The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ghana

  • Ghana defeats Mali in AFCON

    Ghana defeats Mali in AFCON

     

    A solitary penalty strike from Mubarak Wakaso was enough to hand Ghana’s Black Star its first win in the 2013 African Cup of Nations on Thursday.

    The team defeated Mali 1-0 in a Group B match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The first 45 minutes saw Ghana playing the better quality football, but for all their promise and swift passing they actually struggled to create many decent opportunities on goal from open play.

    One of the biggest talking points of the half happened as early as the seventh minute when many would have argued that the Black Stars goalkeeper, Fatau Dauda, should have been show a straight red card.

    Miss communication between defender John Boye and Dauda allowed Mali’s Seydou Keita to pressure the goalkeeper into handling the ball outside the 18-yard box.

    Being the last man, between Keita and the goal, Dauda should have been shown red, but instead the referee opted to show some kindness and branded the yellow card.

    From the resulting free-kick Keita came within inches of giving Mali the lead when his 20-yard effort whispered past the left-hand post.

    After that, however, it was all Ghana but they struggled to break down the Eagles defence and had to opt to shoot from long range as a result.

    Harrison Afful came closest to scoring from distance for the Black Stars in the 24th minute when his 30-yard thunderbolt sailed narrowly over the crossbar.

    In the 32nd minute Ghana came close again to breaking the deadlock, this time from a left-side set-piece. The ball was whipped into the box and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu rose above the Mali defence to head the ball on goal, but he saw his 14-yard effort bounce off the right hand post.

    Finally, in the 36th minute the Back Stars were able to fashion an opening on goal in general play as Asamoah Gyan slipped Agyemang-Badu through on goal, but he was recklessly pulled down inside the box by Mali’s Adama Tamboura and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot.

    Mubarak Wakaso stepped up and superbly dispatched the penalty into the top right-hand corner of the net to give Ghana the lead, 1-0, a lead they kept going into the half time break.

    The second 45 minutes saw the play move from end to end as Ghana tried to put the result beyond doubt while Mali tried desperately to find the equaliser.

    But the amount of pressing by both sides resulted in the game being a little broken and sloppy. Consequently, players were getting frustrated and a host of yellow cards (five to be precise in the second half – two for Ghana and three for Mali) were shown for careless tackles.

     

  • VIDEO: Mahama vows towards improving Ghana

    VIDEO: Mahama vows towards improving Ghana

  • Tinubu, Akande: Mahama right leader for Ghana

    Former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Bisi Akande yesterday said President John Mahama has all it takes to lead Ghana.

    Tinubu and Akande spoke with The Nation in Accra after Mahama’s inauguration as Ghana’s fourth elected president.

    Tinubu said Ghanaians should entertain no fear with Mahama at the helm of affairs.

    He said the Ghanaian president has shown since July when he took over following Prof. John Atta Mills’ death that he would be a great leader.

    Tinubu said: “It is clear his people love him. He will lead them well. We need to learn from Ghana how to do things right.”

    Akande said: “Mahama has what it takes to take Ghana to the next level. I see orderliness, which is what is lacking in Nigeria. Having been in the parliament and having been vice president, Mahama has what it takes to develop Ghana. The people should put their mind at rest.”

    In a statement, Tinubu said: “Ghana remains a signpost of good governance and democratic values Africa is in dire need of. For Ghana, this transition from democracy to democracy marks a sparkling moment in the history of the country.

    “I congratulate the elected President of Ghana, John Mahama and the good people of Ghana on this occasion. It is a moment in history many nations still long for and Ghana offers that great hope that even in Africa democracy thrives.

    “To the people of Ghana, once again, I give kudos for embracing with discipline the innovation of the biometric voting system. As with most innovations, there were lapses and delays during this initial use. But the people persevered and did not for once quit on the system. The people of Ghana performed their civic duty with propriety and quiet heroism. There is a lesson for all of Africa in this.

    “Today, Ghana stands tall as a model of democratic practice for Africa and much of the world. You have shown that the soil of Africa is as fertile ground for democracy as any other soil. The Black Star today shines brighter than ever before and with each successful election Africa will advance.

    “Nigeria has a thing or two to learn from Ghana with regards to organising free and fair elections. Nigeria’s electoral system is overdue for a biometric voting system. Our electoral system needs an overhaul. Ghana has shown the way. Nigeria and other African nations must follow the lead.”

     

  • Ghana’s Mahama sworn in

    Ghana’s Mahama sworn in

    … Says ‘The best is yet to come’

    Mr. John Dramani Mahama was on Monday sworn in as Ghana’s fourth elected President and Commander-in-Chief before a massive crowd reveling in a moment of historical significance.

    His key message at the ceremony was –“the best is yet to come.”

    He won the last December 7 election, which he was not even expected to run, but for the death of former President John Atta Mills last July.

    The event was witnessed by an estimated 50,000 people, including about 15 Heads of Government, in Accra, the country’s capital.

    Millions more followed the event through coverage on television and the Internet.

    It took off with a national anthem at some minutes past 10am Ghanaian time. The two-hour long ceremony was watched on widescreen televisions installed all over the country through live feeds from the state broadcaster, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

    The GBC was the only media organisation allowed to provide a live feed of the ceremony to other television and radio stations.

    The inauguration took place at the beautifully-decorated Black Star Square.

    President Mahama’s vice, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, also took his oath of office at the square whose arch was draped in Ghana’s colours- red, gold and green.

    Cultural troupes entertained the guests, who started trooping to the venue as early as 7am. Armed and police bands also entertained the guests.

    When Mahama emerged from the presidential limousine in an all-white flowing robe (agbada) for the inauguration, the energised crowd exploded with cheers. His vice chose the kente.

    Led by the Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood, the vice-president was the first to take both the oaths of office and allegiance. He mounted the podium at 10.19am.

    Mahama took his turn at 10.27am. He first took the oath of allegiance before a cheering crowd, members of the parliament and dignitaries.

    A brief interruption followed before he took the oath of office declaring: “Having been elected to the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana do in the name of the Almighty God swear, solemnly affirm that I will be faithful and true to the Republic of Ghana.

    “That I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana; and that I dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana and to do right to all manner of persons.

    “I further solemnly swear, solemnly affirm that should I at any time break this Oath of office, I shall submit myself to the laws of the Republic of Ghana and suffer the penalty for it. So help me God.”

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  • Ghana insures Black Stars

    Ghana insures Black Stars

    GHANA Black Stars have received a huge incentive to perform at the Nations Cup following the activation of tournament insurance for all the players.

    Insurance broker, Glico has announced a N4.1m (GH¢ 50,000) risk cover for the entire Black Stars squad from now till the finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, according to ghanafa.org

    Glico’s package was announced in Accra on Friday ahead of the team’s travel to Abu Dhabi for pre-tournament preparations.

    Aside the insurance package, Glico have promised to reward the Black Stars with a further N4.1m (GH¢ 50,000) if team wins the Nations Cup in South Africa.

    The Black Stars were also given N414, 000 (GH¢ 5,000) with the company pledging N165,500 (GH¢ 2,000) for each goal scored in the quarter and semi finals. A N248,000 (GH¢ 3,000) reward will be handed the team for each goal scored in the final.

    Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi believes the package will give players the full confidence to fight for the trophy.

    “I will like to thank GLICO for this huge donation. This is a huge amount and it will serve as a huge motivation to the team to winning the trophy in South Africa,” he said.

    “The players will know not shy away from putting in tackles when necessary at the Nations Cup.

    “The donation complements the efforts of government in supporting the team financially at the tournament and we are very much appreciative of GLICO’s efforts.”

  • Ghana wants Nigeria to fix gas pipeline

    Ghana wants Nigeria to fix gas pipeline

    President John Mahama of Ghana has asked his Nigerian counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan to help fix the broken West Africa Gas Pipeline.

    This, according to the Ghanaian leader, is important in the country’s bid to use Nigerian gas for power generation.

    Mahama spoke on Wednesday after meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Ghanaian president, who was re-elected during Saturday’s presidential election in the West African country told State House Correspondents that he want Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipelines back into operation.

    He said, “I took the opportunity to discuss with him the issue of West Africa Gas Pipeline. As you are aware, it got broken and there was an accident when they were trying to activate it. So, I want President Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipeline back into operation as soon as possible so that Ghana can continue to receive Nigerian gas to power our electricity generation.”

    President Mahama, who said he was on his way to Equatorial Guinea for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States conference also said the two leaders, discussed the relationship between both countries during the short meeting.

    “This has been a very short visit. I am on my way to Equatorial Guinea for the ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of states conference that is taking place there. As you know, Ghana has been the chair since 2008 and we are supposed to be handing over to Equatorial Guinea and so enroute I decided to pass through Abuja to pay my respect to President Goodluck Jonathan considering the relations between Ghana and Nigeria.

    “After election, it is significant that this is the first country I should visit just to cement the relations between our two great countries,” President Mahama told journalists.

    He also said the visit was an opportunity to condole with President Jonathan over the death of his younger brother, Chief Meni Innocent Jonathan.

     

     

  • Ghana President seeks peace

    Ghana President seeks peace

    Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama yesterday urged his defeated political opponents to join him “as partners” to improve the country.

    But Nana Akufo-Addo, his chief rival, threatened to launch a court battle over the poll results.

    Mahama was declared winner of last weekend’s election, which was widely seen as a test of whether the country – one of the fastest growing economies in Africa – can maintain its reputation as a pillar of democracy.

    “I wish to welcome my fellow candidates to join me now as partners in the projects of nation-building and of creating a better Ghana,” Mahama said in a victory speech to cheering crowds at a field in Accra.

    “We have come too far on this journey to weigh ourselves down with pettiness, intolerance and negativity.”

    Ghana’s electoral commission said on Sunday Mahama, who replaced former president John Atta Mills after his death in July, had won 50.7 percent of the ballots cast, enough to avoid a run-off against Akufo-Addo.

    Ghana’s non-partisan Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), which deployed more than 4,000 poll watchers, said the vote had been generally free and fair.

    But Akufo-Addo said yesterday his party would take a decision toaay on whether to challenge the results, which he said were manipulated by electoral workers.

    “We have serious reservations about the counting and the declaration of results,” Akufo-Addo told Reuters in his office at his residence in Accra.

    “If we are going to challenge the results, the main question is; do we have enough evidence to suggest that, materially, the evidence will have affected the outcome?”

    “The obvious option is to go and challenge the results in the courts. The other option is to forego it and make your case to the country,” Akufo-Addo said.

    Akufo-Addo called for calm among his supporters, saying leaders of his conservative-leaning New Patriotic Party would meet to decide the party’s response.

    On the wall of his office is a portrait of his father Edward Akufo-Addo, president from August 1970 to January 1972 before he was deposed by a military coup. Outside, there was a dour atmosphere among supporters milling about the yard, some yelling that the election had been stolen.

    A cliff-hanger election in 2008, in which Akufo-Addo lost by less than 1 per cent, pushed the country to the brink of chaos, with disputes over results driving hundreds of people into the streets with clubs and machetes.

    Ghana’s sprawling seaside capital Accra was bustling as normal on Monday.

    The cocoa and gold-producing nation, which also began pumping oil in 2010, has had five peaceful and constitutional transfers of power since its last coup in 1981.

    Voting on Friday was fraught with delays after hundreds of newly introduced electronic fingerprint readers failed, forcing some polling stations to reopen on Saturday to clear the backlog.

    But CODEO observers said their parallel tabulation of results confirmed those declared by the electoral commission.

    “The results of the 2012 presidential polls declared by the Electoral Commission are generally an accurate reflection of how Ghanaians voted in the December 7 polls,” the group said in a statement.

    The African Union’s current chairman, Benin President Thomas Yayi Boni, visited Accra yesterday and congratulated Mahama on his win.

     

  • F/Eagles get favourable AYC draw

    F/Eagles get favourable AYC draw

    …  Eaglets to meet Ghana in U-17 

    The Flying Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday got a favourable draw for the 2013 African Youth Championship slated for Algeria, MTNFootball.com reports.

    Flying Eagles, the defending champions, will play in group B alongside Mali, debutants Gabon and DR Congo.

    Group A comprises the hosts Algeria, Ghana, Egypt and Benin Republic.

    The U-20 tournament will be played between March 16 and 30 2013 with the semi-finalists qualifying to represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey in June.

    For the U-17 African championship, which will be hosted by Morocco in April, three-time world champions Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will meet arch rivals Black Starlets of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Congo.

    The other group has hosts Morocco, debutants Botswana, Gabon and Tunisia.

    Like the AYC, the semi-finalists of this competition will also fly Africa’s flag at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.

     

  • Ghana awaits election results as polls close

    Ghana awaits election results as polls close

    • Observers hail exercise

    Ghana electoral workers tallied ballots yesterday in elections troubled by technical hitches, but which authorities hoped would ultimately burnish the country’s reputation as a model African democracy.

    ECOWAS and AU observers led by former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday hailed the process despite a few challenges. They called for speedy release of results to forestall rumour-mongering.

    Ghanaians had queued up for a second day in parts of the West African nation to vote after hundreds of newly-introduced electronic fingerprint readers – used to identify voters – malfunctioned.

    The decision to extend polling into yesterday was broadly accepted by voters and rival parties, easing worries the problematic poll would trigger the kind of street violence common during elections in West Africa.

    “I was happy they extended the time,” said Yaw Krampah, a 29-year-old metal worker, as he waited in line on the outskirts of the capital Accra. “But I couldn’t sleep at all – this election means so much to me.”

    Three decades of peace combined with a recent oil-driven boom have made Ghana a darling among investors who say its growth prospects contrast sharply with the economic woes of Europe and the United States.

    President John Dramani Mahama, who replaced the late John Atta Mills after his death in July, faces main rival Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who has vowed to provide free education and root out graft.

    Early tallies from polling stations point to a tight race, raising the prospect of a repeat of the near-deadlock of the 2008 elections, in which Mills defeated Akufo-Addo in a run-off with a margin of less than 1 percent.

    Hundreds of electronic fingerprint readers malfunctioned on Friday, causing some people who had waited hours to vote to burst into tears as they were told they had to come back the next morning.

    An election commission official said 1.6 percent of the country’s 26,000 polling stations had to reopen yesterday to clear the backlog, adding that officials would launch an investigation into why the machines broke down.

    “We are trying to find out what caused this situation,” said spokesman Sylvia Annor.

    Results are expected within two days with a second round possible at the end of December if no one wins an outright majority. Ghanaians are also electing a parliament, where Mahama’s National Democratic Party has enjoyed a slim majority.

    “I would like to ask the Ghanaian people to remain very calm…We are on course, and there should be no apprehension,” Mahama’s campaign director Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah told a news conference.

    “Our people should be law-abiding, they should follow the rules of the game…The electoral commission will speak, and when it speaks, we will listen,” he said.

     

     

  • Lawal predicts Nigeria, Ghana AFCON final

    Lawal predicts Nigeria, Ghana AFCON final

    Super Eagles midfielder, Raheem Lawal has predicted the Super Eagles will clash with perennial rivals Ghana in the final of next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The former Atletico Beleares of Spain midfielder said Ghana has a team good enough to reach the final, so too Nigeria, who he will tip to go on and win the continental trophy.

    “I see Nigeria and Ghana playing in the final of the Nations Cup in South Africa. Not that the other teams who will feature in the competition are not good, but both Ghana and Nigeria have an edge with us best to win it,” Lawal told MTNFootball.com

    “I am also looking forward to play at the Nations Cup for the first time.

    “I was so happy when we qualified and I will do my best to be in South Africa with the Eagles and contribute to the team’s success.”

    Raheem Lawal said defending champions Zambia will be Nigeria’s biggest threat in the first round of the tournament.

    “Zambia as the defending champions will be our main threat. The last year’s squad is still very much intact,” he said.

    “We therefore have to beware of them and take them seriously even though we cannot afford to look down on Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.”

    The former Olympic international also told MTNFootball.com he was shocked Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi did not make the top five players to battle for the Africa Footballer of the Year Award.

    “I was surprised when I saw the list. I don’t understand how CAF reached that conclusion because Mikel won the English FA Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League not as a bench warmer, but as a super regular. I think CAF need to tell us how they picked the final nominees,” he argued.