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Dr. Bawumia needs an independent mind to choose a running mate- A former organiser

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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Election 2024 flagbearer, Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, requires an independent mind to choose the best running mate for the party, a leading member of the NPP has said.

Mr. Yaw Dabie Appiah Mensah, a former NPP organiser for the former Brong-Ahafo Region, has explained that that call, however, did not restrain the leadership of the Party from presenting their choice of candidate too.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Odomase in the Sunyani West Municipality, Mr. Mensah said: “I believe Dr. Bawumia already has his choice of running-mate and the NPP must allow him to decide the right person who can pair him up to win the general election.

“Any imposition of a running-mate would be politically suicidal for the NPP because the 2024 general election is very crucial, as the choice of a running-mate is a key factor in determining the fortunes of the party in Election 2024,” Mr Mensah emphasized.

He explained that though the NPP believes in and cherishes internal democracy, the Party’s presidential candidates have the prerogative to make informed decisions about their choice of running-mate and “Dr. Bawumia must therefore be allowed to do the same in the supreme interest of the Party.”

“We can’t easily change our history and precedents. If we try to do so, then we have not learned from our mistakes, and that would not augur well for us in the next general election,” Mr Mensah stated.

“The party believes in Dr. Bawumia, hence, we gave him the nod to lead the NPP to victory in 2024. If indeed that is so, then the leadership and the entire people of our great party must allow him to choose his best pair,” he added.

On the party’s upcoming January 27 parliamentary primaries, Mr Mensah reminded the NPP and the delegates that “we also need parliamentary candidates who share the visions and aspirations of our flagbearer.”

“We can’t afford to go to the ballot and choose parliamentary candidates who would narrow our political fortunes. The actions and inactions of some of the aspirants have already made the NPP unpopular in the eyes of the masses at the constituency level.

“And if we are not extra careful and allow them to lure or influence our decisions, then the Party cannot make any significant impact in Election 2024,” he noted.

Mr Mensah, therefore advised the delegates to remain loyal to the Party and endorse aspirants who always sought the interest of the NPP, “but not those who are always seeking their selfish political ambitions.”

Alhaji Gbewaa turns himself in to the Police over an assault case

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Abdul Hamid Alhassan (popularly known as Alhaji Gbewaa), Northern Regional Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has turned himself into the Police in Tamale following a complaint of assault against him.

A source at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service in Tamale confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale and said Alhaji Gbewaa turned himself in on Monday, January 15, 2024, to assist with investigations into the assault complaint.  

The source said the Police had begun investigations into the case, adding that Alhaji Gbewaa was yet to be charged.

Some Northern Regional Executives of the NDC convened at the Party’s Secretariat in Tamale over the weekend (Saturday) to decide a campaign strategy for the general election, and reports emerged later suggesting that Alhaji Gbewaa assaulted the Party’s Regional Treasurer, Hajia Shamima Yakubu, following disagreements at the meeting.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the NDC on Monday, signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, said: “The NDC takes a very serious view of the conduct of the party officer responsible for the assault, and at the next meeting of its Functional Executive Committee, measures will be taken to address the matter thoroughly to leave no doubt in everyone’s mind that the party does not approve of unlawful acts of assault and battery.”

The government’s GHS 2.5 billion capital positions CBG to lead SME financing – MD assures

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Mr. Daniel Wilson Addo, Managing Director of Consolidated Bank Ghana Ltd. (CBG), says the GHS2.5 billion received recently from the government is making the Bank more resilient to support economic stability while aiding more Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to grow.

“In the immediate future, CBG will deepen investment in digitization, provide upscale support to SMEs, and further prioritize customer service and operational efficiency,” he said.

“The overriding ambition is to build market leadership in SME financing while building a resilient institution.”

Mr Addo said this at a media engagement with editors on Tuesday in Accra.

“To position the Bank for further growth and to restore balance sheet resilience, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) recently provided GHS2.5 billion in capital to the Bank,” he explained.

“It [CBG] is, therefore, ideally positioned to continue its growth trajectory and, most importantly, to continue to make a positive impact on the economy,” Mr. Addo emphasized.

He stated that the Bank had already provided some GHS 1.6 billion in loans to more than 5,600 businesses through innovative programs, including the ‘CBG SME Adesua Series’ and optimizing loan processing for swift access.

The initiatives in the SME sector earned the Bank various awards, including the ‘Euromoney Award for SME Market Leadership in 2022 and 2023.

“In the Corporate and Institutional Banking segment, CBG has participated in loans totalling GHS2.35 billion, either as a lead arranger or transaction advisor, benefiting crucial sectors such as energy, tourism, and agriculture,” Mr. Addo said.

CBG He announced that he was working towards providing more assistance to the agricultural sector through a partnership between the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) and Development Bank Ghana (DBG).

That, he explained, was aimed at “moving Ghana’s agriculture forward, and this is what CBG, GIRSAL, and DBG are committed to.”

“In the next three years, the key thing for us is to build resilience and efficiency—to have structures in place to manage risks, recover when the operating environment is turbulent, state-of-the-art equipment, and a well-motivated staff,” he said.

Recounting the Bank’s five-year journey, Mr. Addo explained that CBG had survived difficult circumstances to post an impressive performance by building trust and providing a positive customer experience, among other values.

“We started under difficult circumstances; there was a lack of trust because we were taken over by banks that were insolvent, but we quickly got to the hard work of putting everything together to correct those mistakes,” he said.

Total assets had increased from GHS6.9bn in 2019 to GHS13.2bn as of December 2023, while customer deposits increased from GHS5.1bn in 2019 to GHS10.4bn in December 2023, the Managing Director stated.

“Despite the challenges of the 2023 Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), high inflation, and exchange rate volatility, we still grew deposits by GHS2.6bn year-on-year, and that’s an indication of the resilience and structure we put together for the business,” he noted.

On the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Mr. Addo said CBG provided GHS1 million to support the government’s COVID-19 efforts and built facilities for some educational and health institutions across the country.

It is working towards providing significant support to women-led businesses, pro-youth enterprises, and environmental sustainability initiatives, among others.

Economic/social impact of unauthorised speed ramps overwhelming – Authority

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The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has said the economic and social implications to the menace of unauthorised speed ramps on their networks, are highly expensive and overwhelming.

Sheikh Aminu Abubarkar, the Volta Regional Director of the Authority said apart from the illegality of the menace, it was considered criminal under the law and punishable by a jail term

He spoke to the Ghana News Agency following a viral video on social media, showcasing some youth erecting unauthorised speed ramps on a segment of the Ho-Sogakope highway.

The response followed the arrest of two suspects, Saviour Azakasi and Godson Quarshie who were identified in the video, and the Police in a Facebook post, said these persons were assisting the law enforcers in their investigations, while efforts were underway to arrest other collaborators.

The menace is rampant on the region’s networks with the frequency of occurrence being offensive on the N1 Aflao-Sogakope, Aflao-Ho, with Ho-Sogakope network habouring about 35 illegal ramps.

Sheikh Abubakar said these speed ramps were erected without any warning signages; therefore, these spots had now become prone to accidents.

He said the menace ballooned costs of maintenance and reduced the lifespan of the network, with vehicles suffering accelerated wear and tear.

The Regional Director said the highway was a bonafide property of the GHA as mandated by their statutes and any business including erection of speed ramps on the roads was by application, when not incorporated during construction stage.

“Speed ramps come with road signage and other technical considerations,” he added.

Explaining the technicality, Sheikh Abubarkar said the material heaped on the road collects water, which seeped into the mixture and sub-structure to break the bond between the bituminous material or asphalt which then begin to create potholes and destruction of the segment.

He said the nefarious activity financially affected the expansion of the network as quotations awarded the region would decrease, as increased funding would be required to address problem.

Sheikh Abubarkar called for support from key stakeholders including District Assemblies, traditional and religious leaders, community members, National Commission for Civic Education and the media, to lead the crusade for awareness creation to curtail the menace.

He commended the Police for their swift action and called for collaboration with the GHA, to arrest those who had created unauthorised speed ramps to face the law.

In some jurisdictions, leaders were arrested to produce culprits in this criminal act and would not hesitate to recommend same, he said.

Sheikh Abubakar urged road users to abide by regulations including maintaining appropriate speed limits, when driving through towns and communities, which were the main cause of the erection of illegal ramps on the roads.

Dissecting Black Stars Fall: Technical, Lack of Talent, or Hard Luck?

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The Black Stars of Ghana are staring at a back-to-back group stage exit for the first time at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), an unwanted record in the annals of Ghanaian football.

The recent woes of the Black Stars have reached depressive levels, with countries like Comoros, Cape Verde, and Namibia rubbing shoulders with one of Africa’s football powerhouses.

The downward performance of the Black Stars continues to pierce a sharp dagger in the hearts of Ghanaian football fans, leaving many uninterested in football, described as the passion of the nation.

This was evident in the recent defeat to Cape Verde, where Ghanaian football fans were left restless while sports journalists were livid about the performance of the Black Stars.

The fear factor of the Black Stars being a powerhouse in recent times is certainly non-existent, and the following factors further dissect why this has become so.

Technical

Most often, coaches have been blamed for the recent lack of performance, with Black Stars changing over six coaches in the past decade.

The likes of Milovan Rajevac, Otto Addo, C.K. Akunnor, Goran Stevanovic, and Kwasi Appiah have all come up with different strategies in their quest to change the misfortunes of the Black Stars.

Some strategies yielded some positive results, with Ghana coming close to winning the AFCON and qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, while others turned out to be disastrous.

But Chris Hughton’s Black Stars have become a painful side to watch, with players struggling to string a few passes together while the pressing and zeal to fight for the nation have been questionable.

The recent Cape Verde clash was a clear indication of how Ghana had no visible style of play, and the Black Stars have relied on individual brilliance to win or draw recent past matches.

Ghanaian sports journalist Saddick Adams, popularly known as ‘Sports Obama’, said in an interview with GNA Sports that the non-performance of the Black Stars is not solely a coaching problem.

“Nothing has worked after we have changed more than six coaches in the past decade, both foreign and indigenous. We just need to have a football structure where the coaches can come and complement our football plan.

“The coach should not come in and overhaul the national team, and we have to have a system in place, and this is evident with what the likes of Senegal and Algeria are doing,” Saddick Adams said.

He noted that Ghanaian football needed a long-term plan to be able to end the 42-year trophy drought, unless we are just participants if there is no plan.

“You cannot win a football tournament when you don’t have a plan. You can win games, but winning a tournament requires a plan, something that we have lacked.

“A typical example is the line-up against Cape Verde; almost 90 percent have not played together at a tournament, and you can’t win a tournament by putting together a crop of players you think are just good. We can’t win the tournament if we don’t have a plan.”

Lack of talent

Ghana can boast of the best football talents on the African continent, but these talented talents have failed to shine at the national level.

Solomon Kalou, an Ivorian football legend, said in an interview with GNA Sports at the Mixed Zone session at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan that Ghana had some of the best football talents and that with time they could deliver the AFCON title.

“Ghana is a great football nation, and I think they should be at the top of African football with the crop of talents they have. I think they are getting close to winning the AFCON,” he said.

Hard Luck

The unity in the team a decade ago brought us so close to winning the trophy under the leadership of Stephen Appiah, Asamoah Gyan, and John Mensah.

From 2008–2017, the Black Stars have reached at least the semi-finals but have lost twice in the finals during this time to Ivory Coast and Egypt.

“They have been to the finals several times and have narrowly lost it, and these are things you can’t control, so I wish them well in these tournaments and future tournaments,” Solomon Kalou asserted.

The issue of unity in camp was also reiterated by Ghana’s goalkeeper, Richard Ofori after the Black Stars’ defeat to Cape Verde.

“Sometimes you don’t get what you want in the game, and there are two sides to the game. You miss your chances, and the opponents take theirs.

“We just need to focus on the second game, and now there is nothing we can do about the first game. We must stay united, and this is the critical time we need Ghanaians,” he said.

In conclusion, finding solutions to our current woes would become key to ending the 42-year AFCON trophy drought, or perhaps we could extend this undesirable record to a century where that generation would still be facing similar problems.

A 19-year-old girl dies in an abandoned stone quarry pit

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A 19-year-old girl has drowned in an abandoned pit at Opeikuma in the Awutu Senya East Municipality, throwing the town into a state of mourning.

According to a witness, last Monday evening around 1600 hrs during rainfall at Kasoa, the deceased, who was with her other siblings, left them to swim in the water, which swept her into an abandoned pit left by Atiwa Stone Quarry in 2019.

So far, two people have died, while three have been rescued from the pit since it was abandoned.

Other eyewitnesses who pleaded anonymity said traditional leaders in the area were later informed of the drowning incident, and after a search, the girl was discovered in the pit.

The source said a young man from Swedru who came to work there died exactly a year ago, adding that before that, the operations of the quarry had caused a series of problems for the community, including damage to roofs, windows, and household appliances.

They appealed to the authorities to press the company to cover the pit to avoid unforeseen circumstances.

The grieving father of the deceased, Bashiru Abubakar, however, declined to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, the company denied any wrongdoing in an interview, saying that they acquired the land, including a buffer zone, from the traditional authority. Still, the chiefs later sold portions of the demarcated area as a buffer zone to developers, and that resulted in the tragedies.

The manager for Atiwa Stone Quarry, Mr. Alphonse Mensah, told journalists the company had issued several warnings to community members not to trespass in the area, but all had fallen on deaf ears.

Chief of the Area, Nana Opei Mensah, shared his side of the story and stressed that the company extended its territory beyond the boundaries.

GFA backs Chris Hughton despite calls for dismissal after Cape Verde humiliation

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The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has thrown its support behind Black Stars Coach Chris Hughton following Ghana’s 2-1 loss to Cape Verde in the opening Group B match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

There was a minor unrest in the camp of the Black Stars after the Cape Verde match, with some fans engaging in verbal altercations with coach Chris Hughton and some players.

Mr Henry Asante Twum, spokesperson for the GFA, said they have had a meeting with the coach and are solidly behind him.

“We have had a meeting with the coach and gave him 100% assurance that we are solidly behind him.

“We think it is possible for the team to win the two remaining matches to make it to the next round,” he told BBC Sport.

Mr. Asante-Twum also stated that security had beefed up at the team’s hotel after a verbal altercation.

“There was only a verbal confrontation. He was actually trying to get closer to the coach, and then the security on duty intervened. There was no arrest, but security took him away from the scene.

“Normally, after games, tempers are high and emotions go up; we will try as much as possible to not allow this thing to repeat itself,” he explained.

The Black Stars would be looking to bounce back to winning ways as they face the Pharaohs of Egypt in their next encounter on Thursday, January 18, 2024.

Ghanaian fans are optimistic of Black Stars’ comeback against Egypt

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After the disappointing defeat to Cape Verde in Ghana’s first Group B match at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON), some Ghanaian fans are optimistic of a better performance in the next game against Egypt on Thursday.

Cape Verde shocked the Black Stars to a 2-1 defeat last Sunday to occupy the summit of the table with three points while Ghana stayed at the bottom.

Egypt and Mozambique occupy the second and third positions with a point each after their pulsating two all draw in the other Group B encounter.

Unperturbed by the setback, some Ghanaian fans here in Abidjan are looking forward to a massive comeback against Egypt to ensure the team qualifies to the next stage of the competition.

With the national team usually slow starters to tournaments, they believe that the Black Stars can secure three points against the Pharaohs.

Speaking to the media, Kwame Owusu, a Ghanaian said, with a proper lineup for Thursday’s game, Ghana would beat Egypt and qualify to the next stage.

“We can get three points against Egypt and probably beat Mozambique to qualify. The team must just get things right this time,” he said.

The Chief Drummer for the Black Stars, Joseph Langabel who blamed the players for their abysmal performance in the first game, said there was always room for improvement.

“This kind of football by the Black Stars is clearly unacceptable. They play as if there is nothing at stake and would at the end, break our hearts,” he stated.

“They really need to sit up in the next game, otherwise we would not qualify to the next stage of the competition,” he stressed.

Afua Serwaa, who was hoping to hit the streets of Abidjan to celebrate Ghana’s victory said, “I am sure there would be victories in subsequent games. We must trust the boys to deliver.

“Dede Ayew and his team must win the next match to compensate Ghanaians for the heartbreak,” she added.

Meanwhile, in expressing their confidence ahead of the next game, the fans stormed a local restaurant, Maquis Du Val to celebrate ahead of Thursday’s game.

Numbering over 100, they sang jama songs and other local melodies amidst wild dance moves much to the admiration of staff and patrons of the restaurant.

Namibian Coach dedicates victory over Tunisia to fans

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Collin Benjamin Head Coach of the Namibian national team, has dedicated his side’s lone goal victory over Tunisia to the fans, saying they were splendid.

Namibia shocked Tunisia with a lone goal victory on Tuesday in their opening group match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

In a post-match conference Coach Benjamin said the victory over the 2004 champions was extra special, as no one really gave them a chance.

“It’s an ecstatic feeling that I can’t describe. I am proud to be Namibian and be a coach of these players. We were never really given a chance.

“We are just happy that we could go on the field and play a good match and win. I can only imagine what is happening in the streets of Namibia right now. This victory is dedicated to them,” he added.

The former national team captain also cautioned that there was still a lot of work to be done, adding the following games would totally complete.

“Tonight, of course we celebrate but tomorrow it is back to normal. Back to grinding and working hard as a team and for our people back home,” he said.

Mali secures emphatic 2-0 win over South Africa

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Mali ensured a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa in their opening match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.

With goals from Sekou Koita and Lassine Sinayoko, Mali ensured they started their campaign on a comfortable note, despite facing early challenges from the South Africans.

Both sides were on each other’s throat in the early stages of the game, with Lassine Sinayoko coming close to target, but was denied by Ronwen Williams’ reflex save, whilst Percy Tau forced a good stop from Djigui Diarra after racing through on goal.

The win sees Mali top Group E on goal difference from Namibia, who shocked Tunisia 1-0 earlier on Tuesday.

Tau should have given South Africa the lead in the 19th minute, but saw his penalty missed.

Mali cranked up the pressure after the break, which saw Amadou Haidara clipping the bar before Hamari Traore bundled in the opener on the hour mark.

Later Sinayoko drilled a low shot through Williams’ legs to double Mali’s advantage and put them firmly in control.

South Africa rallied late on but Themba Zwane’s free-kick cannoned off the woodwork as they slipped to defeat.

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