Black Stars squad for their first match at this year’s AFCON has been released and there have been some few changes in some sectors of the team.
Black Stars comes face to face with the best national team in Africa, Cranes of Uganda in Gabon.
Razak Braimah will be in the poll and will be covered by Daniel Amartey, John Boye, Harrison Afful and Baba Rahman.
In midfield will be Thomas Partey, Mubarak Wakaso, Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew whiles Asamoah Gyan leads the attack and will be supported by Jordan Ayew.
Ghana starts her AFCON campaign today against Uganda and are expected to win this match in order to win the hearts of Ghanaians who have after Brazil 2014 saga seem indifferent to issues concerning the Black Stars.
Co-host of the Sunset Drive on Bolgatanga-based A1Radio, Dj Phatbone, has added his voice to the raging debate on whether artistes should pay DJs to give their songs airplay.
There has been a lot of controversies over the years on the issue of artistes having to pay monies to presenters and Djs to have songs promoted on their programs.
But speaking on the Drive Talk segment of the Sunset Drive, Phatbone said: “it is really pathetic when I hear people say artistes must not pay to have their songs aired. It is one thing to have your song play on air and another to have your song promoted on air”.
To him, “I don’t see why payola is seen as a bribe and not a motivation because the Dj is given money (payola) to motivate him to air your song. So it should not be seen as a bribe but rather a motivation because if presenters/DJs are to charge before promoting songs on the radio then not all artistes will be able to afford it”.
Phatbone debunked the assertion that ‘payola is killing the music industry but said: “What is killing the industry is the failure of musicians to produce songs which will transcend all generations but just jump onto any beat to produce songs which have “Borla” content”.
Ghana coach Avram Grant says his team will leave nothing to chance on the pitch as it bids for a fifth AFCON title.
The Black Stars have won the title four times but not since 1982 – 35 year ago. At the final of the last edition in Equatorial Guinea, they lost a close penalty shootout to rivals Cote d’Ivoire.
Speaking at a pre-match conference ahead of the team’s Group D opener against Uganda at the Stade de Port Gentil, Grant said a new team will emerge.
“A lot of people talk about pressure but we do not see it as a negative word. I believe pressure is good and lets you perform,” the Israeli said.
“You will see a team that will give everything on the pitch. I know my players better than I did two years ago and they are a good group of players with a will to serve.”
The Black Stars need a positive start to their campaign in a difficult group that also has Mali and Egypt if they are to stand a chance of progressing to the quarterfinals.
Bolgatanga-based recording artiste, Ras wormz has released a cover of Patoranking’s hit song ‘no kissing’.
This cover comes shortly after he released a cover of Sarkodie’s E-40 choices in 2016 which was praised by many in the Entertainment industry.
The song which is recorded in frafra titled ‘ No Kissing babe’ talks about the unfaithful life of female partners in present day.
The cover is his first song released in 2017 and is enjoying massive airplay and promotion in the Upper East Region.
Ras Worms is hoping to hit mainstream music scene this year as he works hard on releasing a great number of singles to entertain the people of Upper East Region and other parts of the country.
Police in the Upper East region have expressed a grave alarm over the rate at which the deprived region is losing its working class to road crashes.
The concerns, voiced to Starr News in the regional capital, Bolgatanga, come after 90 people perished and 260 got injured in 250 reported cases alone in the region in the just-ended 2016. In 2015, no fewer than 54 persons, many of them belonging to the region’s labour force, drew their last breaths in separate tragedies on the road.
But 2016 saw the workers, who perished through crashes, alone outnumbering all the accident deaths recorded throughout the year gone before it. There were 65 workers amongst the lives lost in 2016, according to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) with 214 motorbikes, 94 private vehicles and 81 commercial automobiles involved.
“The region should be worried about the rate. When you study the accident statistics critically, you’ll see that most of the dead were adults- those above 18. It is the adults who have died a lot. They are 65 in number and they constituted the working class,” the Upper East Regional MTTD Commander, DSP Daniel Kwao Teye, told Starr News.
“It is very alarming and it should be a cause for worry to the people of Upper East. If your working class is being wiped out, it should be of concern,” he added.
Reckless linking tops causes of crash
Speeding once took a dreadful grip of the top spot among the causes of road crash in the region. Later, unlawful overtaking grabbed the baton, sitting very tight for a couple of years on the number-one spot.
But reckless linking from minor roads to major ones, police say, has overtaken unlawful overtaking, claiming more lives than before. Reckless linking also has a close challenger in the region- drink driving and riding.
“The causes are largely attributed to the attitude of the people. I don’t see the need for us, the police, to be chasing somebody to wear a crash helmet when riders know so well that they are supposed to put on helmets. Our people are not careful at all when joining a major road from a minor road. Instead of ensuring that the major road is safe before they join, they just join.
“Driving under the influence of alcohol is also a major factor. When you go out at night, you’ll see a lot of people drinking and you’ll see a lot of motorcycles and vehicles parked close to the drinking spot. Those people, after drinking, will definitely use their vehicles and motorcycles back home. And at the end of the day, you’ll see a number of them dying through accidents. Some will not get home. Another factor is speeding. People ride in town as if they are competing,” DSP Teye stated.
Ban on riding saves Bawku from too many crashes- Police
Each of the region’s 13 municipalities and districts got its depressing share of the 2016 crashes with the busy regional capital recording the highest toll of 162 cases out of which 37 were fatal.
At Navrongo, capital of the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, 19 of the 37 cases reported claimed lives. Whilst the only 2 cases reported at Tongo in the Talensi District were deadly, 5 of the 9 cases recorded at Sandema in the Builsa North District also saw loss of lives. Statistics also shows that 10 of the 12 cases reported at Zebilla in the Bawku West District were disastrous and lives were ruined in 2 of the14 cases reported at Garu in the Garu-Tempane District. All 4 cases reported in the Bongo District were fatal and 4 out of the 10 cases that hit Bawku that year brought a tragic end to a short-distance ride.
The statistics gave the municipalities leading positions ahead of the districts. And it was so expected on account of the busier vehicular traffic a municipality normally would have as compared to a district. But what comes as a surprise is the Bawku Municipality falling behind rural districts like Garu-Tempane and Bawku West.
“For Bawku, I would say that it is largely due to the ban placed on them from riding for some time. You know when the ban was lifted, it was only women that were permitted to ride. Women are very careful; men are very adventurous. I can say that is what brought about the low rate of accident fatalities in Bawku as compared to that of Zebilla,” DSP Teye explained.
Government, long in the wake of the renewal of ethnic unrest in Bawku late in 2007, imposed a ban on motorcycling in 2011 in the area. The ban followed intelligence reports that motorbikes were the automobile means aiding armed rabble-rousers to get away with target killings within the municipality and on the outskirts.
The ban was reviewed in 2016, but the freedom to ride in that commercial hub was for a long time for women only. At present, men are only permitted to ride from 6:00am to 6:00pm, with nurses and other social service workers only enjoying an exclusive extension of that freedom from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.
Upper East has no recovery truck for accidents
Ghana’s Road Safety Act 683, Section 136, interprets vehicles to include “a motor vehicle, a motorcycle and a bicycle”.
But, in what Starr News has observed, bicyclists in the Upper East Region hardly see themselves as a category of automobile road users who should obey traffic rules and regulations. Oftentimes, they just move across even when the red traffic lights facing them are on.
Checks by Starr News have also revealed that the region does not have a recovery truck for towing vehicles that halt in the middle of the road. There have been cases of riders crashing to their deaths against broken-down articulators in the region especially where the warning triangle is missing in the middle of highways.
The MTTD has always called on the Ghana National Fire Service to borrow a recovery truck to tow vehicles from the road or out from gullies. But authorities say the region’s only recovery truck is now damaged and garaged in the firemen’s yard.
Whenever vehicles suddenly go kaput whilst in traffic, it is left there for mechanics to work on it whilst MTTD officers stand at both ends of the vehicle to wave for motorists to slow down. Such was the picture about 4 weeks ago on the Bolgatanga-Navrongo Highway where it took two days for mechanics to fix a damaged articulator after its wheels ground to a halt right on the white line that divides the dual-carriage road.
Ghana Black Stars today comes up against the Cranes of Uganda at the AFCON in Gabon which has seen several surprises and shocks and has recorded several drawn games.
This is the second time both teams will be meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations although they have met thirteen times.
Ghana in this thirteen engagements has scored eighteen goals whereas the Cranes of Uganda have scored nine. Ghana has won six out of the thirteen encounters while Uganda has won three with four ending in a draw.
The last time both teams met was during the World Cup qualifier at the Tamale Sports Stadium where Ghana was held to a goalless draw game on their home soil.
Ghana goes into this game as favourites when it comes to history but also goes into the game with the hope of winning to gain back the love of Ghanaians.
Ghana has paraded a young team of foreign-based players who are very optimistic of making their name and also breaking the trophy drought the country has suffered under this generation of players.
Avram is optimistic of a good show at the continental showcase with the kind of players he has paraded. He intends to improve on the performance in the previous edition and is hoping his magic shirt will this time around do the magic for him.
The Cranes of Uganda also come into this game to make a statement for themselves after failing to qualify for the competition for over thirty years and will come up with their heads high after managing to force a draw out of the Black Stars in Ghana during the World Cup qualifier last year.
Head of Sports at A1Radio, Humul Khrusum Tahiru has said the AFCON is an opportunity for the Black Stars to win back the love of Ghanaians which they lost due to the Brazil Saga in 2014.
Black Stars start their AFCON campaign in Gabon against the Cranes of Uganda today but the euphoria surrounding their game seems to have died down as Ghanaians seem indifferent.
But speaking to Azongo Albert on Daybreak Upper East, Humul said: “the Black Stars have lost touch with Ghanaians considering the fact that there is no euphoria surrounding their games in recent times and this tournament should be a redemption one to win the love of Ghanaians”.
To her, the ability of the stars to play and come out successfully today may whip up the interest of Ghanaians to support the stars once more because the hearts of Ghanaians have been broken in the past.
She noted that the move by the stars to take any amount as wini9ng bonus is a clear indication that the players are now thinking about their selfish self.
On the game, the CEO of FC Tanga mentioned that Ghana will not have an easy ride over Uganda considering the solid team and how their coach is tactical but mentioned that if the team eschews complacency they will come out successful.
The election of Regional Representatives to the Council of State has been scheduled to take place in all the ten regions of Ghana on February 9 although venues for the exercise is yet to be decided on, the Electoral Commission has disclosed.
The Commission’s call for nominations is in pursuant to the Constitutional Instrument which allows for the election of regional representatives on the Council of State.
Nominations will be accepted by the commission from Friday, January 20 to Thursday, January 26 but nomination forms could be picked from the Regional Offices of the Commission from January 17 to January 19.
The Commission in a statement mentioned that individuals who qualify to be nominated are individuals who are citizens of Ghana, of as sound mind, a registered voter and be a resident of the Region.
WHO QUALIFIES TO STAND FOR ELECTION TO THE COUNCIL?
To be eligible for election to the Council of State a prospective candidate must;
a. Be a citizen of Ghana
b. Be of sound mind
c. Be a registered voter
d. Be a resident or hail from the region which he /she seeks to represent.
A person shall not be qualified to be elected as a regional representative to the Council of State if;
a. He/ She has been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any
law in force in Ghana and has not been discharged.
b. He/ She has been convicted for high crime under the Constitution, or high
treason, or for an offence involving the security of the State, fraud,dishonesty, or moral turpitude; or for any other offence punishable by death or by a sentence of not less than ten years.
c. He/ She has been found by the report of a Commission, or a Committee of Inquiry to be incompetent to hold public office, or is a person in respect .
d. of whom a Commission or a Committee of Inquiry has found out that, while being in public office, he acquired assets unlawfully, or defrauded the State, or misused his office, or acted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the State, and the findings have not been set aside on appeal, or judicial review.
e. He/ She is under the sentence of death, or other sentence of imprisonment imposed on them by any court; or
f. Is a member of the Electoral College constituted for the election of the members of the Council of State.
The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has announced a comprehensive plan to modernize and change the fortunes of agriculture in his four-year tenure.
The sector which used to be the mainstay of Ghana’s economy has suffered a major down turn in the recent past recording below 4% of GDP in 2016.
Addressing the 68th New Year School at the University of Ghana, Monday, the president said the next four years will see a massive turnaround in the agriculture sector which will modernise the sector and make it attractive for the country’s youth.
“We will create additional businesses and job opportunities in the areas of storage, transport, processing packaging, and marketing of agricultural produce all of which will ensure that our farmers and fisherfolks earn higher incomes,” he said.
The president said the new agricultural policy shall see the involvement of the traditional institutions and district assemblies across the country.
He was encouraged by the commitment of all stakeholders to explore innovative solutions to turn around the fortunes of farmers through the sustained use of ICT in agriculture.
“It is clear that ICT has brought to the fore new ways of doing things. Given the rapid penetration of ICT in our society today, particular the use of mobile telephony there is a realisation that ICT should be integrated to be effectively used as facilitating tools in agricultural development to boost its impact on the lives of our farmers,” he said.
Modernization
Detailing how the sector will be modernized the president said there shall be the establishment of a “cycle of initiatives and actions that will make the sector more productive, durable and smart.”
“Agriculture continues to be the anchor of the country’s economy employing almost half of our workforce. However, in the last few years, growth in the sector has declined dramatically. Food is unnecessarily expensive in a country is blessed with fertile land.
“Our production methods are not modern and income levels of our farmers and fisher folks making the sector unattractive to the youth as a viable means of livelihood.
He said in the next four years the vision shall improve production efficiency, achieve food security and profitability for our farmers all aimed at significantly increasing agricultural productivity.
“Government will pursue a value addition strategy aimed at rapidly romping up agro-processing and developing new and stable markets for our products,” he said.
The Minister designate for the sector Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto also announced a campaign that will make agriculture a viable occupation for all Ghanaians.
Dubbed planting for food and jobs, Joy News’ Elton John Brobbey reported the minister designate as saying the policy will provide farming inputs and the deployment of extension officers for all registered farmers.
The Spokesperson of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Saanie Daara, has revealed that the Black Stars have decided to accept any amount that will be offered to them as winning bonus at the 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) currently ongoing in Gabon
According to Mr. Daara, the players are hopeful that their decision will convince Ghanaians that they are not playing because of the money.
“The players have told us that they will take any amount that the nation is willing to pay them as their bonus money. They met the management committee and told them this,” the GFA spokesperson said in an interview with Metro FM.
“They want to send a signal to the Ghanaian public that they are not playing because of the money and hence this decision. Whatever Ghana can pay, they will take it”.
It has been reported in the local media that the players had earlier on appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reinstate their $10,000 winning bonus which was slashed by former Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress administration.
Avram Grant’s side will begin their quest to end a 35-year trophy drought tomorrow against Uganda, 4.00pm at the Stade de Port Gentil in Gabon.
