Day: January 14, 2024

MTN flies over 150 Ghanaian fans, stakeholders for AFCON


Telecommunication network, MTN Ghana, has flown more than 150 Ghanaian fans, stakeholders, and football enthusiasts to Ivory Coast to support the Black Stars in the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The all-expenses paid trip by MTN was part of their support to the senior national team to make the nation proud at the continental showpiece.

It was all joy as the lucky fans and staff of MTN boarded an Emirates flight straight to Abidjan for the 10-day trip to support the national team.

It was also the largest number of supporters MTN was sending to any tournament.

The gesture essentially served as a dream come true for many fans who would for the first time be at the AFCON and cheer the gallant Black Stars on in all their three group matches.

The package included Return Flight tickets via Emirates, accommodation for 10 nights with breakfast included each day, one additional meal per day, ground transportation within Abidjan, two days tourism activities, match tickets for Ghana Group stage matches and a
token of airtime for roaming Per diem.

In an interaction with some of the customers, they expressed excitement about the trip and were looking forward to new experiences.

Denzel Adjei, from Kumasi said, ‘I am excited to be joining the supporters to cheer the Black Stars to victory. This is my first time going to the AFCON and I’m looking forward to a wonderful experience.’

On his part, Eben Odame from Accra who was lucky to be part of the MTN-sponsored trip for the second time after the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, said he was delighted to be going for the African Cup.

‘This is my first time going to AFCON and I would like to try the popular Ivorian food, like Acheke,’ he stated.

He added that he would be catching up with old school mates which would be additional fun. ‘I hope the Black Stars go pass the group stages and make us proud. They have the quality to win the Afcon. Enough of the disappointment, they should bring back the love,’ he stressed.

Abigail Amankwah who would also be at the tournament f
or the first-time expressed gratitude to MTN for the opportunity, adding that she would relax and have a lot of fun hoping Ghana would bring the trophy home.

The Black Stars would be hoping to lift the AFCON trophy for the first time in 42 years after several failed attempts.

With the support from MTN and other stakeholders, many fans would be expecting the team led by Andre Dede Ayew to bring the?trophy?home.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The ambition is to win the AFCON trophy, but we can’t promise it – Andre Ayew 


?Ghana captain Andrew Ayew says winning the African Cup of Nations ( AFCON) trophy has always been the team’s major priority, but they can’t promise it.

The road to ending the 41-year AFCON trophy drought for Ghana starts with a group B encounter against Cape Verde at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny later on Sunday.?

The four-time champions would later take on seven-time holders Egypt and Mozambique in the other group games.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Andre Ayew stated that predicting winners of the AFCON over the years has always been difficult, and the door was opened for any hardworking team to clinch the trophy.

‘Since I started from day one in 2008, I have always had the ambition to make sure that we are able to bring the trophy home one day. We always come with that ambition, but we can’t promise it.

‘What we can do is make sure we give everything that we can day by day, game by game, and take our time. We have seen a lot of teams win this tournament without any dogs’ chance, and
we have seen teams who were expected to win, and indeed they won,’ he stated.

Andre Ayew also reiterated his belief in the team, saying they are determined to win the Cape Verde encounter and will take it match after match.

‘We just have to stay calm; we do our job and take it game by game. We are not going to promise anything, but I can assure that we are going be there and give our 100 per cent to make sure we have a good start,’ he said.

The Le Havre who has made 115 appearances and scored 24 goals for Ghana, will make his eighth appearance at the AFCON and will equal the record held by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song and Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Equatorial Guinea holds Nigeria, to leave west African giants frustrated


Equatorial Guinea picked a vital point against Nigeria in the second group game, as the two sides settled for a one all game in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Group A matches at Ebimpe’s Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium on Sunday.

It was the Guineans who took the lead in in the 36th minute, with composed finish by Ivan Salvador in the 36th minute.

However, the celebration was short-lived as Nigerian hitman, Victor Osimhen levelled up with a difficult header that found its way into an empty net to salvage a point for the Nigerians.

With the crowd behind them, Nigeria went in search of the second and were almost rewarded in the 45th minute when Moses Simon’s well struck effort came off the upright to the relief of Equatorial Guinea.

Coming in the second half, both sides hardly troubled each other’s goals, with both set of defenders doing well to remain disciplined.

Up next for Nigeria is a clash that all of Africa will be waiting for with bated breath as they take on tournament hosts, Cote d
‘Ivoire who opened their campaign with a clinical 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday evening.

Equatorial Guinea on the other hand will be encouraged by the point when they face a wounded Guinea-Bissau.

The results sees Group A being led by Cote d’Ivoire while Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria are a point above Guinea-Bissau.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mawuko Afadzinu wins SWAG Sports Administrator of the Year


Mr Mawuko Afadzinu, President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), has been crowned the 2023 Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Sports Administrator of the Year at the 48th Awards Night.

This follows his commitment and dedication towards the development of table tennis and sports in general in Ghana.

The GTTA was also awarded for being one of the top five federations in Ghana.

Mr. Afadzinu, who doubled as the first Vice President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), was elected as the first Chairman of the Sustainability Committee of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) for two years.

He also led a workshop on growing revenues for national, regional, and continental events at the Annual Summit of the ITTF held in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an interview with GNA Sports, the President thanked the organisers for the awards and promised to continue to work hard for the development of the sport in Ghana and beyond.

Source: Ghana News Agency

‘Holding Nigeria to a one-all draw is not an achievement’ – Equatorial Guinea Coach


Juan Micha – Head Coach of Equatorial Guinea has said holding the Super Eagles of Nigeria to a one all draw in their group opener on Sunday in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’ Ivoire is not a major achievement for his team in the competition.

Equatorial Guinea earned a valuable point on the second day of Group A.

The Nzalang Nacional were able to resist the offensive might of the Super Eagles, largely thanks to the great form of goalkeeper Jesus Lazaro Owono Ngua, who was subsequently named Man of the Match.

Speaking at the post-match conference Coach Micha said he was not enthused about the results and cannot describe it as a major achievement.

‘I think this squad that I lead is prepared day by day to compete in this tournament. I am lucky to know the details of football having been a high-level player,’ he added.

According to the coach, his teammates intend to keep their heads on their shoulders and not plunge into euphoria after this encouraging result.

‘Our mission is not complete we still
have a lot to do. We are in a group stage this is the first match. We would try to reach the next stage before seeing what happens next.’

Equatorial Guinea would face Guinea-Bissau on Thursday for the second game. A victory against the Djurtus would allow Coach Micha and his men to have a step in the round of 16.?

Source: Ghana News Agency

Garry Rodrigues’ late strike powers Cape Verde to upset Ghana


Garry Rodrigues scored in the second half added time to help Cape Verde secure a 2-1 win over the Black Stars of Ghana.

It was heartbreaking moment for the Black Stars who have now failed to win their first matches in the three successive tournament.

The Black Stars struggled in the opening minutes of the game as the Blue Sharks dominated possession.

The dominance from Cape Verde paid off in the 20th minute after Jamiro Monteiro tapped home from close range with goalkeeper Richard Ofori fumbling in post.

Ghana’s first goal attempt came in the 27th minute after Ransford couldn’t connect clean from a Gideon Mensah cross.

Majeed Ashimeru found the back of the net in the late stages after a beautiful hit but referee Jean Jacques Ngambo Ndala disallowed the goal as Semenyo was adjudged to be an offiside.

The decision to disallow the goal sent the stadium almost quiet after the massive roar from the crowd when Ashimeru scored.

Cape Verde kept their 1-0 lead intact as the game went into recess.

The Blue Sha
rks started the second half like they did in the first with the Black Stars kept on the back foot.

But the Black Stars restored parity in the 55th minute after Alexander Djiku headed home from Jordan Ayew’s corner kick.

The Black Stars seem to have restored thei confidence after scoring the goal and nearly took the lead but Joseph Painstil couldn’t convert the opportunity.

Ghana took control of the game and Andre Ayew’s introduction seemed to have gingered the players on the field.

Ofori Richard pulled up a brilliant save to deny Jouanne Carbal from close range.

But it was a disastrous ending for the Black Stars as they couldn’t hold on and were punished by Rodrigues’ late strike.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Juaso Old Students Association sets sight on promoting quality education


The Juaso Old Students Association (JOSA) in the Ashanti Region has been launched with a vision to mobilise resources to promote quality education in the town.

The Association, which is open to former students of any school in Juaso, also seeks to bring together all such people under one umbrella to push a common agenda of supporting their alma maters.

Indigenes who started their education in the town, some of whom had become prominent in society, turned up in their numbers at the launch to begin the journey of transforming education in the community.

These include the improvement in educational infrastructure to facilitate academic work.

For a start, the Association raised funds to procure computers for the community library as part of efforts to digitise the facility in line with the government’s digitalisation drive.

Some members also pledged to donate building materials towards the building and renovation of classroom blocks based on needs assessment.

Dr Seth Mensah Abobi, a Lecturer at the Univers
ity for Development Studies (UDS) and Interim Chairman of the Association, said some dilapidated classrooms needed urgent attention, which the Association would embark on as a way of giving back to the community, which nurtured them.

He, therefore, entreated members to contribute generously towards the initiative to give hope to the young ones seeking knowledge in the schools.

Mr Alexander Frimpong, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), commended the Association for the laudable initiative to complement the Assembly’s efforts in providing educational facilities for the community.

‘Such private initiatives are the way to go to accelerate development,’ the MCE said and stressed the need for the citizenry to join hands with state actors in the developmental agenda.

Nana Frimpong Manso, Kyidomhene of Juaso, who represented Nana Asafoakaa Agyei Tabi, the Chief of Juaso, commended the Association for their ambition to change the face of education in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Witness tells Swiss Court Jammeh enforcer oversaw interrogation and torture


Demba Dem, the fourth plaintiff in the crimes against humanity trial of Gambia’s former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, has told the court that Sonko sat on an investigative panel that oversaw his interrogation and torture.

Dem was a Gambian lawmaker for ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party in 2006 when Dem was arrested by security officials over his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to overthrow Jammeh. (Dem has always maintained his innocence and denied being involved in the attempted coup.)

In the aftermath of the attempted coup, close to 70 Gambians-military officers and civilians, including Dem-were allegedly arrested and subjected to horrific torture at the complex of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), on the outskirts of Banjul.

‘The suspects were all tortured at the NIA. Evidence was fabricated and used against them to convict them of treason,’ Gambia’s Truth Commission found. Those tortured also included journalists Madi Ceesay an
d Musa Saidykhan, both of whom are expected to testify against Sonko in the coming days.

Dem is the third plaintiff before the Swiss court to testify on events related to the alleged 2006 attempted coup. Sonko faces allegations that he participated in the panel that oversaw the interrogations and torture of detainees, charges he has denied. If found guilty, Sonko could face up to 20 years in prison and deportation at the end of his sentence.

As the landmark trial enters its second week on Monday the court will hear from six more plaintiffs. A tenth plaintiff, Nogoi Njie died in September while waiting for her day in court, allegedly from injuries inflicted by Sonko and the hit squad under his direction, in 2016.

Sonko’s alleged crimes extended beyond Gambia. Among the crimes attributed to him is the 2005 killings of about 44 Ghanaians, nine Nigerians, two Togolese, and nationals of Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal along with a subsequent effort to cover them up. West African governments have demanded accountabili
ty in this case.

After Jammeh’s election defeat in 2016 the new government established a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission to examine his alleged crimes. The Commission found at least 600 people were involved in human rights violations and crimes during Jammeh’s 22-year rule.

At least 71 were recommended for prosecution. Just eight have faced prosecution for Jammeh-era crimes inside Gambia.

Sonko is the second Jammeh official to face prosecution in a European jurisdiction, under the legal principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’ which holds that crimes committed against all humanity can be tried anywhere regardless of where they were committed. Sonko is being tried in Switzerland where he sought asylum in 2016. Bai Lowe was convicted in Germany in November 2023. Michael Sang Correa, another alleged member of the hit squad, is scheduled to be tried for torture in the United States in September, 2024.

‘The universal jurisdiction is narrowing the space for perpetrators,’ said Gambian human rights
lawyer Abdoulie Fatty. ‘It also gives hope that slowly but surely the perpetrators cannot escape. That they can run but they cannot hide.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Central Region records 664 fire cases in 2023, no fatalities


The Central Region recorded 664 fire incidents in 2023 as against 570 in 2022, the regional office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has said.

This means that the region experienced 94 more fire cases than it did in 2022, representing an increase of 16.5 per cent.

However, none of the incidents was fatal unlike in 2022 where two people died in the 570 cases recorded.

DOIII Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), told the Ghana News Agency that although it was normal to see a rise in fire incidents as settlements expanded, the rate of increase was worrying.

Bushfires, he said, jumped significantly from 114 in 2022 to 159 in 2023 with the majority of the cases caused by farmers and hunters.

He said domestic fires also rose to 234 in 2023 from 195 in 2022, most of which were caused by electrical faults as a result of poor wiring, and LPG accidents.

‘Burning of rubbish also caused some commercial fires,’ he added.

On the brighter side, DOIII Hudu said institutional fires suc
h as schools and markets decreased by about 20 per cent from 35 to 25 while vehicular cases also reduced to 60 from 62.

He, however, noted that the majority of the vehicular fires could have been prevented or controlled if the drivers had extinguishers.

‘Every vehicle should have a fire extinguisher because it is more important than any part of the vehicle,’ DOIII Hudu said.

‘By all means you should have one in your car, unless you are irresponsible.’

Detailing other cases attended to, the PRO said the Service made 125 road traffic extrications and handled one flood incident and six incidents of bee attacks in which 10 people were injured.

‘There were four well rescues where two died and two survived, one rescue from a septic tank and one case of electrocution,’ he explained.

The Service, however, received 34 prank calls in 2023.

DOIII Hudu, expressing disquiet over the incident, said fire safety was a shared responsibility and entreated the public to avoid such prank calls and religiously follow all p
rotocols to ensure the safety of all.

With bushfires being a major concern, he said the Service would continue sensitising stakeholders on the laws against bush burning and its consequences to mitigate such incidents.

‘It’s illegal to burn bushes and you will be held accountable if your actions lead to bushfires,’ he warned.

The Fire Officer said the major challenge of the Service was the long distances they covered to attend to distress calls.

That, he noted, increased the response time for which reason some of the incidents went out of control.

He, therefore, appealed for more fire stations to save lives and property.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Logba-Tota Health Centre appeals for security man, toilet facility


The Logba-Tota Health Centre in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region has appealed for the construction of a Water Closet (WC) facility and security services to enhance work at the Centre.

Ms Grace Kumafo, Staff Midwife and Facility in-charge appealed through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a visit to the centre.

She said due to the absence of a WC at the facility, protecting the privacy of pregnant women and lactating mothers who visited the centre for medical attention was a challenge.

The facility serves communities including Logba-Tota, Klikpo, Abayeme, Dzufi and Akpenaxor with a population of about 2,066.

Attendance at the Out Patients Department was an average of 10 clients daily, Maternity was six on average, and Reproductive and Child Health was five visits per day, Ms Kumafo said.

On security, she said management needed the services of a security man to guard the centre and its staff and patients, especially during night duties.

Source: Ghana News Agency