considerable amount of cash as Forbes reports that the Disney movie remained number one on the U.S. box office rankings for the fourth consecutive weekend. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forevertook in $17.6 million over the weekend, per Box Office Mojo.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever features stars such as Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett reprising their roles. And following its release in November, the movie has so far earned over $393 million in gross revenue from ticket sales in the United States.
Prior to topping the charts for four straight weeks, last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was the only movie to have attained this feat, per The Hollywood Reporter. Wakanda Forever, which was also originally set to have the late Chadwick Boseman reprising his role as the lead character, is currently among 2022’s top three highest-grossing movies. In its first weekend, the Disney movie took in $181 million locally – making it the second-highest opening weekend for a 2022 project, Forbes reported.
But Wakanda Forever could not better the record set by Black Panther as the 2018 movie earned $202 million during its first weekend. The Chadwick Boseman-starred movie notably grossed $700 million, making it the highest-earning project in 2018.
The other movies that trailed Wakanda Forever on this weekend’s U.S. box office rankings include Violent Night ($13.3 million), Strange World ($4.9 million), The Menu ($3.6 million), and Devotion ($2.8 million).
Following its debut, the Black Panther movies have become more than a work of art, but a movement aligned with black empowerment, black excellence, and unity. This feeling has rolled over from the set to many international stages where important personalities have gestured the Wakanda Forever salute.
Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, says the Sunyani Regional Hospital will soon be upgraded to a teaching hospital.
This, according to him, is in efforts to provide quality health service to the people of the area.
The Minister emphasized that improving the hospital will benefit the populace because they currently have to travel great distances in ambulances to receive referrals from Dormaa-Ahenkro to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
Mr Agyemang Manu also hinted that other health establishments including the Dormaa-Akwamu Hospital and the Wamfie District Hospital would also be given face lifts to become 60-bed capacity health facilities.
The thanksgiving service was graced by some traditional rulers including Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area and President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs as well as the wife and family members of Mr Ntim.
Also in attendance were other high-ranking members of government and the NPP such as Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, Mr Emmanuel Kofi Agyemang, the District Chief Executive for Dormaa East, Mr Paul Apraku Twum, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa East, regional and constituency executives of the Party, former MPs, religious leaders, and some members of the public.
The occasion was characterised by singing worship and praise songs. All attendees were also clad in white. They thanked God for Mr Ntim’s victory and expressed commitment and willingness to support the NPP to win the three constituencies in the Dormaa enclave.
On how to build a stronger party, Mr. Agyemang-Manu suggested to party members to eschew divisive tendencies, bitterness and rancour and give unflinching support to the national chairperson in the interest of the NPP.
“We must stop trading insults at each other and be united for the Party’s progress. It will be an embarrassment if we fail to secure 12 seats in Bono,” he added.
Ghana’s request that private pensions forfeit some interest payments on government bonds to help it restructure debt and qualify for $3 billion of International Monetary Fund (IMF) support has received short shrift from local funds.
The West African country on Monday started offering domestic bondholders fresh local-currency bonds that won’t pay interest before 2024 in exchange for their existing debt.
But private pension funds, which held about 5.5% of domestic bonds as of the end of August, say the deal isn’t acceptable and want the government to discuss new terms.
“The proposal as put forth by the Minister of Finance is inferior to market expectation and will destroy the savings of Ghanaians and further undermine market confidence,” the Chamber of Corporate Trustees, an umbrella body for private pension trustees, said in a statement Tuesday.
“This is why we reject it outright.”
The West African economy launched a portal Monday where domestic bondholders can apply until Dec. 19 to replace about 137 billion cedis ($10.4 billion) of existing debt with new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032 and 2037.
Interest on the new bonds will not accrue until 2024 to reduce the country’s debt burden. Investors won’t receive annual coupon payments in 2023, 5% in 2024 and 10% from 2025 onward, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The pensions’ pushback could derail a debt-exchange program aimed at reducing Ghana’s debt burden and interest payments so it can qualify for IMF support.
Representatives of the Washington-based lender are in Ghana to complete talks with authorities in a mission set to end on December 13. Ghana and the organization, which have been in discussions since July, have said they are targeting an IMF staff-level agreement this month on a three-year program of as much as $3 billion.
The country had 393.4 billion cedis ($29.9 billion) of debt at the end of June, and debt-serving costs equivalent to 68% of tax revenue over the same period, according to budget data.
Ghana’s cedi, the world’s worst-performing currency against the dollar this year, has lost 53% of its value, increasing the cost of servicing the loans.
Kenya intends to bid to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside other countries in East Africa.
The Kenyan government has sanctioned the plan, with the ultimate aim of qualifying for the men’s World Cup for the first time in 2030.
The Harambee Stars have played at the Nations Cup just twice since 1993, and were barred from qualifiers for the 2023 finals because the country was serving a ban from global football.
That sanction, imposed by world governing body FIFA, was lifted last month.
However, Kenya would need to invest in stadia and infrastructure to be able to host the tournament.
Cameroon used six venues to host the delayed 2021 edition earlier this year, while Kenya has just one stadium approved for international games by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
That is the Nyayo National Stadium, which is in the capital Nairobi.
The Nyayo National Stadium in the Kenyan capital Nairobi is likely to be involved in a bid to host the Africa Cup of Nations
A statement from the Kenyan government said its cabinet had “sanctioned the revitalisation of football as a key cog of our nation’s social fabric” in a bid “to revive the prospects of Kenyan football”.
“This national effort will encompass the rebuilding of the national men’s team and women’s team,” the statement added.
“Cabinet noted that the joint bid would deploy the power of sports in furthering regional integration.”
Potential co-hosts alongside Kenya for the 24-team tournament would be neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania, but neither have commented on the statement by the Kenyan government.
Botswana and Namibia have already announced a joint bid for the 2027 edition of the Nations Cup.
Meanwhile, Caf’s process to choose a new host for the 2025 finals is still ongoing, with a deadline on 16 December for finalised bids – including documents, proposed host cities and government guarantees – to reach its Cairo headquarters.
The finals were initially awarded to Guinea, but the West African country was stripped of hosting rights at the start of October because of a lack of suitably advanced infrastructure and facilities.
Guinea had nearly a decade to prepare for the finals, having originally been named as host of the 2023 Nations Cup in 2014, but were then asked to host in 2025 instead.
Last month Ivory Coast’s government signed a formal hosting agreement with Caf for the 2023 nations Cup, which will actually take place in early 2024.
Busy Signal has officially been confirmed as a headlining artist of Bhim Concert 2022.
The annual festival, now in its 6th instalment, is scheduled for the Grand Arena (Accra International Conference Centre, AICC), on Friday, December 23, for an immersive experience that seeks to unite African and Caribbean roots, as well as locals and visitors, through specially curated music, arts, and culture.
Known for musical innovation and creativity, the Jamaican-born reggae and dancehall artist brings to this year’s edition of Ghana’s largest artiste-led musical concert a prolific career spanning two decades that shows no signs of stopping.
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.
The Member of Parliament for Korle-Klottey constituency, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has admonished Ghanaian farmers to add value to their produce that can be sold in supermarkets and shops.
He charged farmers in the country to produce fruits and vegetables that meet the standards of supermarkets and shops.
This, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings believes the move can reduce the importation of foods into the country, which has a huge effect on the local currency.
“Farmers must also add value to their produce so that they can sell to the supermarkets and shops to reduce importation,” Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings said this during the Farmers’ Day Celebration organised by the Korle-Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA).”
She charged farmers to ensure that Ghana is self-sufficient when it comes to food production.
“Let us ensure that we ourselves are self-sufficient, food security is part of our national security and can at least ensure that we are ticking out one item on the list of our national security strategy,” the Legislator advised.
Dr. Agyemang Rawlings pleaded with the assembly and other Municipal District and Assemblies (MDAs), to provide lands for residents within the assembly to cultivate crops, which will serve as source of income for them.
“I will plead with our assembly to make provision for people who will like to have a piece of land where they can cultivate crops or rear animals within the urban centres that will not be a nuisance but will be a source of income and food to people,” the MP for Korle-Klottey.
Farmers’ Day was marked across all 16 regions, where farmers were honoured with prizes for pushing the agricultural sector.
The 38th National Farmers’ Day awards was held on December 2, 2022, at the Jubilee Park at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Military Police personnel have arrested one Rufai Abubakarfor posing as aSeniorMilitaryOfficer and trying to access a military installation at Burma Camp in Accra.
The suspect, who was dressed in a military camouflage uniform, decorated with fake Lieutenant Colonel ranks, according to a statement from the Ghana Armed Forces, claimed he was stationed at Northern Command Headquarters and was proceeding to the Air Force Base to book a flight to Tamale.
“The suspectwho entered Burma Campin a commercial vehiclewascloselymonitored as he alighted at a bus stop andheaded tothe Air Force Base.”
“The guards on dutynotedhis suspicious behaviour, questioned him and after some incoherent answers, he confessed he was not aservice personnel,” the Ghana Armed Forces added in a statement.
According to the Ghana Armed Forces, the suspect also disclosed that he posed as aSeniorMilitaryOfficerto enable himtodefraud one Mr Abdallah Abdul Fatahu from whom he had collected an amount of GH¢3,000 under the pretext of recruiting him into the Ghana Armed Forces.
At the time of arrest,the suspecthad in his possession fake military identification and business cards and other documents bearing his name.
A follow–up search by the Military Police at his two residences at Ablekuma Fan Milk and Olebu respectivelyled to the retrieval of documents includingseveralcertificates and fake Ghana Armed Forces recruitment application summary reports bearingnames of defrauded persons,military uniforms and accoutrements and a toy pistol.
The suspect,Rafui Abubakar has since been handed over to the Police CID for further investigation and prosecution.
The statement added that considering that his two wives living at Ablekuma and Olebu respectively wereunderthe false impression that their husband was a real military officer, it is possible that many other personsmay have fallen victim to his impersonations and fraudulent activities.
The Ghana Armed Forces entreated persons who have been defrauded by the fake soldier tocontact the Police CIDto help in investigations and to support GAF and the Security Services in weeding out miscreants within the communities.
The Ghana WaterCompany Limited (GWCL) has announced a 48-hour interruption in the supply of water to certain parts of Accra.
The development, according to the GWCL, is due to planned maintenance works on the Tema Booster Station.
In a statement, the company explained the work will result in a shutdown from Wednesday, 7 December 2022 to Friday, 9 December 2022.
The statement noted engineers are scheduled to install new equipment which includes a heavy-duty pump at the Tema Booster Station which will improve the volumes of water distributed in the district.
The affected areas will include Tema, Industrial Area, Baatsonaa, Coca-Cola, Kasapreko, Lashibi, Klagoon, Sakumono, Ashaiman, Adjei-Kojo, Borteyeman, and Santoe.
Others are Trassaco, Afresco Estate, Manet Court, Regimanuel Estates, O’Reilly Senior High School, Airport Hills, Martey Tsuru and surrounding communities.
Meanwhile, GWCL said it has rented water tankers to supply water to essential service providers like hospitals and schools to forestall any eventuality.
“Consumers in the affected areas have also been encouraged to store some water while water is flowing now.
The supply of water is expected to resume immediately after the mission is accomplished,” the statement admonished.
Hair greying is a ubiquitous, visible and significant feature of the humanageing process (O’Sullivan et al., 2021; Tobin, 2011).
The onset of hair greying in humans varies from person to person, as well as among racial groups of people based on genetic and other germane factors.
It has been established empirically that white people start to grey in their mid-or late 30s whereas African Americans begin to grey in their mid-40s. Averagely, however, most people grow grey hair in their late 30s or mid-40s.
Hair research suggests that after age 30, there is about a 10 per cent decrease in melanin levels. By age 50, half of men and women tend to have at least 50 per cent grey hair.
However, people can get grey hair at any age, even as early as their basic school years. In view of the age influence of grey hair, most people start having grey hair around the same age their parents or grandparents first had it. It takes more than 10 years for all of a person’s hair to turn grey.
Whereas it is globally believed that grey hair is a harbinger of old age, others also believe from religious and social perspectives that grey hair is a sign of wisdom.
Do wise people have grey hair? Is every person with grey hair a wise person? These questions constitute the impetus for this piece.
Ageing and hair colour
It is a trite occurrence worldwide that hair colour changes as people age. Hair greying is thus a hallmark of aging and it affects almost everyone but exceptions abound.
Scientifically, the loss of hair colour is due to the loss of melanin, a pigment found in the skin, eyes and hair.
Melanin and genetic codes give colour to the hair. As people grow older, pigment cells in their hair follicles (tubes of tissue under the skin) gradually die, leading to a more transparent colour (grey, silver or white).
Apart from ageing, other factors such as limited vitamin B12 deficiency, stress, thyroid disease, vitiligo and smoking lead to hair greying.
The claim that stress leads to hair greying has been debated over the years without much evidence. However, a new study shows that stress leads to premature hair greying by affecting the stem cells that regenerate hair pigment.
Religion
Religiously, people believe that a person with grey hair personifies wisdom. The three Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have certain recognition for grey-haired individuals.
Both science and religion agree that grey hair is a sign of ageing. However, science does not say that ageing necessarily connotes wisdom but religion shows that grey signifies wisdom.
In Judaism and Christianity, God commanded such demonstrations of respect for grey hair in the laws He gave to ancient Israel.
For example, God said, “You shall stand up before the grey head and honour the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19: 32). Other Biblical verses talk about the relevance of grey hair in old age.
In Islam, it is said that Ka’b ibn Murrah (a 4th century Islamic ancestor) said, “If a person’s hair turns grey in Islam, it will be light for him on the day of resurrection.”
Debate
Many cultures cherish the aged. The youth are taught to respect their elders, especially because God says, “honour the face of an old man.”
Does it mean the aged are wiser than the youth? The answer is no. Both the youth and the aged can exhibit wisdom.
God is the one who gives wisdom (Proverbs 2:6); hence, in the past, He gave wisdom to so many young persons, including King Solomon and Jesus Christ, who were wiser than even the old people in ancient Israel.
To me, therefore, the trite assertion that grey is a sign of wisdom is the misconstrued form of the fact that a person who develops grey hair due to ageing might have had certain experiences in life that the youth have not yet had.
The general statement that grey hair necessarily signifies wisdom is a fallacy of a sort because there are times that the youth rather exhibit more maturity and wisdom than the grey-haired.
Indeed, if wisdom is a gift from God as the Bible demonstrates with Solomon and Jesus as personified examples, then the aged with grey hair cannot be said to be the protectorates of wisdom.
If not so, then does it mean that the aged who have not had pigment or melanin reduction in their bodies and for that matter do not grow grey hair are not wise?
I thus dare say that whether wisdom is God-given or not, it must be expanded with life’s experiences and not necessarily with hair colour.
For example, the erstwhile Secretary General of the United Nations, the late Kofi Annan exhibited a lot of wisdom in managing the world body even when he did not have grey hair.
The thinking that wisdom lies in the skull of he who has grey hair might amount to the fallacy of irrelevant conclusion and, therefore, faulty reasoning.
That does not also mean that certain aged persons who have grey hair are not wise. Many aged are wise but they do not necessarily derive their wisdom from the grey hair they have.
Conclusion
Hair greying is a natural irreversible process, which does not respect race and gender. Various societies and religious groups cherish grey hair.
Most people hold the view that grey hair is a sign of wisdom. I disagree with this school of thought and contend that grey hair is not a guarantee that the mind beneath it is yielded to wisdom.
Notwithstanding, age-based grey hair signifies that a person has mellowed with age and gained understanding he or she might not have had in his or her youthful age.
In this regard, grey hair can be evidence that a person has lived long and has much to offer younger generations, even though this may not be a generic case for all persons with grey hair.
This is because a mentally retarded aged person with grey hair, for example, cannot be cited as a source of wisdom for the youth to learn from.
A member of the Ghana Football Association‘s Executive Council Dr. Tony Aubynn has stated that the GFA would not apologize for their dismal performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He contends that the emphasis need to be on encouraging the present national team roster to do well in the upcoming assignment.
“The materials available was what the coaches used, the FA did everything right (via motivation), we just didn’t do well. Will the Germany also apologize for their exit?
“Because people tipped them (Germany) as favorite but were eliminated, they told themselves it’s a building process same as Morocco. We just need to give our players the needed time since we are building,” Dr. Tony Aubynn said in an interview with Akoma FM.
A Mozambican court has sentenced the son of a former president and others to prison for their role in the “tuna bonds” corruptionscandal.
Ex-President Armando Guebuza’s son, Ndambi Guebuza, and two former heads of intelligence, Gregorio Leao and Antonio do Rosario, each got 12 years behind bars.
Eight of their co-accused were convicted and sentenced to between 10 and 12 years.
“The crimes committed have brought consequences whose effects will last for generations,” Judge Efigenio Baptista said while handing down the sentences.
A total of 19 people had been charged with blackmail, embezzlement and money laundering over their alleged roles in Mozambique’s biggest financial scandal. Eight have been acquitted for lack of evidence.
The scandal involved the country borrowing more than $2bn ($1.6bn) from international banks, much of it without the knowledge or approval of the country’s parliament, triggering an economic crisis.
In an Onua FM interview, she asked netizens to watch out for them while noting that they have each other in their plans should their pursuits not go as expected.
“We have come to an agreement that, after two years, if I don’t have a lover and he also does not have one, we will have a child.
“So watch out, if you don’t hear that either Kalybos or myself is married, we will have a baby coming out. We will probably start paying attention to each other. We are in each other’s plans,” she said.
Despite rumours about the Kalybos secretly getting married, Patri’s revelation seems to disprove them.
Ahoufe Patri and Kalybos segued into the limelight through the popular comedy series ‘Boys Kasa’ which aired in 2014.
In time past, netizens hoped for the actors to be in some sort of relationship because of how well they gelled when on set.
Netizens may have their dream come true if, in two years, the two acts don’t find partners of their own.
The Country Director of the Young Educators Foundation, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, has admonished students to desist from memorising their lesson notes and reproducing same during examinations, popularly known as ‘chew and pour’.
Speaking at the Ghana Science and Technology Explorer Prize (GSTEP) Challenge, Madam Tachie-Menson observed that most competitors memorised to pass a test without necessarily understanding what they are taught.
It is on the back of this that the Country Director advised the students to use their own words when making presentations.
“Let’s learn not to commit presentations to memory, let’s speak to the concept. Whenever the presentations are being projected and you’re speaking, we can see the words and it’s word for word.
“This tends to be a very Ghanaian way of learning and teaching but it’s not the right way,” she stated.
The twenty-five Junior High Schools in the Greater Accra Region who were initiated into GSTEP Challenge in September recently passed the judging phase after going through several stages.
The challenge, organised by the DreamOval Foundation and other partners, sought to support junior high school students with the needed resources to develop applicable skills in solving societal problems using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
The Foundervine’s Programmes Manager, Elikem Kofi Anuaku, said that the GSTEP also aims at reaching out to about a thousand students across the country.
This initiative complements the government’s efforts to promote STEM education.
In an interview with JoyNews, the judges said they were impressed by the prototypes from the various teams.
The Director of the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Peter Quarteyis calling for a broader stakeholder engagement on the newly launched Domestic Debt Exchange Programme in order to restore stability in the financial landscape.
According to him, if government fails to engage more, there are going to be capital flights.
Speaking at the 2023 post budget forum organized by his outfit, Professor Quartey said a national consensus is key to the sustainability of the newly launched domestic debt exchange programme.
He warned that if broader engagement is not held, there are going to more capital flights.
“The onus lies on government to initiate that national consensus. It has to deepen its consultations with key stakeholders to communicate clearly what this debt exchange programme and weigh the strengths and weaknesses are”.
He added that it will take a long while to regain confidence at the level of 2019 even within and after an IMF Programme.
“It will take a long while for us to be back to pre-2019. So, we are not in normal times but I also have to quickly add that it’s inevitable and we have to embrace it carefully”.
On the bit about the 2023 budget, Professor Quartey called on government to review its flagship programmes and realign expenditure.
“If you look at expenditure for 2023, education is taking ¢18 billion then agric is taking ¢2.15 billion, trade and industry ¢587 million. Why the huge disparity in spending? Why are we putting so much into education and not putting so much in the productive sectors of the economy”?
Meanwhile, the institute believes the 2023 Budget will restore macro-stability under an IMF programme.
Speech and Language Therapist, Zahrah Ibrahim has debunked claims that femalebabies develop speech swiftly than their male counterparts is a folk tale.
According to her, it was a myth in the olden days that made parents of male babies reluctant to seek help, even when their children could not speak.
Speaking on Prime Morning on Tuesday, the therapist asserted that child exposure is the major way to enhance speech development among children, rather than believing the myth.
“…it is a myth, actually. In the past, that’s what they were doing, and it made parents sit down and wait and say, because he’s a boy, let’s wait till he’s about 3 years old.”
“Just so you avoid this, expose your child as much as you can. Have conversations with your children. There are boys who pick up much faster than girls.
She implored parents to ignore the myth and intensify communication and understanding among their children, as it is the solution to improving their children’s speech.
The therapist also affirmed that early detection of the deficiency helps to rectify or avoid it.
Zahrah Ibrahim further attested to the fact that autism is one of the leading factors in language impairment. She added that some children without underlying conditions may also develop speech challenges.
“Currently, in the western world, we’re finding out that sometimes there may not be any medical condition, but there’s something we call DLD, a developmental language condition. That means that there isn’t any underlying cause, but the child is just finding it difficult to communicate,” she indicated.
Miss Zahrah further revealed that speech disorders in children could be genetic, as most kids inherit them from their parents, but they can be corrected.
According to her, the prevalence rate of children with communication difficulties is increasing, as 1 out of 5 schools in the country contain a child with speech difficulties.
The Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has said the Authority’s goalin the energy sector is to help to eradicate energy poverty.
In that regard, he said, the NPA would engage the Cabinet to remove some taxes on LPG to make it more accessible and affordable to Ghanaians, especially the poor.
Dr Abdul-Hamid gave the assurance that he would make a case for tax exemptions for some time for investors who would be establishing cylinder bottling plants in the northern part of Ghana for them to have maximum return on their investments.
The NPA Boss made this known in Accra on Tuesday at the launch of an awareness and sensitization campaign to promote the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
The aim is to discourage the use of wood fuel (firewood and charcoal) and increase the LPG penetration for domestic, commercial and industrial activities from the current 37 percent to 50 percent by 2030.
Dr Abdul-Hamid said the launch of the LPG campaign was to make LPG affordable, available and accessible to the Ghanaian people.
“We understand that perhaps the majority of the Ghanaian people are poor and most people cannot afford to buy cylinders and gas. So we at NPA in collaboration with our sector ministry are trying very hard to make it easy for people to access LPG”, he said.
The Second Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia, who launched the LPG Awareness and Sensitization Campaign, urged the public, especially women to adopt LPG as it is a cleaner, safer, and healthier cooking fuel.
She said the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking also contributes to climate change through emissions of greenhouse gases and black carbon as well as deforestation through the harvesting of wood and sometimes even economic trees like shea tree, and oak tree.
She noted that Ghana, like many other Sub-Saharan African countries, relies heavily on solid biomass fuels for domestic and commercial cooking and heating.
Hajia Samira said that women and children travel long distances to collect fuel in the form of firewood in most rural communities, and indicated that this time-consuming and exhausting task did not offer much time for other productive activities.
In addition to being strenuous, she said, there are many risks involved; including bites from venomous animals and increased risk of sexual assault.
That, she said, limits access to education which tends to restrict opportunities for economic growth, in addition to the adverse health impact, and noted that “It is mostly women and children who bear the brunt of this.”
Hajia Samira said LPG as an alternate cooking fuel is clean, safe, and efficient, and expressed joy that the NPA was promoting the use of LPG for cooking to ensure the attainment of government’s effort to increase LPG usage to 50% by 2030.
“Estimates indicate that cooking with LPG saves about four (4) productive hours daily. These extra hours gained daily can be used in productive areas like education, agriculture, and other income-generating activities.
“By increasing access and use of LPG we have an unprecedented opportunity to not only deliver significantly on gender equity, but also improve health, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and enhance livelihoods; all in one go”, she said.
Hajia Samira called for increased education on the safe use of LPG by including information on cylinder expiration dates and when to change or replace the various LPG accessories. I am confident that this campaign will ensure awareness on these issues.
Hajia Samira commended the Ministry of Energy and the NPA for their commitment toward driving awareness, adoption and use of LPG in households and other areas of the economy.
In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr Owuraku Aidoo, said the timing of the promotional drive was significant given the current debate about climate change with its associated environmental and health effects.
He said Climate change posed a greater responsibility on countries to adapt and adopt more environmentally sound practices to save the environment from further deterioration.
Mr Aidoo said it was, therefore, crucial for Ghana to play a lead role in discouraging any activity that has an adverse effect on the environment and my Ministry is ready to support the NPA and other allied institutions to stem this tide for our collective good.
The list of all qualified aspirants for national executive positions in the upcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC), scheduled for December 17, 2022 congress has been released.
In all, there are 81 aspirants with a total of 14 positions being contested.
Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo will come up against three others including the incumbent General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, but watchers have described it as a two-horse race.
With respect to the General Secretary contest, it is among three known faces in the NDC, the incumbent Deputy General Secretary, Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Elections of the NDC, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah and Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, a former MP.
The only aspirant whose position seems secured is Sammy Gyamfi who is unopposed for the National Communications Officer position which he currently holds.
Some other tough battles will be the Youth Organiser slot where incumbent George Opare Addo will come up against Brogya Genfi while Hanna Bissiw will face a challenger in Margaret Ansei for the Women’s Organiser portfolio.
The complete list of aspirants is produced below:
CHAIRMAN
SAMUEL YAW ADUSEI – 1
JOHNSON ASEIDU NKETIA – 2
SAMUEL OFOSU-AMPOFO – 3
NII ARMAH ASHIETEY – 4
At the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ghanaian winger Kamaldeen Sulemana has proven to be the sport’s fastest athlete.
Despite spending little time at the tournament, the 22-year-old made his presence known by running spectacularly.
The Black Stars were eliminated after the first round of the tournament following a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay.
After defeating South Korea in their second group game, the Black Stars needed a draw or win against Uruguay to advance to the last 16 stage.
But the team failed to negotiate for points against their ‘enemies’ Uruguay.
Ghana made a strong start to the game, but fell apart after captain Andre Ayew missed a penalty in the 21st minute, a repeat of what happened in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In the game against Uruguay, the Stade Rennes star came on as a second half substitute and made his presence felt, clocking a time of 35.7 kmph, which is the highest at the tournament so far.
The winger is being trailed by Nico Williams of Spain and Alphonso Davies of USA, who recorded 35.6 kmph in their last group games.
Below are the fastest players at the World Cup so far:
1. Kamadeen Sulemana (Ghana): 35.7 km/h in Uruguay-Ghana.
Nico Williams (Spain): 35.6 km/h in Spain-Germany.
Alphonso Davies (Canada): 35.6 km/h in the Canada-Croatia.
.4. David Raum (Germany): 35.5 km/h in Spain-Germany.
.5. Daniel James (Wales): 35.4 km/h in Wales-Iran.
Antonee Robinson (United States): 35.4 km/h in the United States-Wales.
Kylian Mbappé (France): 35.3 km/h in France-Poland.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco): 35.3 km/h in the Morocco-Croatia.
.9. Kylian Mbappé (France): 35.2 km/h in France-Denmark.
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal): 35.2 km/h in England-Senegal.
Tajon Buchanan (Canada): 35.2 km/h in the Canada-Belgium.
Nemanja Radojic (Serbia): 35.2 km/h in Serbia-Brazil.
Alphonso Davies (Canada): 35.1 km/h in the Canada-Croatia.
Ousmane Dembele (France): 35.0 km/h in France-Poland.
Daniel James (Wales): 35.0 km/h in the Wales-United States.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon). 35.0 km/h in Cameroon-Serbia.
Twenty-five people have been arrested in raids across Germanyon suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
The group of far-right and ex-military figures are said to have prepared for a “Day X” to storm the Reichstag parliament building and seize power.
A minor aristocrat named as Prince Heinrich XIII, 71, is alleged to have been central to their plans.
According to federal prosecutors, he is one of two alleged ringleaders among those arrested across 11 German states.
The plotters are said to include members of the extremist Reichsbürger [Citizens of the Reich] movement, which has long been in the sights of German police over violent attacks and racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories. They also refuse to recognise the modern German state.
Other suspects came from the QAnon movement who believe their country is in the hands of a mythical “deep state” involving secret powers pulling the political strings.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser assured Germans that authorities would respond with the full force of the law “against the enemies of democracy”.
Plotters prepared to kill for their ends
An estimated 50 men and women are alleged to have been part of the group, said to have plotted to overthrow the republic and replace it with a new state modelled on the Germany of 1871 – an empire called the Second Reich.
“We don’t yet have a name for this group,” said a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office. The interior minister said it was apparently made up of an organisation “council” and a military arm.
Wednesday’s dawn raids are being described as one of the biggest anti-extremism operations in modern German history. Three thousand officers took part in 150 operations in 11 of Germany’s 16 states, with two people arrested in Austria and Italy.
Almost half of arrests took place in southern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Police carried out raids across 11 of Germany’s 16 states
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted that a suspected “armed attack on constitutional bodies was planned”. Ms Faeser said later that the investigation would peer into the “abyss of a terrorist threat from the Reichsbürger scene”.
The federal prosecutor’s office said the group had been plotting a violent coup since November 2021 and members of its central “Rat” (council) had since held regular meetings.
They had already established plans to rule Germany with departments covering health, justice and foreign affairs, the prosecutor said. Members understood they could only realise their goals by “military means and violence against state representatives”, which included carrying out killings.
Investigators are thought to have got wind of the group when they uncovered a kidnap plot last April involving a gang who called themselves United Patriots.
They too were part of the Reichsbürger scene and had allegedly planned to abduct Health Minister Karl Lauterbach while also creating “civil war conditions” to bring about an end to Germany’s democracy.
A former far-right AfD member of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is suspected of being part of the plot, and of being lined up as the group’s justice minister. Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who was among the 25 people arrested, returned to her role as judge last year and a court has since turned down attempts to dislodge her.
Reuters The suspected terrorist group uncovered today is – according to the current status of the inquiry – driven by fantasies of violent overthrow and conspiracy ideologies Nancy Faeser German Interior Minister
A prominent lawyer was pencilled in to handle the group’s foreign affairs, with Prince Heinrich as leader.
Public Prosecutor General Peter Frank said Heinrich was among the suspects whom investigating judges had asked to be held in custody.
Aristocrat ‘fuelled by conspiracy theories’
Heinrich XIII comes from an old noble family known as the House of Reuss, which ruled over parts of the modern eastern state of Thuringia until 1918. All the male members of the family were given the name Heinrich as well as a number.
Descendants still own a few castles and Heinrich himself is said to have a hunting lodge at Bad Lobenstein in Thuringia.
The rest of the family have long distanced themselves from the minor aristocrat, with one spokesman telling local broadcaster MDR during the summer that Heinrich was an “at times confused” man who had fallen for “misconceptions fuelled by conspiracy theories”.
As well as a shadow government, the plotters allegedly had plans for a military arm run by a second ringleader identified as Rüdiger von P.
They were made up of active and former members of the military, officials believe, and included ex-elite soldiers from special units. The aim of the military arm was to eliminate democratic bodies at local level, prosecutors said.
Rüdiger von P is suspected of trying to recruit police officers in northern Germany and of having an eye on army barracks too. Bases in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were all inspected for possible use after the government was overthrown, officials said.
One of those under investigation had been a member of the Special Commando Forces, and police searched his home and his room at the Graf-Zeppelin military base in Calw, south-west of Stuttgart.
Another suspect has been identified as Vitalia B, a Russian woman who was asked to approach Moscow on Heinrich’s behalf. The Russian embassy in Berlin said in a statement that it did not “maintain contacts with representatives of terrorist groups and other illegal entities”.
Several violent attacks have been linked to Germany’s far-right in recent years. In 2020, a 43-year-old man shot dead nine people of foreign origin in the western town of Hanau, and a Reichsbürger member was jailed for killing a policeman in 2016.
The Reichsbürger movement is estimated to have as many as 21,000 followers, of whom around 5% are considered to belong to the extreme right.
The manager of Ajax, Alfred Schreuder has praised Ghanaian sensation Kudus Mohammed for his performance in the 2022 World Cup.
Despite the Black Stars’ early elimination from the World Cup in the Asian nation, the 22-year-old performed exceptionally well.
The former FC Nordjaelland star who had a magnificent debut World Cup, scored two goals and provided an assist in three matches.
Kudus has been deployed as a false number 9 at the Dutch giants this season and has flourished.
In an interview, Alfred Schreuder asserted it is nice to see the in-form midfielder scoring goals at the mundial for his country, saying he looks more like an attacker than a midfielder.
“It is nice to see that Mohammed has also scored his goals for Ghana. He already did that for us before the World Cup.” he said.
“I said from the start that he looks more like an attacker to me, who is very difficult to defend. This is partly because we have a lot of good midfielders.”
Kudus Mohammed has become a subject of interest for several clubs following his outstanding performance for the Black Stars at the World Cup.
The Sissalla West District Chief Executive (DCE), Ayisha Batong Hor, has raised concern over Burkinabes escaping into the Ghanaian settlements of Fielmuo and Nemoro in response to alleged terrorist attacks.
Madam Hor told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Gwollu after the unusual movement of large numbers of people from Buro and other communities in Burkina-Faso bordering Ghana’s northern communities of Fielmuoh and Nemoro.
The DCE said reports from the affected communities indicated that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) was providing support to the victims and had so far registered 796 people as refugees.
Mr Halidu Yahaya, the Sissala West District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation also told the GNA that the movement of the people into the country started gradually and that normally they do so during the night.
He said: “The whole of Fielmuo is full of women, children and some men who fled Burkina Faso are confined in the community”.
The NADMO Coordinator said one of the migrants alleged that the suspected Jihadists burnt down a district assembly, a Police post, and a telephone pole in Burkina-Faso, which compelled them to start running toward Ghana as they did not know what could happen to them.
“Just this evening, some people also came to Fiemuoh and we understand those that have relatives in Tiwii, Mossiyiri, Fatchu, Pune, Buo, and Chetu are coming in their numbers but the 796 is what we had been able to record”, Mr Yahaya said.
He appealed to NGOs, and philanthropists, among others for food and shelter for the fleeing suspected refugees whom he said were running for their lives as women and children are the majority saying, “One of the fleeing women gave birth this morning.”
The Ghana News Agency later spoke to Imam Kamil B -Nasibie, the Imam of Nemoro, who said about 200 fled Buro, Nyebro all in Burkina-Faso and were currently perching and being sheltered by their relatives and others in Nemoro as they were afraid to return home.
Several communities lying in Ghana’s Northern neighbour to Burkina Faso have ancestral relations with Sissala and the Dagaaba ethnic groups in both Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Williams has been linked to a move away from the Spanish club, and Manchester United and Liverpool of the Premier League are keeping a close eye on him.
According to reports ,Juventus are also keeping tabs on the Ghanaian winger who has been explosive this campaign.
The 20-year-old’s current contract with the club will expire in 2024.
According to Athletic Bilbao’s new sporting director Mikel Gonzalez, the club has no intention of losing the enterprising winger who has Ghanaian roots.
“We are more than calm and busy with Nico and those with shorter contracts.
“Iñaki and the Williams family are rooted in Bilbao and have a great feeling of belonging to Athletic. Together we are going to be able to ensure that Nico spends many years at the club.”
The attacker was part of Spain’s squad for the 2022 World Cup and made an impression, but they were eliminated in the last 16 by Morocco.
His senior brother Inaki Williams, however, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage with Ghana.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is set to establish a Clinical Governance Committee, which will help strengthen clinical governance in the Service.
This was made known by the Governing Council of the Ghana Health Service. The council is optimistic that the committee if successfully established will ensure quality care and safety of patients in health facilities.
Chairman of the Governing Council of the GHS disclosed this as an orientation and capacity building workshop for newly appointed Medical Superintendents in Kumasi.
“In accordance with Section nine of the enabling Act 505, the Council has decided to establish the Clinical Governance Committee as one of its standing committees,” he said.
Additionally, he mentioned that the Committee as part of its responsibilities would review and ensure that adequate clinical, quality and safety practices and systems are put in place to improve the standard of care in all facilities.
Dr. Bediako mentioned that the core business of the GHS was caring for patients, hence the need to prioritise clinical governance to provide the best care to patients.
The three-day workshop was aimed at equipping participants with the requisite knowledge and understanding of their new roles to function effectively in the interest of quality health care in their respective facilities.
Addressing the newly appointed Medical Superintendents in Kumasi, he urged them to give their best by working hard and closely with all relevant stakeholders in their districts to improve health care delivery.
On his part, the Director General of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, advised the Medical Superintendents to develop more interest in their chosen fields.
In a speech read on his behalf, said Medical Superintendents had additional responsibility of overseeing the public health unit of their facilities aside their core mandate of ensuring quality clinical services.
He emphasised that “any Medical Superintendent who neglects his or her public health unit in this era of emerging and re-emerging illnesses is doing the people of Ghana a great disservice.
“They must be interested in disease surveillance which starts in the consulting rooms and must make their facilities ready to detect epidemic prone diseases and rapidly and appropriately respond to it,” he added.
In order to create a healthy district, he further asked the Medical Superintendents to establish positive working relationships with their respective Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Directors of Health Services.
He underscored the need for Medical Superintendents to work closely with their District Directors of Health Services to provide technical support to lower health facilities, such as clinics and Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds, within their catchment areas.
“These responsibilities demonstrate the important roles of the Medical Superintendent in the pursuit of the mission of the Service. The position is at the heart of the GHS as the conducts, actions, and inactions of the holder of the position directly affects the fortunes of the Service either positively or negatively,” he noted.
Ace Senegalese-American musician, Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, popularly known as Akon, has made a revelation about Ghanaian artist, Black Sheriff.
According to the Akon, Black Sheriff is his favorite musician on the African continent.
“I’m a huge fan of Black Sheriff now. Maybe ’cause he just reminded me of the energy of myself when I came out,” he said.
Recounting how he heard of ‘Kweku Frimpong,’ the celebrated artist revealed that it was through a friend from Mali.
“I remember the first record, I was in New York City when a friend of mine named Bako from Mali played me his song, I said yo, who the F is that? Like you can hear in his voice the pain, the struggle, you hear the challenges but you can just hear a ghetto kid just wanting to get out, like it’s the way he says it,” he added.
The Konvict Muzik boss also issued a warning to global music labels to act fast in signing Black Sherif before he does.
“If no major picks him up, they need to get to him before I do,” he warned.
The two strikers for Alfred Schreuder this season in all competitions have been Kudus and Brian Brobbey.
After being used as a fake number 9 at Ajax, the 22-year-old Ghanaian star disclosed his preferred position before to the World Cup break.
The former FC Nordjaelland midfielder in an interview disclosed he is best at the number 10 position.
Reacting to Kudus comment, Schreuder said, “That’s not a bad thing, he may also think so,”
According to Schreuder, the Ghana international can play well as number 10 with a double number 6 behind him.
Kudus excelled as number 10 for the Black Stars at the 2022 World Cup with Thomas Partey and Salis Abdul Samed playing behind him as double pivot.
The former FC Nordjaelland star who had a magnificent debut World Cup, scored two goals and provided an assist in three matches.
“At Ajax, there is always talk of fourteen to fifteen players who can all play,” says Schreuder. “That is true, and Mo is one of them. I said from the start that he looks more like a free attacker to me, who is very difficult to defend. That was partly because we also have many good midfielders I think he can also play well at 10, but more in a midfield with two number six in his back.”
Kudus Mohammed scored ten goals in 21 official games in the first half of the season.
Ajax is preparing in Marbella in Spain and hopes to create more stability than in the first phase of the season.
The 22-year-old is expected to join his teammates to continue preparation for the second half of the season following Ghana’s exit at the World Cup.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) is protesting the proposed debt exchange programme as announced by the government.
According to the association, domestic debt exchange will not augur well for pension contributors.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on December 4, 2022, announced the government’s domestic debt exchange programme as part of plans of restoring the country to fiscal stability.
These measures include some exemptions and external debt restructuring parameters that will be implemented.
Mr Ofori-Atta noted that the objective of this programme was “to invite holders of domestic debt to voluntarily exchange approximately ¢137 billion of the domestic notes and bonds of the Republic, including E.S.L.A. and Daakye bonds, for a package of New Bonds to be issued by the Republic.”
Latest to join the voices protesting this new measure is the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association.
Justifying why this is not acceptable, the association explained that pension funds were a collection of contributions of individuals and by design they were meant to protect the vulnerable during retirement, thus, the government has no business touching it.
In a statement registering their displeasure, the Association said any treatment of “individuals” as stated by the Minister of Finance must be indeed extended to all individuals as with pension funds including their GRNMA Fund, a Provident Fund for over 101 ,000 contributors who were nurses and midwives within the nursing and midwifery fraternity.”
It further said Pension Funds, particularly tier 3 schemes were encouraged to hold their investments for a minimum of 10 years and from its inception in 2012, most schemes had just met the 10 years or would be 10 years next year.
“Debt exchange for pension funds will mean that workers will not have access to Tier 3 funds after waiting for 5 – 15 years. This is simply unacceptable,” the association stressed.
Per the statement, the National Pension Regulatory Authority’s (NPRA) regulations makes it clear that all Pension Schemes had most of their assets in Government of Ghana securities and trustees of these Pension Schemes were bound by regulation in the asset allocation policy by the NPRA.
The aggrieved members of the GRNMA further stated that it would therefore be unfair for the poor worker to suffer under the proposed new bond issuance as part of the debt exchange.
It thus charged the government to allow their Bonds to run until their maturity.
“It is unacceptable that a government that budgets 18 per cent inflation in 2023 will consider zero interest rate for pension funds of poor, hardworking, law abiding citizens within the same period,” it said.
The GRNMA is not the only association protesting this measure. The Chamber of Corporate Trustees has also rejected the Debt Exchange programme.
Expressing their grievances in a press release on Tuesday, the Chamber noted that the programme will not inure to the benefit of pensioners in the country.
“On 30th October, 2022, The President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo addressed the nation and assured all Ghanaians that “there would be no haircuts on pension funds”. A few weeks after this announcement, we are all witnessing, rather surprisingly, a major U-turn from that position.”
“We have carefully analyzed the announcement by the Minister of Finance on the Debt Exchange Program and are of the opinion that it is injurious to the interest of contributors to pension schemes,” portions of the statement read.
Portugal followed Manchester United’s lead and decided they could be better off without Cristiano Ronaldo, reducing him to the status of the superstar no one wants.
And they were better off for it, as Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos was rewarded for his bravery in letting go of his nation’s sporting icon with a comprehensive attacking performance and a 6-1 victory over Switzerland, setting up a World Cup quarterfinal matchup against Morocco.
Santos was not only vindicated for his decision to axe Ronaldo after publicly criticising his gestures when he was substituted in the last group game against South Korea, he hit the jackpot as his young replacement Goncalo Ramos looked the real deal in hitting a superb hat-trick.
It has been a bruising time for 37-year-old Ronaldo’s considerable pride and ego as first his Manchester United career ended in acrimony following public criticism of the club and now Portugal did what was previously unthinkable – at least going as far back as 31 games and before Euro 2008 – and ditched him from their starting line-up at a major tournament.
This was certainly the bravest selectorial call of this World Cup and the biggest of Santos’ eight-year time in charge of Portugal.
Santos, despite having a Euro 2016 win on his CV, will have known what was at stake by making this seismic change. If Portugal had lost, he would have known who would carry the can for their World Cup exit and it would not have been Cristiano Ronaldo.
Instead, Santos watched with his usual stern expression as Portugal looked a more vibrant, fluid and threatening side without all their focus trained on the often overpowering presence of Ronaldo.
Portugal moved smoothly through midfield with Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes at the controls, and up front Benfica’s 21-year-old striker Ramos, previously unknown on this sort of goal-scoring stage, carried any burden he may have been feeling as Ronaldo’s replacement lightly.
The previously subdued but richly talented Joao Felix looked liberated, rather like the rest of the Portugal team.
Ramos’s hat-trick came in various very well-taken shapes via a near-post finish thrashed high past Switzerland keeper Jan Sommer, then a poacher’s near-post strike from a cross, before a clever dink for his hat-trick. Some first full Portugal start.
Ronaldo, prior to this game, had played 514 minutes of World Cup knockout football without a goal. Ramos had three in 67 minutes.
Pepe, the 39-year-old defensive warhorse, showed age was not a factor in Santos’s thoughts as he headed the second while Ramos showed he could make them as well as score them when he set up Raphael Guerriero to make it 4-0.
And through it all sat Ronaldo, cameras trained on every facial expression as the Portuguese national hero saw the first signs of his international career following his Manchester United career into the past.
He was swarmed by hundreds of cameramen once the national anthems had finished playing and there was an almost testimonial feel to what happened once Portugal proved they were superior for his absence by routing a bitterly disappointing Switzerland.
Ramos had made it 5-1, Portugal were cruising, when a huge roar of “Ronaldo” started to sweep around the vast Lusail Stadium, followed by chants of his celebratory trademark “Siu”.
It appeared to be a large number of locals who had paid their money to see Ronaldo in the flesh who were leading the demands. It may even have been the suffering Switzerland fans hoping Santos would remove their tormentor Ramos.
Santos relented with 16 minutes left, sending Ronaldo on for Joao Felix to a pop star’s reception.
It was all vaguely awkward – even a touch embarrassing – as the fading talisman trotted on to make what felt like a personal appearance rather than a meaningful contribution in a World Cup knockout game.
There was an air of anticipation every time Ronaldo received the ball, those inside the arena desperate to see some of the old magic. They almost saw it when he rammed in a shot but the boos rang out as the offside flag went up.
Even Ronaldo’s brief spell in the limelight was stolen away from him when another bright young Portugal striker, Rafael Leao, came on and rounded of this thumping win with the sort of finish, curled into the top corner, that already has the 23-year-old marked down as a future star at AC Milan.
Cristiano Ronaldo was cheered loudly by the Portugal fans and had his name chanted several times throughout the match
At the final whistle, Ronaldo applauded the crowd then was first down the tunnel, leaving the real celebrations to those who deserved it, namely his Portugal team-mates who had delivered their finest performance of this World Cup and who will threaten anyone performing like this.
Ronaldo may yet make a decisive contribution at this tournament – he is trying to attract a new club after all – but it is hard to see him making it as a starter against Morocco.
After being shown the door at Manchester United for his petulance and outspoken views on the club’s hierarchy, he now finds himself marginalised on territory where he must have thought he was even more untouchable with Portugal.
As the old saying goes, Ronaldo was the future once. He increasingly looks like the past and the future belongs to emerging stars such as Ramos and Leao.
So what now for the fallen idol of club and country? Surely the bench at best against Morocco.
Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has been a victim of the current debt restructuring programme announced by the government on December 4, 2022.
He says he has suffered a “haircut” of over ¢100,000 on his investment with EDC.
Mr. Cudjoe said the loss is due to the Marked to Market value currently being implemented.
He disclosed this in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“I have been given a haircut of a little over 100,000 cedis in my EDC investment made over the years based on Marked to Market value.
“My fund manager adds a note rather painfully, that ‘Investors that choose to remain in the fund until Ghana’s macroeconomic health and bond prices improve are not likely to realize these losses.’,” he posted.
Mr. Cudjoe in the same post added it will take at least 8 years for the current “economic mess” to be rectified.
He explained this requires the current government and succeeding ones to focus on solving problems rather than achieving political points.
“Folks, based on IMANI’s analysis of government handling of finances from 2010 to 2022, leading to the publication of IMANI’s Fiscal Recklessness Index, this means waiting for at least 8 years for governments not to be so reckless in pretending to manage the economy.
“And this will be hoping against hope. Until we fix our broken political system that rewards cheap sloganeering with limitless tax and borrowed funds to be splurged at will, we are going no where.,” he added.
Following the country’s worrying debt stock and interest payments, government has announced a domestic debt exchange programme.
The programme which was announced by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Sunday, aims at realigning some domestic bonds.
This, when achieved, will give the government fiscal space ahead of the bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mr. Ofori-Atta in a subsequent presser on Monday, said the government was inviting “holders of domestic debt to voluntarily exchange approximately GH¢137 billion of the domestic notes and bonds of the Republic, including E.S.L.A. and Daakye bonds, for a package of New Bonds to be issued by the Republic.”
The domestic debt exchange programme, which is a Government initiative seeks to classify domestic bonds into four categories to create fiscal space as part of preparations to qualify Ghana for an IMF facility.
This comes after a group, Association of Passengers in Ghana (APG) recently released a press statement calling on the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) and the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to immediately reduce transport fares to reflect the current market prices of petrol and diesel.
They argue that, “although prices of petrol and diesel had recently been reduced, it is unfair that GRTCC has not made changes to the current public transport fares.”
“Our checks from some energy institutions such as COPEC and the IES have revealed that the fuel prices will further decline in the coming days, hence our call,” a press release signed by the convenor of the Association, Afia Kwarteng Asamani had noted.
But speaking to the media on Tuesday, December 6 the Public Relations Officer of GPRTU, Abass Moro, said the recent reduction of fuel prices is not enough justification to reduce transport fares as prices of vehicle spare parts are on the rise.
However, he added that should there be any increment in fuel prices, the transport union will increase transport fares.
According to him, the GPRTU will only consider reducing transport fares if a litre of fuel is sold at GHC10.00.
“If any member of the public is expecting a reduction in transport fares following the recent reduction in fuel prices, that person should forget it for now. The public should rather appeal to the government to reduce fuel prices to GHC 10.00 per litre, which will at least be reasonable. When that is done, then there will be some reduction in transport fares.
The Institute of Energy Security had earlier projected a reduction in prices between 10 percent and 8 percent from Thursday, December 1, 2022.
The projection, made by the Institute of Energy Security (IES), will be the second consecutive period that will see consumers witness a reduction in the price of petrol and diesel products.
Meanwhile, Goil is selling diesel at GH¢18.86 from GH¢20.50 and petrol at GH¢15.41 from GH¢16.82.
Total filling stations also sell diesel at GH¢18.85 and petrol at GH¢15.40.
A member of the Minority in Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced the NDC MPs’ displeasure over the budget allocation to the Defence Advisory Services under the Ministry of Defense.
In the 2023 budget statement and economic policy presented to Parliament, the Finance Ministry revealed that an amount of GHS10 million has been allocated to the Defence Advisory Services.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the North Tongu MP stated that the money to be provided to the Defence Advisory Services, a not so clear unit under the Defence Ministry, would be prohibited by the Minority.
“It shall be decisively scuttled just as we did to the dubious GHS241 million allocation for “e-Transaction Levy Services” during last year’s 2022 Budget approval process,” he wrote.
Per the budget statement, the Ministry of Defense in 2023 would be receiving an amount of GH3,742,913,487.
A breakdown of the figure shows that Headquarters and Agencies of the Ministry will be allocated an amount of GHS 3,460,582,081.
A whopping GHS262,126,260 has been set aside for the Construction of Forward Operating Base/ Northern Border Security .
The Defence Ministry will receive GHS10, 205,145to obtain ammunition and other accouterments.
Meanwhile, Mr Ablakwa has raised concerns over the GHS1.4 billion allotted to the Contingency Vote.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa questioned why the allocation to the Contingency Vote has increased by over GHS400 million from GHS993 million in 2022 at a time when the government has appealed to Ghana to burden share in an economy in crisis.
“Significant and logical questions that arise are: why this astronomical increase in the Contingency Vote when putting priority concerns aside, a separate and legal allocation of GHS80million has this time been made for the Cathedral?“
“Should that not have led to substantial decreases in the Contingency allocation? What new scheme of create, loot and squander is brewing for which a record breaking GHS1.4 billion Contingency is required?” the MP quizzed.
An amount of GHS186.2 million was allocated to the Contingency Vote in the 2021 budget statement.
Wanlov the Kubolor has jabbed the government over what he describes as poor management of the economy which has resulted in Ghana retrogressing instead of progressing after 65 years of independence.
The artiste who used to rock long dreadlocks decided to crop his hair leaving just a single lock at the centre of his head. Many have wondered about the inspiration behind his look.
Wanlov, known for his ‘weird’ fashion sense has disclosed that his hairstyle was inspired by the ‘failed’ state.
Making a submission on CTV with Larry Bozzlz, Wanlov made a mockery of Ghana’s current situation that has witnessed citizens call for action and plans to rescue the economy.
He said: “I feel like this is a representation of Ghana…backwards plenty (pointing to his longest dreadlock). That is the hairstyle, forward small, backward plenty.”
Lydia, an ardent critic of the New Patriotic Party government, has once again provided reasons why the huge fortunes being pumped into the building of the National Cathedral should be channeled into the construction of basic social amenities for citizens.
According to the award-winning actress who continues to face stiff opposition for her clap backs at the government, there are more pressing needs like the provision of water, electricity, and roads instead of a Cathedral.
“When you think about it, Ghanaians are not asking for much oh. Good roads, stable electricity, water, hospitals and just the basics for human survival. Instead we’re getting a cathedral, expensive restaurants and real estate and everything else the average Ghanaian can’t afford,” Lydia tweeted.
Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, during the 2023 Budget reading in Parliament announced that the government had earmarked GH₵80,000,000 for the construction of the infamous cathedral.
This brings the total amount dedicated to the project to GH₵420,000,000.
When you think about it, Ghanaians are not asking for much oh.
Good roads,stable electricity, water, hospitals and just the basics for human survival.
Instead we’re getting a cathedral, expensive restaurants and real estate and everything else the average Ghanaian can’t afford.
— The Delay Show Is Back On TV3 🐆🌙☀️ (@delayghana) December 6, 2022
The LPG campaign is a nationwide sensitisation campaign aimed at promoting the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a safer and cleaner alternative to wood fuels.
This campaign which forms part of the government’s effort to ensure that at least 50 per cent of citizens use LPG by 2030 was launched on Tuesday, December 16, 2022, in Accra.
It is being supported by the Ministry of Energy and the World Bank.
Dubbed: “Wo wϽ Gas”, the campaign would focus on normalising the use of LPG as a lifestyle by using local languages such as Twi, Ga, Ewe and Hausa to educate the public on the safe use of LPG.
Various mediums such as flyers, stickers, printed T-shirts, pull up banners, billboards, radio jingles and TV commercials would also be employed for the campaign.
The launch was graced by the presence of high profile personalities including the wife of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Samira Bawumia, NPA officials, other industry players, including representatives of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), etc.
After making the announcement, Delay seized the opportunity to entreat prospective LPG consumers to “switch to LPG now.”
Despite only playing three games, Ghana’s World Cup was exciting.
Before being eliminated from the campaign with a 2-0 loss to Uruguay, the Black Stars took part in two thrilling five-goal games against Portugal and South Korea.
The goalkeeper gave a decent account of himself, even if some of the stops against South Korea seemed theatrical.
Could have done better with Luis Suarez’s initial effort that saw Uruguay score their first in the group decider.
It was a commendable tournament nonetheless as Ati-Zigi only became the first choice due to injuries to Joe Wollacott and Richard Ofori.
Danlad Ibrahim (N/A)
The goalkeeper did not feature in the finals in Qatar.
Manaf Nurudeen (N/A)
The 23-year-old shot-stopper played no part in the global showpiece.
Centre-backs
Mohammed Salisu (7.5/10)
The Southampton centre-back was largely outstanding on his tournament debut for Ghana. He was unlucky to concede a penalty in the opening game, although he gave the referee a decision to make after going tight on Cristiano Ronaldo.
His no-nonsense approach saw him make more clearances than any member of the side and ranked third for ball recoveries in the Ghana squad.
It would be remiss to not remember Salisu’s goal and subsequent goalmouth clearance in the 3-2 win over South Korea when the Black Stars defended their slender advantage.
Daniel Amartey (7/10)
Amartey may not be everyone’s cup of tea but he gave as good as he got in Qatar, especially impressing with his passing range.
He matched Salisu for recoveries (15) despite playing fewer minutes than his centre-back partner and played an important part in their ball progression from deep.
Alexander Djiku (5.5/10)
The Strasbourg defender produced adequate performances in his two appearances, although he made only one start at centre-back as Otto Addo favoured Salisu and Amartey at centre-back.
Joseph Aidoo (N/A)
The centre-back did not feature in the finals.
Full-backs
Abdul Rahman Baba (6/10)
Often looked half a yard slow defensively but was often crucial to the Black Stars going forward.
Only Thomas Partey was involved in more open play passes leading to shots than the left-back (6-5), who was outdone by the Arsenal man for progressive passes.
Baba intermittently got stick but he was not as bad as perceived.
Alidu Seidu (6/10)
Effectively a centre-back playing at right-back and right wing-back, the Clermont Foot defender may have been underwhelming against Portugal but played commendably in the 2-0 defeat by Uruguay.
Tariq Lamptey (4/10)
The right-back had a below-par outing in Qatar, failing to pull up trees after coming on against Portugal, was overloaded down the right against South Korea and played no part in the decider vs Uruguay.
Was Lamptey’s absence of game time preceding the competition responsible for an underwhelming showing?
Gideon Mensah (5.5/10)
Mensah made just one appearance in Qatar, replacing Baba Rahman as left-back versus South Korea and was involved in the move leading to Mohammed Kudus’ winning goal.
Denis Odoi (N/A)
Came on for the final 13 minutes against South Korea. The Club Brugge right-back did not play enough minutes in Ghana’s World Cup campaign.
Getty
Midfielders
Thomas Partey (8/10)
The Arsenal man somehow got criticism despite a good individual showing at the World Cup.
No player played more passes into the final third (18), played more progressive passes (14) or was involved in more open-play involvements leading to shot attempts.
Only Kudus made more ball recoveries than Partey (22-21), further suggesting the Partey reprimand was unwarranted.
Mohammed Kudus (8.5/10)
Undoubtedly Ghana’s best player in Qatar, the Ajax man was arguably the team’s entire attacking strategy at times.
He was involved in their first goal against Portugal and netted twice in the 3-2 win over the South Koreans.
No Black Star outshone Kudus.
Salis Abdul Samed (6.5/10)
The midfielder had a shaky start against Uruguay but recovered versus South Korea and Portugal to produce an acceptable showing at the World Cup.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (5/10)
The Freiburg attacking midfielder played every game, with all three being cameos. Barely got involved.
Elisha Owusu (N/A)
Owusu played no part in Qatar.
Forwards
Jordan Ayew (7/10)
Even though the Crystal Palace man was culpable in one of Portugal’s goals in the 3-2 defeat, he was instrumental in all three goals the Black Stars scored vs the Taegeuk Warriors. Indeed, his assist for Kudus’ first was arguably the assist of the group phase.
It was also Jordan’s shot against Uruguay that led to the chaos that ensued before the Ajax man won the ill-fated penalty that was not converted.
Andre Ayew (5.5/10)
Ghana’s 2022 World Cup may be remembered for Andre’s tame first-half penalty against Uruguay, as it potentially denied the West Africans qualification.
The forward scored Africa’s first goal of the competition against Portugal but that turned out to be the high of his participation in Qatar.
Inaki Williams (5/10)
The Athletic Club forward struggled in front of goal, with his slip against Portugal at the death costing an equaliser and a miscue against South Korea almost costing a winner.
Williams has never been prolific, so his failure to score in Qatar was not especially surprising.
Kamaldeen Sulemana (5/10)
Sulemana impressed at the finals with his ball-carrying and dribbling. Unfortunately could not instigate a comeback against Uruguay despite coming on for 45 minutes.
Osman Bukari (5.5/10)
The wide attacker halved the deficit against Portugal but it was not to be. Against the South Americans, Bukari came on for Andre Ayew after halftime but could not bring about a turnaround.
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (N/A)
Issahaku played only a minute in Qatar, coming on in the closing stages of the 2-0 defeat by Uruguay.
Daniel Afriyie (N/A)
The teenager was unused in all three games.
Kamal Sowah (N/A)
Was one of seven players who did not get on the pitch for Otto Addo.
Getty Images
Manager
Otto Addo (6/10)
While Ghana’s play appeared chaotic at times and Addo’s team struggled to control games in many instances, they came within a Williams leveller versus the Selecao or an Andre Ayew penalty conversion to secure progress to the last 16.
That said, an egregious call to withdraw Kudus in the loss at the hands of the Selecao was ill-timed even if the Ajax man had already been booked.
The 47-year-old resigned in the aftermath but he probably wonders what might have been.
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission has arrested Singer Oladapo Oyebanji alias D’banj, according to a popular Nigeria news portal, PremiumTimes.
He was arrested and detained Tuesday after ICPC operatives closed in on him, forcing him to surrender himself at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Premium Times reports that D’banj had dodged summons for weeks, claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was invited to appear for interrogation over fra¥d allegation.
He is accused of fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for N-Power project, an empowerment programme set up by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and increase social development.
Investigators allege that D banj colluded with some compromised government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme. The stipend paid to those beneficiaries are then paid to accounts that have now allegedly been linked to the pop star.
After the musician failed to show up for interrogation despite multiple invitations, the ICPC moved to arrest him anywhere in Nigeria and abroad, forcing him to show up at the commission’s office on Tuesday. On arrival, D’banj was subjected to a prolonged interrogation session after which he was detained. His plea for administrative bail was rejected by officials who said the musician could not be trusted to attend his trial if released on bail.
Shortly after Ghana’s 0-2 defeat to Uruguay in the final Group H encounter in Qatar, a stern-looking Otto Addo appeared at the post-match press conference willing to badly get something off his chest.
After being introduced to the press, Otto minced no words after a journalist asked if he was going to step down. He answered “I will step down from my position as it was agreed on in May” He was clear in his mind that the news will be no surprise to his employers having stated in many ways before the World Cup that he was still committed to his role at German giants Borussia Dortmund. For the record Otto Addo is a talent coach and second assistant at Dortmund.
He will explain details of his resignation at a presser a day after, but amidst Ghana’s rough 2022 World Cup post-mortem it’s worth noting that Addo left behind a squad that has the potential to reach unthinkable heights in the coming years.
Coming in at such a tricky time, 26 days prior to announcing Otto as Interim Ghana coach ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, the Black Stars had just put up their worst performance at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. In Garoua, the Black Stars lost 3-2 to tiny Comoros and rounded up their tournament without recording a win in a group that housed Morocco, Gabon and Comoros.
In the stands that night, many Ghanaians were hopeful the Stars could even draw when goals from Richmond Boakye and Alexander Djiku levelled the game up for Ghana, but Mogni grabbed a winner with five minutes remaining. Ghana exited the group stage of the competition in 2006, failed to go past the round of 16 in 2019, but not winning a single game meant that was on paper the most dreadful performance by the four time African champions.
The man who supervised the debacle, Milovan Rajevac, was fired despite his desire to stay on. Next for Ghana was a tricky World Cup playoff game against Nigeria who exited the AFCON competition in the round of 16 but played much better than Ghana. Addo accepted the job with a huge risk of possibly ending his entire career with the big derby coming up – yes, qualifying to the World Cup will make him a Ghanaian hero but failing will surely be the end of his career on these shores – the unwritten rules were quite clear.
He was appointed as an interim manager alongside two-time Ghana Premier League champion Didi Dramani, Aston Villa U23 coach, George Boateng and the experienced English Premier League manager, Chris Houghton playing the role as a Technical Adviser on February 9.
Romance after the Jollof derby
Otto’s first job was to surmount the Nigerian hurdle or be truly forgotten. His employers where keen as well because, missing the World Cup after a poor showing at the AFCON in the minds of ordinary football fans would “mean not good enough” for the job. Ghanaians were skeptic of the Black Stars because of their poor displays in Cameroon. Ghana settled for a 0-0 draw after VAR overruled a decision to award the Super Eagles a penalty in the first leg of the playoff in Kumasi. A review of the decision in the closing stages of the Jollof derby found that Ghana midfielder Iddrisu Baba was fouled before he handled the ball.
In the return leg in Abuja, a long range shot by Thomas Partey ensured Ghana won the tie (1-1) on away goals to book a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup ticket also meant an elevation from interim Ghana coach to substantive manager for Otto Addo – He was going to be at the mundial with his initial 5 man technical team.
Building a new squad
Ghana’s performance against Nigeria looked a lot more organized but was still far from perfect which meant the approaching weeks and months were huge windows for augmenting the squad.
He led a wild charge by the Ghana Football Association to get international players of Ghanaian descent to switch nationality. Four months before competing at the World Cup, the Ghana Football Association announced five new recruits who were now eligible to play for the Black Stars in Qatar.
Brighton & Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey, who had played for England Under-21s, Hamburger SV pair Stephan Ambrosius and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer who both represented Germany Under-21s, Athletic Bilbao forward, Iñaki Williams who played one friendly for Spain, and Germany-based player Patrick Pfeiffer a forward at Darmstadt all committed to Ghana. Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu, who initially turned down a Black Stars call-up, also agreed to be called by the technical handlers of the Black Stars ahead of the 2022 FIFA Mundial in November.
The extensive scouting will ensure that in-form Racing Lens midfielder, Salis Abdul Samed and Club Brugge’s Kamal Sowah will be called for the competition.
Friendlies games against Brazil (0-3), Nicaragua (1-0), Switzerland (2-0) and the Kirin cup in Japan were not enough. But all the technical team had to do was fine tune the team for Qatar. Ghana arrived at the mundial as the lowest ranked team (61st) and the youngest squad.
What had changed under Otto Addo?
I followed Otto Addo’s Black Stars so closely to make key observations that were consistent throughout the tenure. The regard for time massively improved with a mini schedule released 24hours prior. The technical team and players stuck to the rigid schedule and were constantly on time throughout their stay in camps.
Imposed fines institutionalized by the technical team were so strict that even if one of them showed up late, punishment followed. Upon interaction with some members of technical team who had worked with previous Black Stars coaches, the attention to details and major meetings of the Otto Addo regime was novel. At close gauge, I saw the technical team meet close to 4 times a day while in camp physically to deliberate over many issues concerning the team. Even when they were at their respective bases they would jump onto a zoom call for hours to get on the same page regarding many fluid situations.
There was efficient distribution of tasks among the technical team with medical team reporting the latest on the team’s health daily. On the training ground, I could see the four –man technical team work on different aspects of the team. The Black Stars camp felt organized , with players and the technical team very much informed about what was about to happen next . The usual fun including the initiation dances stayed and the camp was usually buzzing.
Lack of Cohesion – bane of World Cup 2022
While the criticism comes in hard for Ghana’s performance at the 2022 World cup, it’s worth reminding ourselves of where this team was coming from.
The standards for judging Ghana at the World Cup must surely be the maiden appearance in 2006 where the team exited at Round of 16 and 2010 when Ghana only missed out on the semifinals. In 2006, Ghana assembled a squad that had formed wonderful bonds and understanding from their days at youth level.
Ghana’s 2001 U20 side produced 7 out of the 23 man squad in Germany 2006. Derek Boateng Sulley muntari, Razak Pimpong, Micheal Essien, John Mensah, John Painstil and Emmanuel Pappoe were all part of the silver winning U 20 world cup squad and made the cut to Germany. These were easily the stars of the world Cup. In Ghana’s crucial do or die game against Czech Republic 5 of them started in crucial areas – Derek Boateng, Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien, John Mensah, John Painstil – and helped Ghana to an important win and the round of 16. The team had formed bonds since their youth playing days and knew each other for well 6 years before the World Cup.
The story of the 2010 World Cup was no different. About half of the 2006 World Cup squad were back in South Africa and with huge experience playing at the top level. Augmenting the squad was a select group of players from Ghana’s 2009 Un 20 World Cup winning team – Samuel Inkoom, Jonathan Mensah, Dominic Adiyah, and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu. Even before the World Cup, the young group had the chance to try out with the seniors at the 2009 CHAN competition and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations under the same coach – Milovan Rajevac. So the team had the opportunity to strike levels of cohesion before the 2010 World Cup began. The results of 2010 world Cup speaks for itself.
Even in 2014, about 40 percent of the Ghana’s 2010 World Cup made the squad in Brazil. So historically the Black Stars have had teams represent Ghana at the World Cup with history and some experience. However 2022 was the exact opposite.
A World Cup too soon for this squad?
Maybe yes, even though many widely believe Ghana could have made the knock out round. Traditional Ghana does a poor job of keeping squads together irrespective of their age group when competitions end up in disappointment. So after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup there was real trouble with keeping a consistent squad.
Ghana exited the 2019 AFCON at the round of 16 stage following a defeat to Tunisia which further destabilized the boat. Black Stars failed to win a game at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroun which was termed a disaster. In a short space of time, the Black Stars had seen as many as four coaches ( Kwasi Appiah, CK Akonor, Milovan Rajevac and Otto Addo. That meant continuity was a headache and the nucleus of the Black Stars kept changing.
So the key issue with this assembled group of players for the World Cup was not a lack of quality or potential but lack of playing time together, quite literally. Otto’s men were many miles off the cohesion needed at such a high level competition. All Ghana group opponents (Uruguay, Portugal and South Korea) were at the 2018 World Cup so somewhat had a squad to fall on for cohesion and team chemistry in Qatar.
The nucleus of Ghana’s Squad for the Ghana-Nigeria 2022 World Cup qualifiers appeared to be the blue print around which Coach Otto Addo’s new team would evolve, but there were more additions and subtractions such that the team that started at the World Cup against Portugal had six new faces in Lawrence Ati Zigi , Baba Rahman, Alidu Seidu, Salis Abdul Samed, Inaki Williams and Mohammed Salisu.
These faces were not accidentals, in fact, they were about the framework around which players where introduced deep into games in Qatar. Otto and his team were unlucky with injuries, first and second choice goalkeepers Jojo Wollacot and Richard Ofori picked up knocks, Baba Iddrissu, who had formed a partnership of a sort with Thomas Partey was also unavailable and meant quick replacements. Time to assemble a team after the World Cup qualifiers was rare.
There were two AFCON 2024 qualifiers against Madagascar and Central Africa republic, a Kirin cup tourney in Japan quickly followed, but largely without key players in early June. The next window was in late September and October where Ghana played Brazil and Nicaragua with still some key names missing. The team had to soon Camp for the World Cup and this time, the full squad including newbies like Salis Abdul Samed and Kamal Sowah were drafted in.
The lack of time to play together as a team and find the right understanding on the pitch was pretty obvious but this squad looks promising.
Pregnant with Titles
Ghana’s best performances have come from a well-knit squad with bundles of experience and cohesion developed from competition time together. The 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments are perfect examples of this.
The composition of Otto’s squad for the 2022 World Cup inspires more hope for the coming years. The Black Stars squad was the youngest at the mundial with an average age of 26 years. It was also by far the most inexperienced side Ghana has ever assembled for a World Cup with 24 out of the 26 participating at the competition for the first time. Only captain, Andre Dede Ayew and his brother, Jordan Ayew had tasted World Cup action before.
The balance of the squad was another strong reason to believe this team is worth keeping. In the goalkeeping department the absence of Richard Ofori and Jojo Wollacot gave Lawrence Ati Zigi the chance to prove that he’s not far off. In central defense Ghana can boast of Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg), Salisu (Southampton) and Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo) who all good and could only get better with time. At right back, Alidu Seidu (Clermont) who starred at the World Cup shares the spot with Tariq Lamptey (Brighton). Even 34-year-old Dennis Odoi (Brugge) offers an option though he may not be around for long.
At left-back the heavily vilified Baba Rahman (Reading) is seconded by Gideon Mensah (Auxerre) who looked great against South Korea. Deep in midfield the partnership between Thomas Partey (Arsenal) and Salis Abdul Samed (Racing Lens) can be nurtured – not forgetting Baba Idrissu (Mallorca) who got injured ahead of the tourney and the Elisha Owusu (Gent KAA) who didn’t feature in Qatar. On the right side of attack, there’s Jordan Ayew (Crsytal Place), Club Brugge’s Kamal Sowah and Sporting’s Fatawu Issahaku who will get much better with time – On the left wing Kamaldeen Sulemana (Rennes), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade), Antoine Semenyo(Bristol City) are all exciting wingers with pace and enough tricks to outwit defenders in one on one situations. Upfront Inaki Williams (Athletic Club) and Dede Ayew (Al Sadd) can do a job.
Surely this team needs few tweaks and more time to develop the right chemistry. The squad managed to win Ghana’s first game at the World Cup since 2010, and suffered together against Portugal and Uruguay. These are key experiences that help the growth of a squad – they have learnt more about each other the hard way and this is invaluable for team this young.
Keep this group together
Expectation for the Ghana at the World Cup went through the roof after a 2-0 win against Switzerland. But in fairness a squad as inexperienced as Otto’s could only punch above their weight to make the knock out phase. The win against South Korea was inspiring and possibly did wet the appetite of many fans who felt making the Round of 16 was a must.
Yes, Ghana could have finished second and played against Brazil in the Round of 16 but nothing more really. It’s time to stop the ranting and let the planning begin around a squad which is pregnant with titles.
Pressure group, Arise Ghana, is set to hit the streets of Accra, today December 7, 2022.
The agitated group is embarking on a demonstration to express its displeasure at what it describes as worsening economic conditions in the county.
Speaking to an Accra-based media, Citi, a leading member of the group, Bernard Mornah disclosed that they will picket in the environs of Parliament.
According to him, the demonstration will start at 8:00 am and end at 2 pm.
The organization claims that the demonstration will go on until the 2023 budget discussion is finished and Parliament approves the motion of censure against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The Pressure group, had earlier planned to picket from November 15 to November 17, 2022, in Revolution Square directly across from the Jubilee House.
However, the Ghana Police Service requested an injunction against the demonstration on the grounds that the location constitutes a threat to national security.
The Police maintained that there were valid reasons to believe that assembling at Revolution Square would jeopardize public safety and infringe on other people’s rights and freedoms, according to assessments by the National Security and Police Security Intelligence.
The location for the picketing was sent to the High Court for further deliberation.
The High Court ruled in favour of the police and asked the group to instead picket at the Independence Square.
In light of this, Mr Bernard Mornah called out all meaning Ghanaians to come out in their numbers and protest against the economic hardship posed by the Akufo-Addo government.
“We have informed the police about it. It has been agreed that nothing will stop us because of the cordial discussions with the police,” Mr Bernard Mornah stated
This will not be the first time, Arise Ghana embarked on a two-day demonstration against the economic woes.
The hike in fuel prices, surge in food prices and transportation fares, as well as the Electronic Transaction Levy was among the issues that caused members of Arise Ghana to march through the streets of Accra.
Unfortunately, the first day of the protest dubbed “ Kurom Aye hye” was marred with chaos .
According to reports, 15 officers of the Ghana Police Service and 93 protestors sustained various forms of injuries.
Comedian Funny Face has been hit by a devastating news. Early today, December 7, 2022, the actor took to social media to announce the death of his father.
Although he did mentioned exactly when the incident happened, he noted that he never had a chance to bid his dad fare well before his departure.
The cause of the death is yet to be revealed.
Taking to twitter he said “I never got to say goodbye This your death has hit me hard .. You were gone before I knew it and only GOD knows why .. why did you leave SOO SOON ! You have left us broken DAD .. Till we meet again .. REST IN PEACE DADDY continue to watch over me and my sisters. hmmm,” he said.
💔 I never got to say goodbye
This ur death has hit me hard .. You were gone before I knew it and only GOD knows why .. why did you leave SOO SOON ! You have left us broken DAD .. Till we meet again .. REST IN PEACE DADDY 💔🙏🏾🕊 continue to watch over me and my sisters.hmmm pic.twitter.com/UPDaIIQgWI
Many people including celebrities, including Guru, Andy Dosty, Beverlyn Afaglo, etc, have all expressed their deepest condolence after he made the announcement.
Government has expended more than GH419m on foreign scholarships, Finance Ministry has revealed.
Presenting the 2023 budget on the floor of parliament, the sector Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, indicated that out of the GH419,079,716.7, the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat used GH¢340,301,673.50 to cover tuition fees for the 2020/2021 academic year.
Giving a further breakdown, he said, “an amount of GH¢78,774,043.25 was paid as stipends for the first half of the year for all donor sponsored and some Government of Ghana sponsored students.”
In all a total number of 1,797 students benefited from the government’s foreign scholarship awards.
On the other hand, the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, under the District Level
Decentralisation Scheme (DLDS), also made payment of tuition fees for continuing students in public universities with renewed scholarship awards, as well as fresh beneficiaries for the 2021/2022 academic year.
Mr Ofori-Atta, however, failed to highlight the amount spent on local scholarships by the Secretariat.
He disclosed that 8,174 students received local scholarships under the DLDS.
Background
It will be recalled that in June this year, the Akufo-Addo government came under serious attack for the delay with the disbursement of funds for fees and stipends for beneficiaries of foreign students.
According to reports, more than thousand Ghanaian students studying on government scholarships in about 20 countries were blocked out of their school portals due to failure to their fees and stipends
For instance, Some final year students pursuing their education in Morocco under a Government of Ghana funded scholarship had to seek shelter in churches due to non-payment of rent.
Responding to concerns by some foreign students, the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Mr Kingsley Agyeman, assured them that the government was working assiduously to ensure that funds were released on time to resolve any challenges.
Despite one win and two losses, the four-time African champions exited the group phase with three points.
Speaking aftermath of Ghana’s exit from the ongoing FIFA World Cup last Friday, Coach Dramani noted that the highlight of the latest adventure was the experience gained by the entire team.
“The headline is the experience gained as a unit – the players, technical staff, and the management – and this should be the foundation for the future to be successful,” the former Asante Kotoko coach told Daily Graphic.
“I will say the 2022 World Cup has been a platform for learning in the process of creating success and building a strong winning team.
“The technical leadership was very well structured with clear directions from the two games against Nigeria in the playoff till date,” he stated.
He said that based on the promise shown by Ghana’s young team, which had only two players who had tasted the World cup before – the Ayew brothers – it was incumbent on the nation to believe in the process initiated by the technical team to help reach the desired goal.
“It is important for us to keep the trust in believing in the process with a strong alignment of the whole project.
“Getting everyone on board these processes is very key to thinking and practicing established structures of the team,” he explained.
Coach Dramani mentioned medical, and human performance, building a strong player database, style of play, learning with reflection, and establishing a team culture or the transitional process as the key areas which needed to be looked at going forward.
He revealed that though the performance of the team was satisfactory to the technical staff in many respects on a short-term basis, there were still many areas to improve upon in the process of building a winning team.
“That is why it’s important to emphasize the attribution of learning rather than focusing too much on performance in just short-term events,” he stressed.
Contrary to the expectation of Ghanaians before the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Black Stars which was the youngest team at the tournament, held the whole world spellbound with some breathtaking displays which saw them losing 2-3 to Portugal while beating South Korea 3-2 and exiting at the group stage following a disappointing 0-2 defeat to their old foes, Uruguay.
Commercial drivers claim that the increase in the price of moving bags on many of their routes across the nation is the new cash source that drivers are investigating.
In recent years, the cost of moving bags has risen above transportation fares, according to the union’s public relations officer, Yaw Barimah.
Mr Barimah made this disclosure while reacting to the call by the Association of Passengers in Ghana for transport fares to be reduced following the reduction of prices at the pumps.
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