Alex Song, a former footballer for Barcelona and Arsenal, gave his wife Olivia Song a sizable mansion as she reached yet another significant life milestone.
The mansion is a part of his Yaounde, Cameroon-based “Nokay 17 Residences” business.
Song explained on Instagram that the space was inspired by the “little house” they once shared in London, as well as the “cheap” bag he gave Olivia for her first birthday after they got married.
“Happy birthday to my best friend the love of my life the most wonderful mother, you are my source of motivation, thank you for all the support you give me for so many years. I remember in 2006 in London when we lived in a small two-bedroom apartment, the first time I gave you a gift for your birthday, I went to a shop called tkmax, and from there I bought you a purse that had not cost me much thing. that day you were so happy to receive it, your eyes were shining, you had thanked me a thousand times while this bag had only cost me 250 €. you took it every time we went out and it touched me so much to the point where I asked you the question:[ what can I offer you that will please you if I have the means] and you answered me saying:[ if you have the mo yens I wish that you offer me a Hermès bag] and I had asked you the price, you had told me: [it’s expensive it’s not our level because it costs about €3000] and exactly I had told you that day that: [I would never buy a bag at this price ????????????????]. but thanks to God I have offered you several bags over the years, I am so proud of the journey we have traveled together.”
In his emotional message to celebrate her wife, Song who currently plays for AS Arta/Solar7 in Djibouti stated that gifting her the mansion is a dream.
“Thank God it was not easy for me to do this project without you knowing who is the instigator. I had to make you understand that this building located in the middle of the golf just 50m from the US Embassy in Yaounde is in the continuation of NOKAY17, and I knew you could never doubt it, that in fact, this building is for you Tinted. It was my dream to offer you this gift olibooboooooo apartments in memory of our small apartment in London, in a building where it was not obvious to us, here’s how I was able to realize this dream today, and I am proud of it. You are everything to me, MY ONLY ONE LOVE FOR LIFE. make this building what you want, you have no account to report to anyone, neither me nor your children, eat, spend, run, jump, it’s up to you, make yourself happy, make this what you want, part even to Baden Baden with or even to tcholéré, in short, it’s you to do this How good does it look to you. @olibooboosong.”
Alexander Song had a staller career in England and is highly regarded at Arsenal as one of the best midfielders the club has ever had. However, a move to Barcelona in 2012 did not turn out to be what he envisaged as it cause the decline of his career.
The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has embarked on a nationwide initiative to sensitise the public the dangers and other consequences of the possession of arms.
The initiative, which is through the use of Short Message Service (SMS), also aims at reaching out to the public about the dangers associated with arms ownership, their proliferation, illegal acquisition and abuse.
“This is the first time we are using SMS to reach out to our stakeholders and the general public. We are doing this because we want to use it as a medium to reach out to the public to educate and sensitise people to their responsibilities of particularly weapon owners.
“It is also to talk to potential weapon owners about the dangers associated with arms ownership, its proliferation and then its illegal acquisition and abuse, and what it can do to our economy,” a Deputy Director in charge of Programmes of the commission, Johnson Asante-Twum, said
In addition, he said, the move was to remind weapon owners on their responsibility with regard to renewing their licences so that they did not become illicit in their hands.
For now the use of the SMS messages, he said, was only on Vodafone, and that the commission was in talks with the other mobile telephony service providers to use their platforms to get to subscribers on their networks.
Mr Asante-Twum said the SMS was only to complement the other sensitisation channels, including radio, television, community public education and sensitisation, town hall meetings and durbars.
“We have used other means, but we also think that this is another effective means of reaching out to people, and it is also cost effective, reaching out to people in places where we may not be even able to go to,” he said.
In relation to those who could not read and write, he said the commission had plans to talk to the network providers to use voice messages, for instance, to reach out to such people in the various languages.
“Certainly, we have not left out those who cannot read or write; we have plans to reach out them as well,” he said.
Feedback
He said the commission had so far received positive feedback, especially from those who understood the issue of weapon proliferation and its negative effects on the society and the country at large.
“We have received a lot of feedbacks on this SMS initiative. People have been very excited about it. They are happy that we are reaching out to a lot of people through this medium.
“Then you have other people who do not have any idea about it at all and you get them calling the office line that we have put out to make enquiries,” he said.
The national security strategy adopted to stop the illegal mining in rivers and forest reserves is undergoing revision.
The revision will help make the strategy more robust and effective.
The Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in an interview said it was imperative for the strategy to be revised considering the current spate of degradation of the country’s resources through the activities of illegal miners.
“The strategy is under review because we need to find a more effective way of stopping the degradation,” the minister said on the sidelines of the second West Africa Mining Security (WAMS) Conference taking place in Accra.
The two-day WAMS conference, which ends today (Sept 29), is being hosted by the Australian High Commission in Accra, and has brought together academics, security practitioners and experts from the mining industry to discuss regional security trends, operational challenges, and to share current assessment of risk and mitigation strategies.
It is also to provide mining and exploration managers and security professionals with current information on development to inform security and investment decisions in West Africa.
Beyond that the conference is aimed at helping to examine evolving threats in the West Africa regional security environment, implications and challenges for mining companies.
Terrorism threats
Mr Kan-Dapaah said the mining sector was important for the development of the country and it, therefore, behoved all stakeholders in the industry to do their best to ensure that such a vital sector did not fall into wrong hands.
“A secure mining sector ultimately translates into a safe and secure nation,” he stated.
Throwing more light on the government’s security strategy to weed out illegal miners and ensure that terrorist groups do not take over the mining sector, the minister said a document had been developed to guide national plans and actions to prevent, pre-empt and respond effectively to issues of terrorism and violent extremism.
He said the government also launched the national security strategy document in June 2021 to provide a coordinated framework of response to external, internal and emerging security threats that confronted the country.
The two documents, the National Security Minister explained, were consistent with the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism strategy which advocates the role of government and the role of societal approach in mitigating the threats of terrorism and violent extremism.
Mr Kan-Dapaah thus called for greater collaboration between stakeholders to ensure a safe mining industry.
“The role of the society approach which we continue to emphasise encourages the active involvement and participation of all stakeholders because it should not only be the state actors but we need the general public, the media, political leaders and civil society organisations,” he said.
Security challenges
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, said there were growing security and political challenges faced by mining companies operating in West Africa.
For example, she said in the Sahel region, terrorist groups affiliated with Islamic State and Al Qaeda continued to expand.
She said political instability and coups in the region during the past three years, had also created challenges for mining sector investment.
“Three years on, we continue to witness the growth of terrorism in the Sahel and its spillover, including into littoral states,” the Australian High Commissioner said.
She was optimistic that the conference would provide an opportunity to focus on security issues facing Australian and other international mining companies in West Africa to help in understanding the trends and directions for security and how it might impact on mining operations.
The conference, she said, was organised to also share information across government and the private sector on current threats and mitigation strategies and help to build contacts and networks in West Africa.
“The conference is timely, probably overdue in fact. Following the success of the inaugural WAMS Conference in 2019, the High Commission was planning to hold a second conference in June 2020 but COVID-19 intervened,” she said.
Ms Owen-Jones assured the gathering of the Australian government’s commitment to continue its close relationship with all the relevant stakeholders around the critical issue of mining.
Otto Addo, the head coach of the Black Stars, has guaranteed that 70% of the players invited for the friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua will qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
As part of their preparations for the tournament in November, Ghana scheduled two international friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua.
The Black Stars have been placed in Group H with South Korea, Uruguay, and Portugal, and the friendlies will help the team get ready for the World Cup.
Friday’s inaugural friendly match in Le Havre, France saw Ghana fall to Brazil 3-0.
Richarlison and Marquinoius both scored twice to ensure that the Selecao maintained its advantage over the Black Stars.
Brazil have recorded five straight wins against Ghana at the senior level.
Coach Otto Addo admitted to mistakes in his starting eleven after the defeat and hopes to select a good team based on performance in the game against Nicaragua today.
The Dortmund trainer confirmed that 70 percent of the 29 players invited during this international break will make Ghana’s squad for the World Cup.
“70 percent of the players currently on international duty with Ghana’s squad who meet Nicaragua in Lorca, Spain on Tuesday will be in Qatar, Addo told Bild.
He added, “The remaining 30 percent will be “tight decisions”.
“We’re watching the players closely for the next few games to see who could play for Qatar in October,” added the 47-year-old.
Below is the list of players invited for the September friendlies
GOALKEEPERS: Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates) Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen) Joseph Wollacott (Charlton Athletic)
DEFENDERS: Denis Odoi (Club Brugge) Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion) Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot) Abdul Rahman Baba (Reading FC) Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre) Alexander Djiku (Racing Strasbourg) Mohammed Salisu (Southampton FC) Daniel Amartey (Leicester City) Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo) Stephan Kofi Ambrosius (Karlsruher SC)
MIDFIELDERS: Thomas Partey (Arsenal FC) Iddrisu Baba Mohammed (Real Mallorca) Elisha Owusu (KAA Gent) Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (SC Freiburg) Mohammed Kudus (AFC Ajax) Andre Ayew (Al Sadd FC)
WINGERS: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennes) Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak) Abdul Fatawu Issahaku(Sporting Lisbon) Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade) Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer (Hamburger SV) Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace) Antoine Selorm Semenyo (Bristol City)
STRIKERS: Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao) Felix Afena-Gyan (US Cremonese)
Hearts of Oak said Tuesday that they have fired their controversial coach Samuel Boadu in a statement.
After two seasons of service in the Ghana Premier League, they declared that the termination was amicable.
Given that he broke the club’s trophy drought after a decade, his dismissal was unexpected.
John Dumelo responded to the dismissal by saying that Hearts of Oak needed to be patient with Boadu.
He made it clear that the coach required their help in whatever way possible to improve his work.
John Dumelo who expressed this concern in a post shared via Twitter said “5 trophies in less than 2 years and he’s sacked? I’m a pure @HeartsOfOakGH fan but this is not the best”.
A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr. Ishmael Ackah assured “all affected customers of its commitment to ensuring the delivery of a safe and reliable utility service provision and to have the issue resolved quickly.”
The ECG is currently experiencing some technical challenges in relation to the metering system nationwide, which has resulted in some customers unable to top-up electric power credit on prepaid metres for the past three days.
The technical challenge has affected customers in 10 operational regional areas of the ECG in Volta, Kumasi, Accra, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw, and Tafo.
The problem started on Monday and as of Thursday afternoon, it was yet to be completely fixed.
“Some of the systems have been fixed but not all,” Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, General Manager in charge of external communications at ECG said.
“We are working very hard to make sure that we get all the systems in place,” he added.
Mr Ayiku said the issue is for some customers and not all customers and that the challenge was detected and fixed, “but some of the systems were not able to respond. So, it is not all our customers that are experiencing this challenge,” he said.
Below is copy of the statementgr
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has noticed with concern challenges experienced in vending for consumers on E-cash and PNS metering system of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The commission is closely monitoring the situation and in full discussions with the service provider to address the issue.
The commission wishes to assure all affected customers of its commitment to ensuring the delivery of a safe and reliable utility service provision and to have the issue resolved quickly.
Dan Quaye, a former player for the Accra Hearts of Oak, has offered his opinion on the club’s choice to fire coach Samuel Boadu. Samuel Boadu, according to
Dan Quaye, is one of the best and most talented coaches Ghana has ever produced. He never agrees with the management’s choice to fire the coach.
Accra Hearts of Oak’s head coach and his coaching staff left yesterday (Tuesday, September 28, 2022).
The club’s administration fired Samuel Boadu after he had a terrible start to the current betpawa premier league with one loss and two draws after three games played. Boadu had earned the club their first premier league title in ten years.
Speaking to Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, Dan Quaye was emphatic that he will recommend coach Annor Walker to his former club, and compared him to Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid with his experience on the touchline.
He went on to say that it is always good in the African continent to appoint coaches from your hometown because they can help the club succeed, citing the case of Jones Attuquafio who helped the club some years ago.
He stated that going in for an expatriate will not help because they only come in to help the clubs sell their players.
Alhaji Akambi, a member of the Hearts of Oak board, has criticized former team manager W.O. Tandoh for the most recent accusations.
In an interview with Happy FM, the former strategist who is now an assistant coach at Aduana Stars said the team owed him six months’ worth of unpaid wages.
Alhaji Akambi claims he will report the former employer to Dormaahene, the owner and financier of Aduana Stars, in response to that and an insult from W.O. Tandoh.
“W.O. Tandoh used to call us if he was looking for work. He claims that Akanbi and Odotei are useless today. Is he Coach Boadu’s spokesperson? He’s probably drunk once more. He would be reported to Dormaahene, stated Alhaji Akambi.
W.O Tandoh and Alhaji Akambi have not seen eye to eye since the former resigned from his post as Hearst of Oak team manager last season.
After leaving, he accused Alhaji Akambi of dragging back the club.
Some Ghanaians living in Spain are pleased with the Black Stars’ performance in their 1-0 victory over Nicaragua on September 27, 2022.
Due to winger Fatawu Issahaku’s deflected curl shot, the Black Stars defeated the North American team.
The triumph, which ended a four-match losing streak, was Otto Addo’s second as the team’s manager.
After the game, some of the fans spoke with Dan Kwaku Yeboah and praised Inaki Williams and Mohammed Kudus specifically.
Though they would have wished for more goals, they were impressed with the overall output of the team.
They however advised coach Otto Addo to work on improving the final balls of the team as they believe the team was let down by poor finishing.
The sentiments of the Spain-based Ghanaians aren’t different from that of coach Otto Addo who rated his team 7/10 for their performance in both games against Brazil and Nicaragua.
Otto Addo believes that his team performed well and will improve on their performance in subsequent matches.
Dan Owusu, a former player for Ghana, thinks Felix Afena-Gyan and Daniel Afriyie Barnieh need to learn from more experienced players in the national team because they aren’t physically ready for the Black Stars yet.
Dan Owusu, although having a few appearances for the Black Stars, noted that the younger players in the national team have been eclipsed by the more experienced ones.
He contends that the young players must remain reliable enough to succeed the veterans when they leave the Black Stars.
Sharing his own experience in an interview with Koforidua-based Bryt FM, Dan Owusu, who won the Ghana Premier League goal king gong for three consecutive times stated that he went through the same ordeal.
“I joined the Black Stars as a young player but I didn’t get playing time because there were senior players. When they faded out, we succeeded them, and that is how the national team should be”.
“Afriyie is doing well but I think this is not the time to play him at the Black Stars. He is very smallish and players like that normally struggle. To me, it is about being with the team for long and knowing the philosophy”.
“Both Barnieh and Afena-Gyan are not up to the national team level. I think they should just understudy the senior players and I believe with time, they will get there,” the ex-footballer said.
No agreement has been achieved with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the specifics of any debt operations, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to Seth Terkper, a former minister of finance, the government may face difficulties in calculating the various debts accumulated throughout the period for the debt sustainability analysis with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mr. Terkper added that the government must present a number of debts for examination as part of the bargaining process.
But, during a press conference in Accra on Wednesday September 28, 2022, Mr. Ofori-Atta said IMF will cover a period of 10 days; and in line with the President’s dialogue with the IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, negotiations will be fast-tracked to ensure that key aspects of the programme are reflected in the 2023 Annual Budget Statement in November 2022.
“We simply have not reached any agreement with the Fund on the parameters of any debt operations as we are in the process of completing the debt sustainability analysis. Government shall continue to actively engage all stakeholders in a clear and transparent manner as we seek to fast-tract the IMF negotiation process.
“Government is committed to ensuring that a comprehensive package is negotiated with the aim of restoring and sustaining macroeconomic stability, ensuring durable and inclusive growth and promoting social protection,” he explained.
Mr. Ofori-Atta stated that in the Ministry’s press release dated 26th September, 2022 on the commencement of the IMF negotiations, having a sustainable debt path is a pre-requisite for the IMF programme.
“Therefore, the IMF/World Bank and the Ghana Team are currently undertaking a debt sustainability analysis (DSA) to inform the programme negotiations.
“In addition, the IMF and Government Team are working to update the medium-term macro-fiscal framework to inform IMF programme design.
“Also, the Government Team and the IMF Team are discussing policy measures and structural reforms proposed in our economic programme aimed at addressing the economic challenges facing the country towards restoring and sustaining macroeconomic stability, fiscal and debt sustainability, as well as promoting durable and inclusive growth and social protection.”
An aviation expert delegation from the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport attended the 41st International Conference on Aviation Safety.
The 193 Member States of ICAO, of which Ghana is a proud member, are anticipated to participate in the eleven-day event, which started on Tuesday, September 27, and is set to end on October 7, 2022.
During the Assembly Session, ICAO’s complete work programme in the technical, economic, legal and technical cooperation fields are reviewed in detail and outcomes provided to other bodies of ICAO and its member States in order to guide their continuing and future work, as prescribed in Article 49 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
The Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah would be expected on Saturday, 1st October 2022 to address the assembly to tout Ghana’s numerous achievements in the aviation industry as well as Ghana’s recovery in air transportation following the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hon. Asiamah would rely on Ghana’s enormous achievement in the aviation sector in the sub-region to solicit support for Ghana’s candidature for election to Part 3 of the ICAO Council to represent the Western Region of Africa.
In total eight African States, including Ghana will be contesting for seats and reelection to the governing body of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Ghana at the 40th Triennial Assembly in 2019 received two prestigious awards, the ICAO Council President’s Certificate in Aviation Security and the ICAO Council President’s Certificate in Aviation Safety after significantly improving on its safety performance after the last safety assessment in April 2019.
Ghana obtained an Effective Implementation (EI) rate of 89.89%, one of the highest by an African State, after ICAO concluded its Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM).
Some notable members of the Ministers’ delegation included; Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee of transport, Kennedy Nyarko Osei &; MP for Akim Sweduru Constituency, Kwame Governs Agbodza, Ranking Member, Parliamentary Select Committee of Transport; MP for Adaklu, Mrs. Mabel Sagoe, Chief Director Ministry of Transport, Mr. Charles Kraikue – Director General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and Mrs. Pamela Djamson-Tettey, Managing Director, Ghana Airports Company Limited(GACL).
Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada, H.E. Anselm Ransford Sowah also joined the Ministers’ delegation to attend the opening session.
He claims that this is because Ghana’s creditworthiness has recently been downgraded to junk status by international rating agencies Moodys Fitch and Standards & Poor’s.
On September 28, Ken Ofori-Atta said during a news conference in Accra that the government is now concentrating on ensuring that it takes the required fiscal policy measures in order to reclaim access to the global capital market.
“Returning to the International Capital Market is going to take a bit of time. It will take about two to three years before we can be able to work on our ratings before that time. The recent downgrade is very unfortunate”, he said.
Over a period, demand for forex has overtaken supplies at a time when high debts and low investor confidence have made it impossible for Ghana to access the international capital market for borrowing.
This has led to the downgrading of Ghana’s creditworthiness, the depreciation of the local currency, and among others.
Ghana has now entered negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a possible economic support programme which is expected to be accessed in 2023.
In accordance with Article 17(1) of the GFA Statutes, the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has unanimously resolved to suspend AshantiGold Sporting Club with immediate effect.
This choice was made as a result of the club’s dealings with officials Kwaku and Emmanuel Frimpong who have been suspended, which is a significant violation of both the GFA and FIFA Statutes.
The GFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed 10-year and 8-year suspensions on Kwaku and Emmanuel Frimpong for their involvement in match manipulation.
The GFA Appeals Committee subsequently upheld the judgments.
The two banned officials did not appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) as required by both the GFA Statutes and the FIFA Statutes and the time for filing such an appeal had long expired.
However, AshantiGold SC continues to deal with and engage with the two banned officials in violation of Articles 9, 13 and 16 of the GFA Statutes and the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes.
It would be recalled that only 22 players have filed appeals and temporary measures (a stay of execution) at CAS, which have been granted by CAS.
The GFA has accordingly allowed the players to register and play in GFA and international competitions until the final determination of their cases by CAS.
The suspension of AshantiGold SC means the club shall lose all membership rights and that the club cannot play in any football competition, including but not limited to the Ashanti Regional Football Association Division Two League.
In accordance with both the GFA Statutes and FIFA Statutes, the GFA, members of the GFA, clubs, players, referees and all participants in football shall not deal and engage in any football-related activities (administrative, sporting, etc) with the suspended AshantiGold SC and/or the banned officials.
Obiri Boahen, a former deputy general secretary of the New Patriotic Party, has spoken on the suspension of the Ghana Premier League as a result of a court order.
On September 29, 2022, the Ghana Football Association declared that the league has been halted as a result of an interlocutory injunction Ashantigold received from the Human Rights High Court.
Obiri Boahen said in an interview with Angel FM that given these occurrences, it is not surprising that Ghanaians follow other leagues and players more closely than the domestic league.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen on Angel TV; “Why will people not follow Vinicius Jnr and Mbappe than our own players in the league?”
“If you play a Premier League that can be put on hold because of a Court injunction every year, who will be willing to invest their money and time in this” he added.
The GPL has been under injunction threats over the past two seasons. Tema Youth tried to seek for an injunction in 2020 after they claimed the FA had denied them promotion into the top tier by bending the rules in favour of Accra Lions.
Ebusua Dwarfs also tried seeking an injunction in 2022 after accusing the FA of unfair demotion.
Both Tema Youth and Ebusua Dwarf’s efforts proved futile, but Ashantigold succeeded in placing an injunction on the league in their fight against a supposed unfair demotion.
The GFA’s Disciplinary Committee found AshantiGold guilty of match manipulation in their home game against Inter Allies during the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season.
Following that, the Committee demoted both clubs to the country’s third-tier league and suspended other officials involved.
Ghanaian football supporters have bemoaned the Ghana Football Association’s choice to suspend the Ghana Premier League after AshantiGold delivered notice of an injunction on the organization.
After being found guilty of match-fixing and demoted to Division 2 league, Ashantigold filed an injunction at the Human Rights High Court to suspend the league.
The GFA stated that the league would be suspended until the court’s decision on a Motion on Notice for Injunction on October 14, 2022.
The FA also pledged to “seek reparation for the prompt restoration of the Premier League” and “guarantee that the schedule is not further disturbed in this world cup year.”
Reacting to the news of the suspension of the league, some fans said that they were not shocked that the league has been put on hold because Ashantigold forewarned the GFA.
Some fans on social media were also worried about how the suspension of the league could affect the fixtures as the World Cup approaches and would force the league into another temporal hold.
A section of fans also expressed their frustrations at how the GPL has always had court issues.
Read some of the comments below
Ashgold kraaa what dey wrong am? Did someone asked you to play a fix match game? Ahh wah b dis kraaaa??!!
— CHANGES CFC????♌️???????? (@LifeChanges8) September 29, 2022
Are you guys serous at all????????????????ah
— ????Ice Morgan⚽???????? (@norteyrichard62) September 29, 2022
Thank you Asantigold SC, may God bless you. Everything you will do will prosper. Please don’t drop this case oooo,
— kwequ Boateng Antoh (@Noboxina) September 29, 2022
Are people still surprised why no serious organization wants to sponsor this league. BetPawa took a gamble now look at what’s happening
— El Bresidente (@Speedy_GH) September 29, 2022
so why didn’t they deal with this matter before starting the league in the first place. hmmmm this FA people erh
— Hommez (@ajingohommez) September 29, 2022
Tell ur GFA to do proper investigation before they sanction clubs ..
— ……. (@QuofiTaylor) September 29, 2022
So everyone can wake up and put an injunction on the league, where does this happen in the top five leagues in Europe?
— Yaa _ Dansowaa (@YaaDansowaaAkol) September 29, 2022
Ghana football is just useless.ever since I started watching the premier league I have never heard the league is on hold for such reasons. Man I am done with u people kai
— le_roy???? (@kofijnr11) September 29, 2022
You keep running away from solving issues in the league now see. I wish the clubs can sue the FA for the losses they’re going to incur
— 我是加纳人 (@gordonshark124) September 29, 2022
Which pride bro .. person fix match in a competitive league and you expect the mother body to go silent. Ash gold should behave themselves. We need our league back as soon as possible
— Eric Ofoe (@EricOfoe2) September 29, 2022
The season the Hearts won the league, and we are still suffering for that. There were lots of match fixing allegations that season but the FA swept all other the carpet.
— Street Dog (@streetsoggh) September 29, 2022
Someone carry hin money come invest in ya league and now see the nonsense going on huh.
— Frederick Baah Acquah (@FrederickAcquah) September 29, 2022
Based on a shared commitment to development, the two countries’ bilateral commerce volume reached a height of US$9.57 billion in 2021, up from US$6.67 billion in 2017, according to Lu Kun, the Chinese ambassador to Ghana.
China’s direct investment climbed by US$15 million, a 12% increase year over year, making Ghana its biggest trading partner in Africa.
At a durbar to commission a 22-km inner city road infrastructure in Cape Coast that was paid for by the Chinese government through the Sinohydro agreement, the Chinese ambassador made this disclosure.
He attributed the steady rise in trade and investments to the strong demand for Chinese products by Ghanaians as well as measures put in place by both countries to leverage the long-standing relations.
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, together with Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, Roads and Highways Minister joined the chiefs of the Area to commission the road project aimed at expanding access to ease traffic and accelerate development.
Elated by the increasing trade volumes between China and Ghana, the Ambassador said: “These are not just numbers, but a symbol of China-Ghana friendship we value and cherish.”
“The China-Ghana ties have been kept on a sound momentum of high-level bilateral exchanges and ever-increasing trust built on mutual strong conviction for development.
“The decades of solid relations remain a springboard for a win-win China-Ghana cooperation hinged on consolidating bilateral traditional friendship, deepening pragmatic cooperation, and broad consensus building on issues of mutual concern,” he stated.
The Chinese Ambassador indicated that China and Ghana have always supported each other on issues concerning their core and major interests, keeping close cooperation in the international and regional arena and thus safeguarding the relationship.
Through that, Mr Kun said the Chinese government had financed, partnered, and executed several critical national projects relating to the economic growth and the livelihood of people in Ghana.
Key among them are the National Theatre, office complexes of the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry, the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho and the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.
Others are the Atuabo Gas Processing Project, Bui Dam, and Kpong Water Supply Expansion Project, Asogli Power Plant, and Africa World Airline (AWA) which have played a key role in resolving the power shortage and promoting the interconnection of the sub-region.
Lately, the Chinese equipment and technologies have accelerated the pace of integration with local enterprises and capital, bringing into being several local star enterprises and adding fuel to the enthusiasm for Ghana’s cooperation with China.
On people-to-people exchanges, he said cultural exchanges were close and ever-increasing on mutual understanding, as wood sculpture, music, and dance, among other forms of tourists, enjoyed high popularity among Chinese tourists.
Mrs Justina Marigold Assan said the completion of roads was key to the region’s investment drive to become the preferred investment destination in the country.
She said the Region remained the most preferred destination in Ghana’s quest to continuously attract investment from the Diaspora.
Francis Asenso-Boakye, minister of works and housing, has stated that the government is still dedicated to providing better infrastructure systems to meet the rising demand for housing.
Despite adopting a variety of initiatives to close the gap, Ghana now has a 1.8 million housing shortage.
However, in response to the rising demand for housing and infrastructure development, the Housing Minister has pledged that major investment in Ghana’s building industry will be given priority.
Speaking at a webinar organised by Deloitte Ghana on the topic, Africa Construction and Housing Trends; ‘A focus on Ghana’, Francis Asenso-Boakye said government is keen on providing decent, safe and quality housing which are accessible and affordable to all citizens.
“The prevailing strategy of government regarding affordable housing is to secure land banks and provide the requisite infrastructure services to these land banks, designated as affordable housing enclaves to leverage private sector investment for mass affordable housing”
“Government will strengthen the provision of requisite tax incentives and exemptions available in our laws to attract private sector capital,” he added.
Touching further on improvements in Ghana’s housing sector, Asenso-Boakye emphasised the need for a robust and regulatory institutional framework hence the enactment of the Real Estate Agency Act 2020 Act 1047.
“The Act has led to the establishment of the Real Estate Council to regulate real estate agency practices and activities in Ghana,” he explained.
The sector minister said there is currently an increasing demand for the development of high-rise and compact properties towards maximizing limited land space especially within the prime areas of major cities in Ghana.
He explained that this has called for the need to consider the implications of shared ownership of common areas.
“Government is therefore working assiduously to pass the Condominium Bill which seeks to regulate the use of common areas within the real estate industry.”
The Housing Minister in his conclusion called for the investment from private sector players to propel development of Ghana’s construction sub-sector and the economy at large which can deepen the financial sector, create jobs and drive macro-economic growth.
Deloitte Survey on Ghana’s housing sector
Meanwhile a Partner and Financial Advisory Leader at Deloitte Ghana, Yaw Appiah Lartey said a survey conducted by Deloitte focusing on Ghana’s housing sector highlighted two major concerns emanating from taxes and tariffs for real estate players.
“I know government has done quite a few things to address this and support the sector in terms of taxes and tax exemptions but players and stakeholders seem to be expecting more to done from government,” he stressed.
Yaw Lartey further called on the minister and government to ensure that affordable housing structures and measures are geared toward making sure the average Ghanaian is suited to afford them.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has stated that Ghana’s economy is on an upward trajectory despite the shocks that hit the economy.
According to him, the statistics show that the country can confront the challenges ahead.
He was speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
“Overall, our growth outturn of 3.4% and 4.8% in Q1 and Q2 of 2022 respectively, coupled with modest improvements in our fiscal position, suggests our economy is gradually on the upswing despite the numerous shocks we have faced over the past two years. These figures demonstrate that in spite of recent challenges, there has been economic growth, modest as the gains so far may be,” he said.
Ofori-Atta also stated that global external shocks have negatively affected the country’s balance of payment position.
“Undoubtedly, global risks remain on the horizon, including a strengthening US dollar and higher interest rates which negatively affect external borrowing,” he noted.
In order to achieve the intended global digital transformation, the Minister responsible for Communications and Digitalization, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has made a high-level policy declaration on universal connection.
The statement, made on September 27, 2022, at the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) taking place in Bucharest, Romania, highlighted efforts made by the Government of Ghana to close the digital divide and encourage citizens to embrace the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Key among them were:
• Mobile money interoperability which has brought over 15 million previously unbanked persons onto the digital financial platform
• National Identity Card as the only ID for all digital transactions for the prevention of identity theft and cyber fraud
• Digital skills development offered through a nationwide network of Digital Transformation Centres to benefit over 20,000 Women Entrepreneurs, Master Trainers, Youth, and Children in Coding Clubs in the past 12 months
• Focused interventions to reduce the gender digital divide and create opportunities for the youth through the ‘Girls in ICT’ program and nurturing of new businesses at Digital Incubation Centres.
The Hon. Minister, in her statement, reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to the strategic direction set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to ensure universal connectivity that will propel the realisation of the desired global digital transformation.
She also noted that bridging the digital divide to facilitate equitable connectivity, which is vital to the success of the economic transformation of Ghana, is a primary objective.
According to Hon. Owusu-Ekuful, “the government of Ghana is actively implementing the Digital Ghana Agenda to position Ghana as the digital gateway to the African continent.”
She further mentioned that the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with the Secretariat headquartered in Ghana is a pointer to the African Continent-wide marketing strategy powered by digitalisation.
The Minister also indicated Ghana’s preparedness in terms of Cybersecurity and called for support in that sector to ensure secure and resilient cyberspace for sustained digital transformation.
She said, “utilising ITU guidelines, Ghana is actively promoting cybersecurity not only for our benefit but for the sub-region as a whole.”
Ghana’s 2021 ITU Global Cybersecurity Index ranking improved to 86.69% from 32.6% in 2017. We seek partnerships and international cooperation to do even better for our entire sub-region.
This policy statement was delivered in a bid to influence and determine decisions and policy direction of the ITU for the next four (4) years.
• Ghanaian merchants with political clout serve as fronts for Chinese fishing companies;
• Although it is forbidden for foreign vessels to fish in Ghanaian waters, the number of vessels owned and operated by Chinese companies has increased over the previous ten years;
• Although trawlers don’t always intend to catch the fish they net, the tactics utilized are unsustainable, using nets that are termed “illegal” or irregular as they scoop up fish from various depths;
• Local fishermen are harmed by industrial methods, yet trawler operators have built partnerships with them by selling them their extra catches.
• There is a major cost to Ghana’s economy. In money terms, Ghana loses US$50 million dollars annually that should go to the fiscus; but perhaps the more profound effect is on food security and nutrition with many fisherman saying that the depletion of fish is so severe, they are unable to catch enough to sustain themselves, let alone generate sufficient food to feed their families;
• The ill effects can be summarised in three respects: Ghana’s economy loses US$50 million/year to transhipment activities; more than half the fish (60 percent) consumed in the country is imported, causing the government to lose revenue; subsidies to the fishing industry are not recovered due to the losses suffered by the artisanal fishermen;
• Fisheries regulations stipulate the mature size of fish to be harvested. Once any fish below that size is caught, it is regarded as illegal fishing.
• The decrease in fish stocks has a knock-on economic effect. Religious leaders have lamented that when there’s a sparse or no harvest, it affects the offerings of church members; furthermore, the people working in the industry have numerous dependents putting them under pressure in terms of survival;
• People worst affected by the demise in fish stocks and distortions in the fishing industry say there is lack of political will to tackle the challenges faced by artisanal fishermen.
It is 12 January 2022 and on the shores of Prampram, a fishing community in the Greater Accra region near the industrial and fishing port of Tema, about 22 fishermen gather in a shed. They would normally be out in their canoes, but on this Tuesday morning, they are playing draughts while discussing their misfortunes due to the proliferation of Chinese-owned and run industrial trawlers.
Prampram Fishermen play draughts to while away the time,, 12 January 2022
Usually under cover of darkness, fishing vessels take to the waters off Ghana’s coast close to Togo.
Chinese-owned vessels proliferate and now appear to control Ghana’s waters and the fishing industry, producing and supplying fish to cold stores in Ghana and Togo, many of which are largely owned by the foreigners. Ghana has no official or bilateral fishing agreement with China. But the Chinese fishing investors and companies come to Ghana via a “back door” – they use high profile Ghanaians who, for a fee, front for them. They go into hire purchase agreements under which the Chinese bring their vessels to Ghana, register them in the names of the Ghanaians and use the Ghana flag as if they are local vessels, but in reality the owners are Chinese. The vessels are manned only by Chinese, who are the technical operators and instructors on the vessels, a factor confirmed to us by the chief director at the Ministry of Fisheries.
Our investigations have ascertained that Ghanaians are fronting for the Chinese for an initial fee of between US$1,500 and US$2,000 dollars in addition to about 5% from the earnings generated by the vessels annually.
On its website in May 2022, the Chinese fishing Company Shandong Oceanic displayed pictures of its large fleet of fishing trawlers on Ghanaian waters on the Atlantic Ocean clearly depicting their presence and dominance in Ghana’s territorial marine waters.
Trawler fleet by Shandong Oceanic operating in Ghana’s Atlantic waters.
Of major concern is the use of unauthorised and unapproved methods by the Chinese fishing companies in trawling the fish from the bottom, mid and surface of the ocean. Our information is that they use nets with unapproved openings in a bid to “grab” all the fish. These Chinese-owned vessels are also accused by local fishermen of fixing huge lights in the sea at night to attract and easily capture large stock.
Unwanted parts of the catch are then sold on the high seas to local fishermen and foreign vessels in what experts describe as transhipment and is referred to locally as ‘saiko,’ which is illegal. Saiko is big business in places like Elmina and the Takoradi Fishing harbour. Fishermen fix refrigerators into their canoes and wooden trawlers to store sardinellas and other catches bought from Chinese industrial trawlers.
At the Tema main Fishing Harbour in Ghana, vessels like AFKO 805 AFRICA PRINCESS, AFRICA STAR , ATLANTIC QUEEN , LONG TAI1, and LONG TAI 2 are operating as vessels owned by Shandong Zhonglu, according to information obtained from the Ministry of Fisheries . Other Chinese vessels like MENGXIN3 MENGXIN 4,. LU RONG YUAN YU, 219 LU RONG YUAN YU 968, LU RONG YUAN YU 969 also operate in Ghana’s waters in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.
In June 2019, the LU Rong Yuan Yu 956, a Chinese trawling vessel was apprehended in Ghanaian waters with illegal nets and undersized small pelagic fish on-board. The pelagic fish form the staple catch of the local artisanal canoe fishers. The full fine of US$1 million was imposed on the vessel by the regulatory agency but the vessel owners refused to pay. In May 2020 the vessel was caught again for similar offences and for using nets with mesh sizes below the legally accepted level. It was let off the hook again.
The People Worst Affected by Overfishing and proliferation of Chinese vessels
40-year-old Beatrice Otoo has been processing fish through the traditional smoke fishing method at Chokor in Accra for the past 20 years. But the fish processing business has shrunk in recent times.
“The market has gone down. People don’t buy or patronise our fish as they used to because they claim they are expensive and that living conditions are hard. Besides that, fish is scarce to get nowadays. Previously, we used to buy fish from the local artisanal fishermen but now the fishermen don’t bring (in) fish. What they bring are insufficient for the market.
So we now rely on what the Chinese bring to the various cold stores in Tema. These days there are no bumper harvests … not even in the month of August when fish harvests are in abundance.
Yes, it’s because of the Chinese heavy industrial trawlers that are taking all the fish in the sea. I went to the market today and made a profit of ghc50 cedis( US$5) which I am coming to spend with my kids, when it gets finished I will go again tomorrow and sell to make some profit. I really get tired and worried.
If nothing is done about curbing the situation (relating to the trawlers), our business may collapse. A carton of fish today is about ghc450, a few weeks ago it was sold for around ghc250, this increase is over 250 percent and it keeps increasing. I really don’t enjoy doing this business due to the scarcity of fish and the escalating prices.
Beatrice Otoo speaking to the team while smoking her fish on the hot fire under the scorching sun
Mary Aku Allotey is 47 years old and has been processing fish for over 27 years now. According to her, the fish processing business has not been lucrative for some years now. “Years ago we made profit from this business but not anymore. Things are hard nowadays. They (authorities) and the market forces keep increasing the price of fish and we don’t have money to sustain our business. We also don’t have good husbands to take care of us and our children.
“The entire burden has been put on our shoulders. Taking care of our children through this unprofitable fish processing business is like walking in hell on earth.”
She says that complaining does not help.
“The cold store operators tell us that the taxes imposed on them and the fish by the government are high, hence the high cost of the products. Also most of the fish caught by the trawlers in Ghana are sent to Togo. The authorities know about what I am telling you. So we sometimes go to Togo to buy fish when they become scarce in Ghana and this doubles the price due to the transportation cost and the cost of import duty. Sometimes when we go to the Tema fishing harbour and we don’t get fish, we are compelled to go to places like Takoradi, Elmina, and even Benin to buy fish.”
A carton of fish today (12th June 2022) is between ghc450 and ghc500 cedis, something that was ghc250 4 months ago. The price of a carton of fish today is said to have increased to between Ghc600 and Ghc 1,000 cedis.
“The fish processing business has become a debt- incurring challenge rather than a profitable venture. We are incurring debts every day because the local artisanal fishermen don’t bring fish anymore and we have to depend on the cold stores for the expensive fish brought by the Chinese trawler vessels. Now all our children have become thieves and robbers because when they eat at home and don’t get enough or get satisfied they resort to stealing and robberies”.
Years ago, only tuna and salmon used to be sold in cartons to the “high class” in society. “Today, they put everything in the cartons, both big and small, the juvenile fishes, the sardinelas and all in the cartons and sell at outrageous prices to us,” says Ms Allotey.
Oko Aryee, a 50-year-old fisherman is concerned about the use of light in night fishing. “They are fishing in an unauthorised zone and use lights to attract the fish. In the process they extract juvenile fish that should have been allowed to grow more. I can say we are doomed if nothing is done about the situation. There is need for an urgent solution”.
Ishmael Aryee is a 42-year old artisanal fisherman who has been fishing for 24 years. “They use nets with mesh sizes below the legal standards of the Fisheries Commission and use them to harvest the small pelagic fish offshore.
“Many years ago when I joined my father in the fishing business, one wouldn’t come to the shores of Prampram without getting fresh sea fish of all types. We were catching and harvesting huge volumes of fish daily. Today, things have changed and we don’t get them anymore because these Chinese trawlers use unauthorised fishing gear to trawl the depths of the sea and grab everything into their vessels to sell. They engage in transhipment and sell to all vessels they come across at sea both in Ghana and Togo. They sell to those who have money to pay (while on the) high seas. If I am not mistaken, over 60 percent of fish stocks in our waters are gone as a result of their illegal fishing activities”.
Local fishermen operate out of canoes with small engines that are powered by fuel.
“We don’t get anything after spending money to buy premix fuel to power our canoes,” said Mr Aryee.
Ishmael Aryee , expressing his frustration
Mike Abekah Edu, Western Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Canoe and Fishermen Council ( GNFCC) says allowing foreign trawlers onto Ghanian waters has decimated fish stocks, in particular the small pelagic varieties usually harvested by artisanal fishermen. The decline has pushed the fishermen towards illegal activities. Mr Abekah Edu interacting with the Journalist
“As a representative of the artisanal fishers, we support the suspension of all trawlers 100 percent, we plead with the government to suspend them for about 3 or 4 years to help sanitize the fisheries industry. Their activities are the cause of illegal fishing in Ghana and even in the artisanal fisheries sector. The government should suspend them for 4 years to see the revival or the resuscitation of the fisheries industries. For the pelagic and the small fishes to rejuvenate, there needs to be a period of transition for them. I don’t think these Chinese people are needed in our fisheries industry. Whatever you tell them they ignore and hide under the cover of darkness and do illegal and irresponsible fishing. Ghana is losing about US$7 million every year by issuing fishing license fees and fines for trawlers that are far too low compared to the revenue they generate . Licence fees are low compared with other countries and insignificant since almost all the trawlers are owned by the Chinese
Mike Abekah Edu, General Secretary of the Ghana National Fishermen and Canoe Council
48-year-old Nii Asempa has been working as a fisherman for the past 28 years. He was also an aspirant Assemblyman at the recent District Assembly elections at Ningo Prampram. He told the investigative team that they have made several complaints on several platforms about the use of the Chinese fishing nets and vessels that are contributing to the depletion of Ghana’s fish stocks but there hasn’t been any tangible response by the government and the regulatory agencies.
Mr Asempa and other fishermen have raised their concerns with the authorities several times and protested and demonstrated against the trawlers, but he says the transhipment activities had the support of some officials of the Fisheries Commission and is being done “undercover” at sea.
Caption: Nii Asempa showing us some of the unapproved nets used for the illegal fishing activities
47 year old Osa Sagbo, a fisherman accuses the authorities of “twisting and changing the figures to hide the truth.” “It is appalling and unfortunate. These kinds of attitudes towards us have the recipe to cause confrontation between local fishermen and the foreigners. It has the potential to trigger a major conflict between us.”
OSA Sagbo, 2nd from Left, stressing his frustration to the team
55-year-old Ago Martey has been an artisanal fisherman for 40 years and says he has never before seen the kind of destruction of the fishing industry as has been happening today due to the activities of the Chinese-owned trawlers. “Before the mass arrival of the Chinese trawlers, we experienced bumper harvests of various fish types daily. Fish was in abundance and we fishermen could sell more to take care of ourselves and families. Today the situation has changed”.
Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah, the Programs Manager at the Friends of the Nations (FON), one of the NGOs active in Ghana’s Fisheries sector in an interview with me said: “When these trawlers started operating in our waters many years ago most of them were not targeting the endangered fish species like the sardinelas because those were basically reserved for the local fishermen.”
Mr Yamoah said the trawler operators dumped parts of the catches for which they had no use, back in the sea.
“Though this dumping was against the law, the fines for this practice, “were not that much to deter them,” he explained.
Local fishermen observed the dumping and would approach the trawlers and negotiate for the catch being discarded, thus starting the practice of transhipment.
“This became a competition among local fishermen who would sail out to sea just to collect the “unwanted” fish from the Chinese trawlers. Most fishermen then familiarised themselves with the industrial trawlers and started bartering with them. They would send vegetables, oil and other items to these vessels on the high seas in exchange for the unwanted fish which was also dubbed ‘seite’ in Chinese which means (what is bad must be discarded )”.
“The trade at sea morphed into a “By-Catch Association” an association of canoe fishers who are self-trained in the transhipment or “saiko” business. Now they purchase fish from the Chinese trawler vessels because of the illegal space that has been provided for them to operate. It is sad that a whole industry has emerged in Elmina out of this illegal business.”
“The system for industrial trawling allows for potentially powerful individuals with political connections to own fishing licenses. Getting a fishing license in Ghana is very difficult unless you are politically connected or led by somebody who is politically connected. The non-political ones will usually seek the support of the political ones in an attempt to secure licenses.”
“In fisheries the operators of the trawlers are not powerful, it is the weakness in the system that has made them powerful,” says Mr Yamoah.
“Fish is the cheapest source of protein and Ghanaians consume a lot of fish. Almost every food goes with fish; yes even breakfast, and when there is fish available you will see the nutritional and health value. A few years ago when there were bumper harvests you will see that fish in abundance, even in the regions far from the coast. So when fish harvests go down, it seriously affects food security . Not only that. it also affects employment, health and wellbeing and also affects the dependants of fisher folks . This sometimes affects their education and they find it difficult to survive on three meals a day” when there’s a scarcity.
Out-of-Court Settlement
According to Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah “Section 116 of the Fisheries Act deals with compounding offences and the introduction of an out-of-court settlement committee. The perpetrators or offenders, once they admit wrongdoing, then negotiate the amount to be paid in fines. The norm is that mostly the fines imposed under the out-of-court settlement committee is below the minimum threshold provided for under the law. Ifk, for instance, the law says that when somebody engages in saiko the minimum fine should be US$1 million dollars, but sometimes they are far below the stipulated amount. So that raises issues.
Fines are also not consistent. For instance someone (a trawl operator ) commits an offence that requires a US$1000,000 fine but the person is charged only US$100,000 by the out-of- court settlement committee instead. Another person commits the same offence and is charged US$50,000.”
“Furthermore, it is not mandatory for vessels operating in Ghana to have International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers. These are numbers that enable regulators and monitors to track and trace vessels wherever they are in the world. The numbers indicate when they were manufactured and, the kind of fishing they are expected or licenced to engage in. The IMO number doesn’t change. So to help us track multiple offenders even along the shorelines, we need to make the operators display these numbers of their vessels. It must be included in the law.”
Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing
The fisheries regulations give us the mature size of fish to be harvested, so once you catch any fish below that size, it is regarded as illegal fishing, explains Mr Yamoah
“Lack of political will”
Providing supervision of regulatory agencies to avoid omissions and commissions would help to address some of the challenges in the fisheries sector, says Mr Yamoah.
“When we talk about regulatory omissions or illegality, it is the regulatory agencies rather looking the other way and refusing to do their job; sometimes there are incentives for them to abandon their duties and look the other way and find excuses,” says Mr Yamoah.
A lot of these activities can be stopped on land. Any illegality that happens at sea begins on land.
In the artisanal sector, the minister of Fisheries, Mavis Hawa Koomson issued a directive under which any landing site found to have engaged in any form of illegal, unregulated or unreported fishing activity be denied supplies of premix fuel.
Once the government is unable to enforce the law it sometimes begins to shift the blame.
An entire industry has emerged in Elmina out of illegal business activities.
Glaring anomalies in the system:
I am told that our security agencies and the system are firm but I don’t see that pragmatically on the field, asserts Mr Yamoah.
“Our system for industrial trawling allows for potentially powerful individuals with political connections to own fishing licenses. Once that happens for instance, in cases where political financiers are owning licences, it becomes difficult for the political parties in power to handle such political financiers”.
In 2008 the Minister of State, ordered trawler operators to land at a designated fishing port and they obeyed. But that practice ended with a change in government.
Through saiko fishing or transhipment alone Ghana is losing over US$50 million dollars per year. “We are losing huge sums also from importing about 60 percent of our consumption and also putting in subsidies that cannot be recovered.
For instance if you hear government appealing to fishermen to stop illegal fishing, it’s like government appealing to armed robbers to stop robberies since those too are also illegal.
For Nii Asempa, Stephen Quartey , Osa Sorgbo , Ishmael Aryee Ago Martey , Oko Ayee and numerous other fishermen , the Chinese fishing sailors are very powerful due to the protection given to them by the political powers and politicians they connect with in Ghana.
For them since there is no political will to end the Chinese capture and invasion, their activities will continue to get worse until there is an uprising against them
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities
Unapproved nets, the use of obnoxious chemicals in fishing, and fishing within prohibited areas are commonplace. For instance if you are licensed to fish in an inshore exclusive zone (IEZ) and you fish outside or beyond the IEZ, it’s a form of IUU and vice versa.
By law you are supposed to land the fish at the port. If you don’t land it and you dispose of some at sea through transhipment it attracts punishment when caught .
Fronting
You need no less than US$10 million as minimum capital to register and operate trawlers in Ghana as operating costs of these vessels ranges from US$10 million to US$20 million. Most Ghanaians don’t have the wherewithal to raise the finances or capital to operate them. So they bring in foreign vessels that end up dominating the local industry. That is the challenge facing the fishing industry.
The Regional Maritime University and industry players are looking at how best to train Ghanaian navigators and fishers .
“Most of these vessels that come from China and Asia have foreigners who are piloting ; foreigners who are engineers and fishers and navigators. So we are going there,” says Mr Dadzie.
“We are talking to and encouraging the operators to seriously look at the issue of local content in the industrial trawler sector and how best we can get Ghanaians who are well-trained and positioned to take up those key positions .
Under the local content law we are supposed to have about 15 percent of Ghanaians at the top management level of every fishing company. Currently it is below that, even less than 1 percent,” he says.
Asked why the Fisheries Commission always refer offending trawlers in IUU to the out- of- court- settlement committee for seemingly meagre fines instead of the proper court of law for prosecution, Mr Dadzie said: “The law is very clear. The offender can admit liability and say that I want to submit myself to the out- of -court settlement committee and the law defines the parameters within which the out- of- court settlement committee can operate.”
The trawlers are now sailing in the shallow waters where canoes operate, adding to the competition against artisanal fishermen.
Emanuel Essien
Over the past three years, the disappearance of Emanual Essien, an employee of the Fisheries Commission, has remained unsolved. The 28-year-old disappeared while inspecting a trawler on the high seas . The exact circumstances remain unclear.
Mr Essien’s disappearance has raised the matter of the need for greater technological surveillance instead of human observers on trawlers.
According to Michael Arthur Dadzie, Ghana is a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICAT) and as part of the regulatory measures, “we had to implement the regional observers program in the ICAT regions. This included human observers being deployed on board vessels.
“We have had issues of bribery, compromises, threats,” he says relating to the “human” dimension of monitoring.
“We already have VMS, vessel monitoring system and VIS systems installed to monitor the industrial vessels. What the minister of fisheries has lobbied the government to bring in the not too distant future is the Electronic Monitoring system (EMS) that enables installation of cameras on board vessels.
The Attorney General also studied the Essien police report and wrote to us that there is a presumption of death only after seven years.
Greater regulation:
Mr Dadzie says that the minister of fisheries will soon issue a ministerial directive on the type of gear that the trawlers, semi-industrial sector and artisanal sector should use. “We need to tackle the problem holistically”.
Project Funded by the Global Reporting Centre of the University of British Columbia
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the nation will continue to increase the production and consumption of its oil and gas reserves while balancing its social, economic, and environmental requirements and emissions.
Ghana has established a goal of completely switching over to renewable energy by 2070.
“We must therefore take action to hasten the extraction and use of our oil and gas reserves even if as a government we are completely committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2070.
“This means that even while we would like to help reduce emissions, we believe that a balance between our social, economic, and environmental needs must be reached and maintained,” he added
The Vice President spoke at the Ghana International Petroleum Conference (GhIPCon 2022) in Accra and emphasised that fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, will continue to be part of the country’s energy mix in the short-term, while strategies will be put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix over the medium- to long-term.
In his view, happenings on the international energy market require that Ghana and African countries that have contributed little to global emissions and have huge untapped hydrocarbon resources ought to be forward-thinking – not only in terms of energy transition but also all aspects of the energy-mix.
“For example, how do we insulate the energy sector from global economic shocks; especially, considering how the Russia-Ukraine war has affected the energy sector in the last few months?
“So, I expect this conference to become a sounding-board for our governments in the West Africa region for how we can be full participants in the energy transition process, while remaining faithful to the needs and aspirations of our people,” he further explained.
Themed ‘Energy transition in the African petroleum downstream context: prospects, challenges and the way forward’ and organised by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the three-day event brings together leading experts and policymakers in the West African petroleum downstream industry to shape its future.
For his part, NPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said the demand for transportation fuels will wane over the longer-term or rapidly decline – depending on two variables: policy and technology innovation.
Consequently, he said, downstream investment and operating strategies must account for the fundamental shift in regulations and demand trends.
“The reality of fulfilling the energy transition commitment is that there will be further pressure on government spending to ensure our diversification process meets global needs. It is therefore imperative that we intensify our efforts.
“But it is not just about the pace of change. It is also about the scale of change. Every country, every sector and every company has announced its ambition to be a Net Zero Emissions energy company or society by 2050 or sooner,” Dr. Abdul-Hamid, added.
He revealed that the country’s commitment to lower emissions has, so far, culminated in the reduction of sulphur content in transport and industrial fuels from a maximum of 5000ppm to a maximum of 50ppm and the ongoing Cylinder Recirculation Model policy – which is expected to contribute in achieving LPG penetration of 50 percent by 2030.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has promised that the domestic financial industry will be protected during discussions at IMF negotiations while discussions on a sustainable debt path for the country are ongoing.
Given that a sustainable debt path is still essential for any IMF program, the Ghana Team, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are currently working on a debt sustainability analysis (DSA) to inform the program negotiations.
To sustain its development plans, the nation needs a strong domestic financial system, according to Mr. Ofori-Atta, particularly in the three years ahead with limited access to the international capital market.
“Therefore, everything must and will be done to protect our financial sector; and there must be room for a win-win conversation through extensive stakeholder engagement with both our domestic and external investors.
“Ghana has always had a collaborative approach with its partners, and we shall, I am confident, come out with a ‘historic arrangement’.
“The sanctity and well-functioning of the financial system is sacrosanct, and we need the support and trust of all Ghanaians to deliver this,” he said.
In view of this, a 5-member committee consisting of financial services professionals across the banking, asset management, pensions and insurance sectors is being formed to engage key stakeholders in the financial services sector.
“An announcement of the Committee Members will be made in the coming days, and they will immediately get to work to engage key stakeholders in the financial services sector – in addition to ongoing engagements with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), social partners (labour unions, employers and FBOs), academia, industry professionals and the leadership of Parliament,” the minister mentioned.
He assured that government will ensure a comprehensive package is negotiated with the aim of restoring and sustaining macroeconomic stability, ensuring durable and inclusive growth and promoting social protection.
Debt restructuring concerns
Bankers have expressed concern about how an imminent debt restructuring will impact the asset structure, earnings and operations of banks.
The sector has entreated managers of the economy to be circumspect in their decision-making, so as not to destabilise the budding financial sector and erode recent gains made… especially as pertains to investor confidence.
According to budget figures, Ghana spent GH¢20.5billion (US$2billion) in first-half of the year paying its debts – or 68 percent of its tax earnings. By the end of June, the total amount owed by government had risen to GH¢393.4billion, or 78.3 percent of GDP.
In response, Ghana started a proposed three-year enhanced domestic programme engagement with the IMF in July for US$3billion – joining a number of emerging markets that are being forced to default or restructure some of their debts this year.
This was done after efforts to stop the sell-off of its Eurobonds and halt a record depreciation of the cedi currency against the dollar – including cutting discretionary state spending by as much as 30 percent – failed.
With the expectation of a tough business environment in the near-term, banks are reviewing existing operations and investment strategies to ensure sustainable performance as they remain risk-aware and undertake effective credit management processes.
Following the two games the Black Stars played during the international break, Ghanaians have raised a number of concerns about the team.
Ghana defeated Nicaragua 1-0 and fell to Brazil 3-0.
There are problems, many people have said, that need to be fixed before the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup starts.
Ghanaians would prefer to see the squad move past the group stage this time because of Ghana’s disastrous prior performance in the competition, which resulted in a group stage departure.
Before Ghana’s opening match against Portugal in the group stage, GhanaWeb looks at five questions Otto Addo needs to address in their final exhibition game against Switzerland.
What formation best suits the team?
Otto Addo has been experimenting and exploring his formation options in order to find the best fit for his squad.
The manager has tried a variety of systems, but the majority of them are 3-5-2 and 4-2-3-1. He does not appear to have decided which of the two is the best fit.
There are concerns that Otto needs to have a defined system in place for his team before the serious business of the World Cup begins.
The Ayews dilemma
Many believe that Andre Ayew and Jordan Ayew have outlived their usefulness with the Black Stars. The argument has been that the Ayews can be on the team, but they should not be one of the first names on the line-up.
Otto Addo faces a difficult choice between giving in to public pressure or fighting it. In any case, he will be asked questions.
Dennis Odoi or Alidu Seidu?
The Black Stars have three options at right-back: Tariq Lamptey, Denis Odoi, and Alidu Seidu.
Lamptey appears to be the top pick in the pecking order, so he will be in the squad. As a result, Otto Addo will be torn between Alidu Seidu and Dennis Odoi for a backup spot in his final squad.
In the few games they have played, Alidu and Odoi have both proven their worth. Otto must now decide who makes the final list.
Who will lead the frontline for Ghana?
The Black Stars are lacking goals because they lack a prolific goal scorer, which leaves the manager unsure of how to set up his attacking lines to get the goals flowing.
In the games against Brazil and Nicaragua, he played Afena-Gyan and Inaki Williams respectively. He now has to decide which of the two players deserves to start at the World Cup.
Where does Kudus play?
One of Otto Addo’s problems is the role of Kudus Mohammed in his system. Kudus is flourishing at Ajax, where he is a false nine. For the Black Stars, however, he plays in his natural position of offensive midfielder, where many believe he takes far too many touches before releasing the ball.
Hence, Otto Addo must find a role for Kudus that will enable him to work efficiently.
According to coach Otto Addo, the Black Stars World Cup roster has been finalized, and the coaching staff is reasonably certain of the players that will make up the 26-man roster for the journey to Qatar.
According to what he claimed, at least 70% of the athletes who were selected for the September friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua may already be in Qatar.
GhanaWeb examines certain players who were not selected for the squad for the friendlies but could make the final 26-man World Cup roster with some spots still up for grabs.
Alidu Seidu
If Otto Addo’s comments are anything to go by, then Alidu Seidu could make the squad if the differences with the coaching team are resolved.
He was left out not based on form but because Otto Addo was not convinced about his commitment to the team.
The Lens midfielder is seen as the perfect partner and alternative to Thomas Partey whose injuries seem not to be going away.
Jeffery Schlupp
Like Seidu, Schlupp is also another player who despite enjoying game club cannot seem to find his way into the Black Stars.
His issue, as per reports is due to his decision to boycott or prematurely retire from the national team due to some unresolved issues.
With coach George Boateng recently visiting him, there is hope that he could reverse his decision and play for Ghana at the World Cup.
Joseph Paintsil
Another who could also be paying for his previous sins. Joseph Paintsil did not make the squad because he failed to honor previous call-ups in June when the team engaged in AFCON qualifiers and the 2022 Kirin Cup.
Despite his impressive form in the 2022/2023 league, Paintsil was not called as Otto Addo believes he has other options.
Though the wings seem to be packed with talents, Paintsil could get a spot if he continues to rack up the numbers, it will be hard for Otto Addo to overlook him.
Paintsil has been involved in six goals in the ongoing season.
Danlad Ibrahim
The goalkeeping position looked to have been settled with Ofori, Wollacott, and Manaf Nurudeen cementing their place but the continuous clamor for a local representation in the team could swing things in Danlad’s favor.
He is one of the best goalies in the local league and if he continues to impress Asante Kotoko, he could be on his way to Qatar.
Emmanuel Gyasi
The Spezia deputy skipper has surprisingly been left out of the Black Stars call-up in recent times despite consistent football at the club level.
In the Italian Serie A, he has played 8 times this season, polling just one assist but what stands out about him is his work rate and ability to influence play.
He could break into the Ghana team if he adds numbers to his incredible work rate and discipline.
The Ghana Premier League has been postponed until 2022–2023, according to the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The judgment was issued in response to an injunction Ashantigold requested from the Human Rights High Court, according to a statement posted on the FA’s website on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
The statement reads, “This is in response to a Motion on Notice for Injunction filed yesterday at the Human Rights High Court by Ashantigold SC and served on the lawyers of the GFA yesterday afternoon.”
The FA said, “Following receipt of the Motion, the Association has determined to place the league on pause until the court determines a Motion on Notice for Injunction on October 14, 2022.”
The GFA in their statement called for cooled among all stakeholders in this turbulent moment.
“The Association wishes to urge all stakeholders – sponsors and partners and clubs who have invested in the league, players whose livelihood depends on the league, match officials, administrators, officials and supporters of the league and the clubs to remain calm,” the statement entreated.
The GFA in their statement also assured all stakeholders that they will ensure the league’s calendar will not be affected.
“The Association will endeavour to seek redress for the prompt return of the Premier League and ensure that the calendar is not further disrupted in this world cup year,” the statement read.
The FA’s Disciplinary Committee found Ashantigold guilty of match manipulation in their home game against Inter Allies during the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season.
Following that, the Committee demoted both clubs to the country’s third-tier league and suspended other officials involved.
In response to what the Miners deemed as an unfair decision by the GFA, Ashantigold petitioned the Human Rights High Court for an injunction on September 9, 2022, to halt the start of the new Ghana Premier League season.
A young man with excellent potential for equipment ideas has been receiving guidance from businessman and entrepreneur Ibrahim Mahama.
The business entrepreneur saw Master Solomon Atimbiri, 17, when one of his videos went viral this past weekend, attracting his attention. Atimbiri is from the Upper East Region but currently resides in Kumasi.
Ibrahim Mahama subsequently made the long trip to meet the young person in order to start the first of many mentoring sessions with him and to examine some of the other innovations he had on show.
According to details shared by the office of Ibrahim Mahama, the fact that the young inventor was able to build a moving excavator and other trucks by using locally available materials made it easy for the businessman to show great interest in grooming him.
With this, Ibrahim Mahama will provide Solomon Atimbiri with all the needed support he requires to get him to realize his dreams.
It added that the young man will also permanently join Ibrahim Mahama’s company, Engineers and Planners.
“He has been attached to a team of local and expatriate engineers. He will be given practical training whenever school is on break till he completes school.
‘He will join the company permanently and will be working with a team of professional engineers after completion of school. Some of the current engineers working within Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s firm were also discovered as raw talent and developed to become professional engineers.”
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, vice president, urged energy sector participants to speed up the production and usage of Ghana’s oil and gas reserves during the official opening of the fifth Ghana International Petroleum Conference (GhIPCon) on September 28 in Accra.
This means that even while we wish to help reduce emissions, we believe that a balance between our social, economic, and environmental obligations must be reached and maintained, he explained.
“Let me add that Ghana has set a target of 2070 to fully transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
“So, even though as a government, we are fully committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070, we also have to take steps to accelerate the production and utilization of our oil and gas reserves.”.
Dr. Bawumia added: “So, fossil fuels, particularly natural gas will continue to be part of Ghana’s energy mix in the short term, whilst strategies will be put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix from medium to long term,”
According to Karim Osman, a ride-hailing service driver, graduates who complain about the lack of employment prospects lack seriousness because there are several opportunities to earn a reliable income.
Karim claimed that he received applications after graduating from Ghana Telecom University in 2016 but that the offer was not enticing enough.
He made the decision to become a driver as a result.
Karim mentioned that most graduates dislike “dirty occupations” because they believe such positions are of low quality but pay the greatest money in a conversation on SVTV Africa with DJ Nyaami.
“A company offered GHC350 after school, but it wasn’t enough…These graduates are not serious. If you don’t know someone who will put you on after school, then you should start something. They are not serious. A lot of them feel certain jobs are below their standard. It’s high time they think beyond that. It is a stepping stone,” he said.
According to Karim, he makes more than GHC4000 in a month. He stated that many people disrespect him because of his work. However, he makes more money than some graduates.
He advised others to start a business venture or engage in a smaller business instead of waiting for a corporate job.
Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
On the Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana today, September 29, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 9.5435 and a selling price of 9.5531.
As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.5385 and a selling price of 9.5481. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 10.30 and sold at a rate of 10.50.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 11.90 and sold at a rate of 12.00.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 9.1997 and a selling price of 9.2098 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.1613 and a selling price of 9.1706.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.5316 and a selling price of 0.5323 compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.5298 and a selling price of 0.5303.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.80.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 45.7987 and a selling price of 45.8982 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 45.6132 and a selling price of 45.7504.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 12.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 15.50.
The 2022/2023 Ghana Premier League saw the first coaching casualty when Samuel Boadu was fired.
On Monday, September 26, 2022, Boadu was dismissed following a three-game losing streak.
Aduana Stars overcame Hearts of Oak, and they then drew with Great Olympics and Asante Kotoko.
Collins
Popular Ghanaian sports journalist Atta Poku disclosed during a Sompa FM interview that Boadu’s departure was due to a number of circumstances in addition to his subpar performance.
According to Attah Poku, the primary reason for Boadu’s dismissal was the lack of results. They are yet to win a match this season and concluded last season with a worrying inconsistency which made them finish out of the top four.
He claimed that Hearts of Oak’s management, particularly Alhaji Akambi, had warned the technical team several times that they would be fired. As a result, the team led by Boadu knew they had outlived their welcome at the club.
He wasn’t making good use of his players
Attah Poku also alleged the management was dissatisfied with the coach’s system and player selection.
He cited an incident in which he claims Akambi objected to Boadu’s use of new striker Outching Yassin. He claims Akambi questioned why Boadu chooses to play Outching, who is tall despite the fact that he does not want his players to put crosses into the box.
Salifu Ibrahim’s injury
According to the popular Ghanaian sports broadcaster, Samuel Boadu and the management are at odds over Salifu Ibrahim’s treatment.
Although he did not elaborate further, he claimed that Boadu bypassed management to visit Salifu’s family and speak with them regarding the player’s injury.
Salifu Ibrahim, who has been a key component of Samuel Boadu’s success at Hearts of Oak has been on the sideline due to a long-term injury.
He recently resumed light training and set for his return after missing virtually the whole of last season.
Following the departure of Samuel Boadu, Accra Hearts of Oak’s former physical trainer, W.O. Tandoh, cursed the team to lose five straight games.
W.O. Tandoh, who is angry with the way the club’s board members have handled club business, predicted that Hearts of Oak’s season would begin on Sunday with a loss to Bibiani Goldstars at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Vincent Sowah Odotei, and Alhaji Akanbi, according to the Aduana Stars deputy coach, are among the board members who are allegedly guiding the team into a ditch.
According to him, the incoming Dutch coach to replace coach Samuel Boadu would not succeed under his watch. He asked fans to crucify him if Hearts of Oak won a match.
“Anyone who says Samuel Boadu is arrogant is a liar, and God will punish that person. He will judge that person. I wanted to go there for what they are doing but my job as a coach prevents me. I said it before I left the club, and that is what is happening,” W.O Tandoh said.
“They’ve come with that white man for him to come like how they were with him the last time. I will let them lose five matches.
“They will lose Sunday’s match. They will lose five consecutive matches. Aduana knows that I am a Hearts fan. It is good for me to say that. Hearts will lose five matches on a roll. Crucify me if they pick a winner,” he added.
W.O Tandoh, who claims the club owes him six months’ salary, also said, “they should remember that they owe me six months. I will deal with these useless-minded people at Hearts of Oak.”
While advising the populace, particularly the youth, to avoid foreign items and services, Mr. Frimpong is still finding it difficult to accept Ghanaians who favor imported goods over domestic ones.
The young politician and businessman called on Ghanaians and governments to modify their mindset in order to strengthen local markets and provide jobs for the throngs of unemployed youngsters while speaking on Net 2 TV.
“Consuming local products will not only boost our local economy, but more people will also get jobs if we’re able to produce more and export some. It will also help governments to earn the foreign exchange needed for development.
“So my appeal to everyone listening to me is to stop buying from these Chinese nationals who have taken over our market”, Mr. Frimpong pointed out.
The NPP apologist observed that until Ghanaians buy and eat home-grown products the economy will remain in the doldrums.
According to Emmanuel Cherry, chief executive officer of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GhCCI), almost 80% of the building materials used in the nation are imported due to the high cost of some locally made ones.
He claims that the price of building materials is the primary factor influencing the market for real estate and construction space, thus the government must provide incentives to local manufacturers to enable them to produce more goods at a lower cost.
“As I said earlier, 80 percent of building materials used in the country are imported. Even though we have a tile manufacturing company here, the prices of the imported ones are cheaper than the local ones. And since everyone wants to consider what will help him get profit, I will go for what is cheaper.
“The local economy can only be protected if we give incentives to the local manufacturers to produce whatever we consume here so that we close borders on some of the imported products. If that happens, we will gradually develop an appetite for local goods,” he said this on the Home Owners show on Metro Television.
Mr. Cherry also raised concerns about the space not receiving any regulation, but very hopeful that the coming into force of the Housing Authority will help bring sanity into the real estate sector.
“In the real estate sector, you will realise that we do not have a proper regulator. So in the wisdom of this government, they are promoting a bill called the Housing Authority and when that comes into force, automatically it is going to bring sanity within the space,” he said.
Mr. Cherry advised that developers must also pay critical attention to professionalism anytime they want to undertake a project. He added that these are the reasons why there are architects and surveyors; therefore, they should try as much as possible to seek expensive advice.
In the case of imported goods being cheaper on the market, business editor at Joy FM, George Wiafe, indicated that it is as a result of other countries subsidising prices of their products.
He added that there is also a lowered benchmark for the traders upon the arrival of the goods in Ghana, thereby making it cheaper for importers.
Former Ghanaian international Laryea Kingston stated that after playing in two friendlies in September, coach Otto Addo should have a good notion of his starting lineup for the World Cup.
He thinks that the technical staff should pay attention to the players they now have and choose who would be on the World Cup reserve team.
The World Cup is rapidly approaching, so I must unambiguously state to the world that this is the squad I support.
I believe it is currently too late to make any more judgments.
“I would prefer the technical team to already have their team, the main team that Ghanaians know that this is my starting eleven, these are the players that if things are not going on well, they will replace others,” Laryea Kingston told Radio Gold Talk Sport.
Coach Otto Addo named two different starting line-ups for Ghana’s friendly matches against Nicaragua and Brazil match.
However, for Laryea Kingston, there is no time again for coach Otto Addo to try new players and must make Ghanaians aware of the players he is taking to the World Cup before their final friendly match against Switzerland.
“For me, I will be very happy to see Otto [Addo] show Ghanaians that this is his team that he is taking to World Cup because it’s very close, he still has one more friendly to play than you are in the main tournament.
“I will prefer him focusing on the core team, a team that is going to appear and is going to play for the Black Stars in the tournament,” Laryea Kingston told Radio Gold Talk Sport.
Ghana will come up against South Korea, Portugal and Uruguay in Group H at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The German-born Ghanaian player Stephan Ambrosius should have participated in the Black Stars friendly matches, according to sports journalist Dan Kwaku Yeboah.
In Otto Addo’s squad for the September friendlies, Stephan Ambrosius was one of five players who changed their nationality to Ghana.
Speaking on the subject, Dan Kwaku Yeboah said Otto Addo ought to have benched Daniel Amartey so Stephan Ambrosius could argue why he belonged in Ghana’s World Cup roster.
“There was no problem for the players he used in the game against Nicaragua, but I was expecting he would give others who haven’t played a chance.
“Someone like Ambrosius never played, so on what grounds will he select him for the World Cup? So those who didn’t play, I felt this was the game to give them a chance to play for 20 or 30 mins. We already know Amartey and Ayews, so there was no need for them to play,” Dan Kwaku Yeboah stated.
The Black Stars have one friendly match against Switzerland before the 2022 FIFA World Cup commences in November.
Akwasi Soale, a former midfielder for Real Tamale United (RTU), claims that moving from Yendi to Tamale to start his football career was a very difficult but crucial choice.
In an interview on Happy FM’s Where Are They, the former Okwahu United and RTU midfielder described how difficult it was to make a livelihood and how his mother, a trader, battled to support his travel in pursuit of better lands.
To Ohene Bampoe Brenya, host of Happy Sports, he bitterly related his troubles, adding, “Getting from one area to another back then wasn’t very easy; it was quite difficult.”
“Before I could even travel to Tamale, I had to be assisted by my mum who was then a trader who moved to Tamale to get the items she traded in”.
“My mum would usually send me to collect monies owed her from other people before she could get something small for me to support myself”.
“A friend of mine once asked us to visit Tamale; we lived in Yendi but never knew Tamale. So we went there to view the town and trained with a team there just once. And from time to time, I visited the town, and that was how I familiarized myself with Tamale,” he said.
He further clarified that, though he started his football career in Tamale, the first premier league match he featured in was for Okwahu United in the year 2000 before joining the Tamale side two years later, where he played an instrumental role for RTU in their Premier League campaign that year.
The Ghana Premier League has been postponed until 2022–2023, according to the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The judgment was issued in response to an injunction Ashantigold requested from the Human Rights High Court, according to a statement posted on the FA’s website on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
The statement reads, “This is in response to a Motion on Notice for Injunction filed yesterday at the Human Rights High Court by Ashantigold SC and served on the lawyers of the GFA yesterday afternoon.”
“Following the receipt of the Motion, the Association has decided to put the league on hold until the determination of a Motion on Notice for Injunction by the court on October 14, 2022,” the FA added.
The GFA in their statement called for cooled among all stakeholders in this turbulent moment.
“The Association wishes to urge all stakeholders – sponsors and partners and clubs who have invested in the league, players whose livelihood depends on the league, match officials, administrators, officials and supporters of the league and the clubs to remain calm,” the statement entreated.
The GFA in their statement also assured all stakeholders that they will ensure the league’s calendar will not be affected.
“The Association will endeavour to seek redress for the prompt return of the Premier League and ensure that the calendar is not further disrupted in this world cup year,” the statement read.
The FA’s Disciplinary Committee found Ashantigold guilty of match manipulation in their home game against Inter Allies during the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season.
Following that, the Committee demoted both clubs to the country’s third-tier league and suspended other officials involved.
In response to what the Miners deemed as an unfair decision by the GFA, Ashantigold petitioned the Human Rights High Court for an injunction on September 9, 2022, to halt the start of the new Ghana Premier League season.
Gregory Titigah, a lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale’s Centre for Peace and Security Studies, has urged MMDAs across the nation to create district-specific youth policies or localize national youth policies in order to take into account the orientation, aspirations, culture, and worldview of the youth in their communities.
According to Mr. Titigah, the absence of such policies makes it impossible for young people to relate to the operations of district assemblies and, as a result, prevents them from participating in the formulation and implementation of local development plans.
In research conducted by the lecturer at Yilo Krobo, Ashaiman and Awutu Senya, it was disclosed that none of the three MMDAs has a tailor-made local policy and programmes on youth development, but are all heavily reliant on national-level policy and programmes.
The aim of the research was to ascertain the extent and level of youth participation in local governance in Ghana, identify the challenges and opportunities associated with youth participation in local governance.
It was also to ascertain the challenges by MMDAs in involving the youth in decision making at the local level and make recommendations for improving youth advocacy, empowerment and development in local governance process in selected MMDAs.
In spite of constitutional, legal and policy frameworks, Ghana is still facing challenges in promoting youth participation in governance.
“At the MMDA level, there are issues of weak committee system and ineffectiveness of the sub-structures, poor systemic checks and balances resulting in poor accountability to the people, and low capacity and motivation of assembly members. In addition, there exists limited opportunity, voice and space for popular participation,” the research revealed.
Generally, there are concerns about the level of participation by citizens, particularly the youth in statutory activities including planning and budgeting processes.
Though youth involvement in democratic governance and participatory development is gaining currency in Ghana in recent times, the nation has come to acknowledge that, investing in the youth and providing them with the needed opportunities to be part of the political decision-making process is profitable because it creates ownership and is fundamental to mentorship.
“The Assemblies should develop effective youth policies or localize youth policies that are drawn from the national level and the policies should not be omnibus but place emphasis on addressing the peculiar challenges facing the youth in specific localities,” Mr. Titigah noted.
By the end of this year’s December, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) plans to launch the Cylinder Recirculation Policy across significant regions of the nation.
After a protracted period of time during the prohibition following the 2017 gas explosion that occurred at Atomic, the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, indicated that progress is expected to boost operations.
The head of the NPA told attendees at the Ghana International Petroleum Conference that the government was committed to implementing the cylinder recirculation model policy.
Only Ghana and Nigeria still run LPG filling stations in the entire region of West Africa, thus we should all work diligently to put an end to the filling station phenomena.
“On our part at the National Petroleum Authority we are determined that by the close of this year, we should start piloting the cylinder recirculation model at least in the southern part of our country with a determination to ensure that by 2030 we achieve an LPG penetration of 50 percent,” he added.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Policy comes after the Association of LPG marketers had raised concerns over the decision which they say has been counterproductive for their businesses.
The Association, in August this year, embarked on a strike action to register its displeasure over government’s decision to place a ban on the construction of new LPG stations since 2017.
Before the strike was subsequently called off, after several meetings with government, the Association has on numerous occasions lamented they have not been properly sensitised on introducing the Cylinder Recirculation Policy.
“You need to ensure that the current players in the industry are properly taken care of. You need to ensure that the players who have built the industry over the years are taken care of in terms of trying to rope them in properly so they drive and own the policy,” Vice President of the LPG Marketers Association of Ghana, Gabriel Kumi said.
“This industry as I’ve indicated has been built by indigenous Ghanaians and the private sector. So, if the government is coming up with a new policy, it’s important that government really equips us, takes us through and drags us along,” he is quoted by Citi Business News.
According to a statement released on the FA’s website on Thursday, September 29, 2022, the decision was made in response to an injunction sought by Ashantigold from the Human Rights High Court.
“This follows a Motion on Notice for Injunction filed yesterday at the Human Rights High Court by Ashantigold SC and served on the GFA’s lawyers yesterday afternoon,” reads the statement.
“Following the receipt of the Motion, the Association has decided to put the league on hold until the determination of a Motion on Notice for Injunction by the court on October 14, 2022,” the FA added.
The GFA in their statement called for cooled among all stakeholders in this turbulent moment.
“The Association wishes to urge all stakeholders – sponsors and partners and clubs who have invested in the league, players whose livelihood depends on the league, match officials, administrators, officials and supporters of the league and the clubs to remain calm,” the statement entreated.
The GFA in their statement also assured all stakeholders that they will ensure the league’s calendar will not be affected.
“The Association will endeavour to seek redress for the prompt return of the Premier League and ensure that the calendar is not further disrupted in this world cup year,” the statement read.
The FA’s Disciplinary Committee found Ashantigold guilty of match manipulation in their home game against Inter Allies during the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season.
Following that, the Committee demoted both clubs to the country’s third-tier league and suspended other officials involved.
In response to what the Miners deemed as an unfair decision by the GFA, Ashantigold petitioned the Human Rights High Court for an injunction on September 9, 2022, to halt the start of the new Ghana Premier League season.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has expressed concern over government’s intention to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund before the 2023 budget is prepared in November.
According to him, government may find it difficult to achieve the timeline as it’s targeting $3 billion under an economic support programme from the Fund.
Speaking with Accra-based Citi FM, the Minority spokesperson on Finance opined, “I doubt in the next six weeks we are going to have a programme. That will be a magic of a lifetime.”
He further argued that should a deal be secured before the budget is presented, it may not be in the interest of the Ghanaian populace.
“It will mean we are just going to be yes men and accept everything they say,” Ato Forson stressed.
Director of Operations at Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson, on his part said government must be given the benefit of the doubt over its timeline to secure an IMF deal.
He however cautioned that although the targets are ambiguous, the Government of Ghana and the IMF are operating in unison and urgency to secure a deal which is critically needed to sustain the Ghanaian economy.
“Unless somebody shows me any reason that the team is not going to work day and night to achieve that target, I will be cautiously optimistic,” Joe Jackson pointed out.
Meanwhile, finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has outlined seven pillars which will be hinged on Ghana’s possible economic support programme from the International Monetary Fund.
These include; i. Debt Sustainability; ii. Fiscal Consolidation; iii. Strengthening Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies iv. Building Strong Financial Institutions; v. Macro-Critical Structural Reforms; vi. Maintaining Peace and Security; and vii. Economic Growth and Transformation.
Ghana is currently holding negotiations with officials from the Fund who arrived in Accra-Ghana on September 26 with talks expected to cover a 10-day period.
Gunna, who was initially arrested in May in connection with the larger YSL indictment, has filed another bond motion.
In court documents dated Sept. 26 and viewed by Complex, Gunna’s legal team argued the reasoning behind “yet another hearing on bond” was simple. In short, not only was the “only serious overt act” dropped last month, but Georgia prosecutors have also failed to show evidence in support of its argument that Gunna should remain behind bars.
“The State has presented no evidence to support its claims of dangerousness and has dismissed the only serious overt act (75) that was present when the first bond hearing was held,” Gunna’s legal team has argued in their call for a new bond hearing.
Prosecutors, per the motion, have successfully pushed for the court to deny Gunna’s bond in two previous instances. But in the months since those denials, the defense said on Monday, the prosecution has shown nothing that would bolster its claimed reasoning for not wanting Gunna to be released.
“Sergio Kitchens (Gunna) is very hopeful that the Court will now recognize that the discovery provided by the prosecution fails to show his pretrial release poses a significant risk of danger to any person or the community or poses a significant threat to witnesses, and accordingly grants a reasonable bond,” Steven Sadow, Gunna’s co-lead counsel, told Complex on Wednesday.
Amid ongoing coverage of the case, fans and artists alike have highlighted the troubling practice of using one’s creative expression against them in a criminal setting. This issue is at the heart of the Protect Black Art petition, for which both Young Thug and Gunna have shown support. The issue is also touched on in the new filing, with Gunna’s legal team noting that lyrics “provide no basis for denying bond.”
In a message to fans in June, Gunna said this year had been “one of the best” of his life despite his current circumstances.
“For now, I don’t have my freedom,” he wrote. “But I am innocent. I am being falsely accused and will never stop fighting to clear my name!”
For celebrity makeup artist William Scott, the perfect look is all about skin. “Just let the skin show as much as possible,” they tell us on a transatlantic call from London.
The Miami native and New York transplant made a name for themself working with the likes of Pat McGrath and François Nars to moguls like Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Campbell. Scott got their start by doing their sister’s makeup and hair before relocating to New York to pursue beauty as a career and study under some of the best names in the business.
While YouTube and social media may lead you to believe that flawless skin is all about full coverage, Scott adheres to a “less is more” approach. They suggest that the average makeup lover is a bit too heavy-handed in their application recommending: “If you put some on, take like half of it off, and then go in smaller and put a little bit more.”
Image via Complex/Karen Epstein/Deana Anais
Flawless skin and the no-makeup-makeup look are all about precision and finding the right products for your skin, or as Scott reminds us, “Porcelain skin can really be achieved with dabs of concealer and powder. It doesn’t have to be a full face of foundation.”
Of course, the first step to putting on a face is skin care. To ensure skin is “touchable,” Scott avoids using too many products to prep the skin and sticks with formulas that are lightweight. They recommend prepping the face by priming first and following with an oil-free, water-based moisturizer; this will nourish the skin and provide a base for the foundation to set evenly. If you tend toward heavier moisturizers, Scott recommends that you use what is best for you, but notes that lighter formulas help to ensure the final look won’t be shiny.
Image via Complex/Karen Epstein/Deana Anais
Scott focuses on using makeup to enhance features, noting that “great makeup is about editing.” It’s also about knowing what your skin needs. Paying attention to makeup finishes (dewy, satin, matte) will give you an idea of how the makeup will look once it sets, but some products go the extra mile to level-up the final look.
For complexion products, makeup lovers can choose between foundations, tinted moisturizers, BB or CC creams. Foundations such as Rihanna’s “Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation offers flexible coverage and shade options for consumers which, can be built up to full coverage or mixed with your favorite moisturizer or serum of choice for lighter coverage. The latter technique can create a makeshift tinted moisturizer, which as the name suggests, is a moisturizer with added pigment for light coverage. Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation, can help one achieve a fresh face with a dewy glow.
Image via Complex/Karen Epstein/Deana Anais
BB and CC creams have additional properties to help combat daily skin woes like discoloration. Called “blemish balm” or “beauty balm,” these products tend to be on the lighter side, offering slightly more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, while also helping the skin to fight free radicals and UV damage as they are often chock-full of antioxidants. CC creams, however, are slightly thicker and offer fuller coverage, focusing on complexion correction. They’re often used to combat issues like redness, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation. CC cream also incorporates skin-loving ingredients to combat anti-aging, often setting with a matte finish and offering blurring properties, such as Patrick Starr’s One/Size Turn Up the Base Blurring Foundation.
Finding a shade that matches your skin is just as important as how you apply the makeup. Thankfully, more companies are embracing the need to diversify their color range and the clientele they market to, making beauty accessible for all. From offering a broad range of shades to inclusive advertising that markets to and considers BIPOC and gender-variant buyers. Scott notes that makeup is beginning to mirror all the people who love and use it, and it’s impacting the human experience on a grander scale.
Image via Sephora/Karen Epstein/Deana Anais
“The world is beginning to see gender-variant people in places they hadn’t seen before, which normalizes them [being seen] in their daily [lives],” they tell Complex.
On the surface, beauty is about visual appeal, but for Scott it’s a philosophical concept — a source of ingenuity and their favorite kind of art: “Beauty is anything that catches your eye that makes you happy. [It] can come from many different places in our life, from many sources of inspiration.”
Image via Complex/Karen Epstein/Deana Anais
Though a makeup look only lasts a day, for many, it is the most approachable form of self-expression. Whether applying a full face or a five-minute touch up, makeup, like all art, is a means for understanding — a deliberate communication through color, which Scott says helps us “feel a little better” and gets us a little bit closer to “getting rid of the things that are holding us back.”
It’s been a rough few months for flyers going in and out of Canada, even for celebrities. Air Canada pulled the plug on a flight to Montreal that would have brought supermodel Naomi Campbell to Montreal for an appearance at business conference C2 Montreal.
“Mercury retrograde is in full effect – I’ll be back!” She said in an IG post.
The three-day event also featured Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, and former tennis player Billie Jean King.
A day prior to Campbell’s scheduled arrival, she posted a picture with Kanye West at Dior’s SS23 event in Paris.
Back in June, Air Canada cut a number of flights. In a recent update from August, Air Canada noted a 48 percent reduction in delayed flights. The airline said that 96.7 percent of flights went on as scheduled in that same week, similar to their 2019 stats.
In a new episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Hailey Bieber addressed the notion that she “stole” Justin Bieber from Selena Gomez.
Per CNN, podcast host Alex Cooper asked Bieber about the theories that she was a “home-wrecker” who caused the end of Justin’s on-again off-again relationship with the Only Murders in the Building star. “No,” she said, stressing that when she and Justin first started seeing each other in 2018 he wasn’t in a relationship.
“When him and I ever started like hooking up or like anything of that sort, he was not ever in a relationship, ever at any point,” she said. “It’s not my character to mess with someone’s relationship. I would just never do that. I’m not interested in doing that and I never was.”
Hailey got engaged to Justin in 2018, and they married not long after. Prior to that, they dated briefly in late 2015 and early 2016. Justin was involved with Selena from 2010 to at least 2017.
Speaking on the podcast, Hailey said that she’s aware “how it looks from the outside” that she dated Justin before he and Selena called it quits for good, “but that was a situation where I know for a fact that it was the right thing for them to close that door.” When she dated the pop star, “They were not in a relationship at that time, but of course there’s a very long history there and it’s not my relationship.”
She added that she’s uncomfortable talking about the relationship between him and Selena, though, because she didn’t want to speak for either of them. Hailey added that she respects Selena, and has even spoken with her after marrying Justin. “That’s why I’m like, it’s all respect,” she said. “It’s all love.”
On a recent episode of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Safaree stormed out of a heated argument by throwing a chair that ended up hitting him on the back of his head.
A clip of the moment, which came after he got into an argument with one of his fellow cast members about his co-parenting relationship with Erica Mena, began to circulate on Twitter this week. Safaree can be seen playing a card game during the tense situation, and appeared to snap after the conversation refused to let up. That’s when he stood up, picked up his chair and threw it. But instead of throwing the chair ahead of himself, he somehow managed to strike himself in the back of his head.
Safaree busts himself in the back of the head with the chair as he made his dramatic exit. I cackled 🧐😆😂🤣🤣🤣😩💀#LHHATLpic.twitter.com/IZWJbTWmV0
As reported by XXL, the reality star’s outburst happened after he questioned whether he was the biological father of one of his children with Mena. “I’m like, why the baby ain’t got my goatee yet,” he joked. “Where his muscles at? You know what I’m saying?”
Safaree’s fellow cast member, Mendeecees Harris, highlighted that Rich Dollaz, who was also playing the card game, had been involved with Mena in the past, too. He said Dollaz doesn’t have a goatee, and suggested that he could be the true biological father.
Safaree welcomed his second child with Mena last year shortly after their divorce. At one point, Mena alleged that he wasn’t present when their child was born, though Safaree shot down the allegations that he’s a “dead beat” dad. “I don’t wAnt a Treat for being with my kids but don’t act like I’m not with my kids becuz y’all don’t see it,” he wrote on Twitter last year. “My kids live in a mansion and that’s because of me! I’m with them all the time!”
FIFA President signs MoU with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Signature ceremony takes place on the opening day of the annual WTO Public Forum; Both organisations commit at ways for football to promote more economic inclusion.
FIFA has joined forces with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to look at ways of using football to promote economic inclusion, particularly in the developing world. The partnership is spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala where the two sides agreed to collaborate by exchanging views on their respective activities and by preparing and implementing common strategies and projects.
This important partnership can help us find ways of ensuring that football can further promote sustainable development for everyone to benefit from the global football economy
“I’m really excited at the prospect of collaborating with FIFA to try to leverage the cotton sector in a positive way for poor developing countries such as the Cotton 4,” said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in reference to the WTO’s cotton programme in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali which will is included in the partnership. “I’m really excited that collaboration with FIFA could help us pull these countries more into the global cotton value chain.”
?“I’m also thrilled at the prospect of working on gender empowerment. We have a big sports economy, and to the extent that we can pull this through trade to support women, this is a positive signal,” the WHO Director-General added.
“FIFA redistributes its revenue among our 211 member associations to help them develop football in their countries by notably investing in infrastructure, facilities, competitions, refereeing and coaching,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “Yet, we believe that there is still more than football can do, especially for the youth in the developing world. This important partnership can help us find ways of ensuring that football can further promote sustainable development for everyone to benefit from the global football economy.”
Under the terms of the MoU, the two organisations will also work together to analyse the economic impact of football and its role in unlocking global economic growth potential and will explore options for the development of capacity-building activities that support the use of football as a tool for women economic empowerment.
Soulja Boy has addressed the recent release of VladTV’s interview with Teddy Riley during which the singer called on him to apologize for alleged abuse against his daughter, Nia Riley.
In an Instagram update, as seen below, Soulja referred to Vlad as “the police” and asserted that a Teddy interview “ain’t got shit to do with” their issues.
“You can drop all the interviews you want, speaking on my name. … Stop bringing Teddy Riley into this, DJ Vlad,” Soulja, who also proclaimed he’s “still viral” and “still number one,” said. “He ain’t got shit to do with this.”
In the interview in question, Teddy was asked to elaborate on how the alleged abuse affected him as a father. As previously reported, Nia spoke with Tasha K in March of last year and detailed multiple instances of alleged abuse from Soulja including holding a gun to her head.
“Well, let me say this, Soulja Boy knows who I am and he knows I’m deep,” Teddy told VladTV in a video released this week. “He knows I’m very deep. We had an altercation, I was called a lot of names, and I got an apology. I’m looking for an apology for what he’s done to my daughter. I’m looking for that. As a man, I’m looking for that. And I think she deserves it. … Here’s someone who really stuck behind him, did the show for him, because she thought this was gonna happen and that it was gonna be them.”
As Teddy further explained, “a true man” would apologize.
“If you don’t, you reap what you sow,” he said.
Soulja and Vlad, meanwhile, have been going back and forth on social media in recent days. Most recently, Soulja issued a response to Vlad saying he gave him what ended up being the “biggest interview” of his career.
WHAT HAPPENED: Christian Pulisic put on a defiant face following the conclusion of a disastrous September international window for the United States, claiming the team can turn it around in time for the upcoming World Cup. The USMNT fell 2-0 to Japan before playing to an insipid 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in their final matches ahead of the tournament in November. They’ve registered just two shots on goal over the last 180 minutes.
WHAT THEY SAID: “I’m not panicked at all,” Pulisic said after Tuesday’s game. “We have a fresh slate going into the World Cup and we’re going to give it everything that we have… I know that we’re gonna do well.
“I think we have quality on the ball, but I think there’s times where we can use our strengths a bit more and be sort of a nasty and difficult team to play against. I think we saw glimpses of that tonight.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Although missing several key players – including Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson and Yunus Musah – the USMNT completely underwhelmed in their final World Cup tune-up matches. As expected, fans and pundits alike tore into the team for their lackluster performances, with Berhalter bearing the brunt of criticism for his tactics and lineup decisions.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PULISIC: The USMNT captain is facing uncertain times at Chelsea, where he’s struggled to find minutes this season under former boss Thomas Tuchel. The hope for the 24-year-old playmaker is that new manager Graham Potter will give him more chances to play – beginning with Saturday’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.
