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13th African Games: Ghana is ready!
• One of the new tennis courts at Borteyman
In less than a week from today, Ghanaian sports fans would witness live the biggest continental sporting spectacle – 13th Africa Games kick-off on Friday at the University of Ghana Sports Complex in Accra.
It is expected to be opened with a colourful and outstanding opening ceremony which for the first time would see the facility filled to its brim.
It is historic in the annals of Ghana sports because it will be the first on the soil but it is also historic in the competition’s own history as the edition to have suffered a lot of setbacks.
The buildup and preparations witnessed several glitches ranging from stalling of works, the slow pace of work, misunderstanding between the owners of the Games and requiring Ghana government interventions at certain times plus many others.
In the midst of that storm, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) led by its Executive Chairman, Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare kept assuring Ghanaians the Games would come on.
Possibly, some of those assurances began to sound like a rhetoric in the ears of pessimists, considering the evidence available and maybe, forced the LOC to look for ‘further and better particulars’ to convince them.
That may be the rationale behind the LOC’s tactic of associating with every local sporting event in the last days to use the platforms to assure Ghanaians about the readiness to host one of the finest games in the history of the competition.
But Tuesday’s assurance from the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his message to Parliament on the State of the Nation address (SONA) appears to have calmed nerves about the true state of readiness.
Indeed, it is an event every Ghanaian must be excited about because of the long term gains and impact it will have on sports development and promotion in Ghana.
For the first time in over two decades, Ghana will boast of a world-class athletics oval and open our territory to hosting international championships.
Indoor events would also not be left out as their respective federations are set to benefit from the world-class venues constructed for the Games.
The University of Ghana would be a major beneficiary with its seemingly
abandoned sports complex undergoing refurbishment and installation of the needed logistics to make it ready to host international games.
In all, the Games would attract over 7,000 athletes and officials from the member states and participate in 29 sporting disciplines categorised into Olympic qualifiers, non-Olympic qualifiers and demonstration sports.
The Olympic sports qualifiers include athletics, badminton, cycling, swimming, table tennis, tennis, triathlon and wrestling.
Categorised under non-Olympic sports are arm-wrestling, beach volley, basketball 3×3, boxing, chess, cricket, football, handball, hockey, judo, karate-do, rugby, taekwondo, volleyball, and weightlifting.
E-sports, mixed martial arts, pickle ball, sambo, scrabble and speech ball will serve as demonstration sports.
Interestingly, what is missing in the preparation of Team Ghana towards the Games is the popular ‘Host and Win’ cliché that often characterises meetings of this nature.
Had it been a football championship, this axiom would have flown everywhere but why it has vanished from the lips of local athletes and officials should clearly send a certain signal to fellow Ghanaian fans to be modest in their expectation.
Just like the Olympic Games, Ghana is not an established force in such events, always identifying disciplines with competitive advantage to seek honours.
That status would not change drastically but an increase in her medal haul would justify the huge expenditure made on the Games as we look into the future with hope.
By Andrew Nortey
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
