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24th Anniversary of May 9 Stadium Disaster held at Accra Sports Stadium
A solemn ceremony has been held on Friday, May 9, 2025, at the Accra Sports Stadium to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the tragic Stadium Disaster—widely regarded as the darkest day in Ghana’s football history.
On May 9, 2001, a Premier League clash between rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko turned tragic when crowd disturbances escalated, prompting police to fire tear gas into the stands. The resulting stampede led to the deaths of 127 spectators and left many others injured.
Since the incident, annual commemorative events have been organized to honour the victims and reflect on the lessons learned. This year’s remembrance brought together key stakeholders in Ghanaian football, government officials, club representatives, and family members of the victims.
In a keynote address, the Minister for Youth and Sports, Kofi Adams, reaffirmed the government’s dedication to improving safety at sports venues. He pledged continued collaboration with football stakeholders to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, speaking on behalf of the football fraternity, described the disaster as a harrowing moment in Ghana’s sporting history. He noted that the most meaningful tribute to the victims is a collective commitment to prevention.
“The best way to honour those we lost is to ensure that it never happens again,” he said. “Through enhanced infrastructure, robust regulations, and our renewed focus on fan safety, we are working hard to prevent a repeat of this tragic event.”
He highlighted the introduction of Enhanced Safety and Security Protocols by the GFA and praised the ongoing development of football infrastructure across the country.
Simeon-Okraku also reflected on the recent loss of Asante Kotoko supporter, Pooley, in Nsoatre and called on the Ghana Police Service to intensify efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He was joined at the ceremony by Executive Council Members Samuel Aboabire and Gideon Fosu, GHALCA Chairman John Ansah, GFA Chief of Staff Michael Osekere, Chief Finance Officer Collins Dei, National Juvenile Committee 1st Vice Chairman JoeSalam Abubakar and Black Stars assistant coach John Paintsil.
Representatives of the two clubs involved in the 2001 tragedy, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, delivered messages of solidarity. Hearts of Oak’s delegation included Managing Director Delali Adiamah, former Chairman Harry Zakour, and Alhaji Braimah Akambi. Kotoko was represented by Marketing Manager Charles Kwaku Hammond and National Supporters Leader Seth Nii Darko.
Also in attendance were Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Director-General of the National Sports Authority, his deputies, families of the victims, and members of the Ghana Supporters Union.
The ceremony concluded with traditional prayers and the laying of wreaths at the May 9 Monument in honour of the departed souls. Wreaths were laid by the Minister of Youth and Sports, the President of the GFA, former Hearts of Oak Chairman, Kotoko’s Marketing Manager, and the Director-General of the NSA.
As the nation paused to remember the fallen, the resounding message from the ceremony was clear: May 9 must never happen again.
Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) successfully holds the African Women’s Health and Wealth Conference (AWoHW) with a call for research and investment into women’s healthcare.
It also called for robust financial systems and encouraged women to generate wealth as well as prioritise their health.
The conference held at the Shippers House in Accra on Thursday, March 5, 2026, was on the theme, “Championing Inclusive healthcare and finance systems for African women and girls.”
Speaking on behalf of Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sabia Kpekata, Programme Officer at the Ministry, said, Financial inclusion remains one of the most critical pathways to women’s empowerment and achieving sustainable development.
According to the minister, it is for this reason that the government continues to support initiatives that expand access to affordable credit, strengthen women-led enterprises and build financial literacy.
“Institutions such as MASLOC, the Women’s Development Bank and other targeted financing mechanisms play a critical role in closing the financial inclusion gap,” she added.
Against this backdrop, she stated that the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), further strengthens this agenda. By mandating progressive representation of women in decision-making spaces across public and private sectors, the Act ensures that women are not only beneficiaries of financial and healthcare systems, but architects of those systems.
“Women must sit at the policy table where budgets are approved, health priorities are set, and economic policies are designed. This is why the Ministry calls on all stakeholders to push for the effective implementation of the Affirmative Act,” she stated.
Furthermore, she noted that the conference called on everyone to move inclusion from talk to action, incorporating it in budgets, laws, health systems and corporate policies.
She added that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is committed to partnering with stakeholders to build inclusive healthcare and financial systems that serve every woman and girl, regardless of location, income, or social status.
“Let us strive to build a Ghana where opportunity is not determined by gender and where systems are designed to uplift, protect and empower,’ she noted.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, said many women suffer from mental health issues as a result of health financing, adding that this is why President Mahama has initiated the Accra Reset to tackle issues relating to women.
Additionally, she commended the Ghana Enterprises Agency for consistently promoting women entrepreneurs.
Nana Oye Bampoe further touched on some government initiatives targeted at women, adding that the government is intentional about women’s empowerment.
On his part, the convener, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said, “Today is not just a conference – It is a declaration. It is a declaration that African women and girls will no longer stand at the margins of systems that determine their health, their wealth, and their future.”
According to her, it is a declaration that sustainability is not a slogan for them, rather, it is a strategy, a commitment and a promise.
She said the greatest resource any organisation, community, nation or continent has is its human resources, adding that the continent’s economic prosperity depends on the quality, productivity and capacity of its labour force, including men, women and young people.
The convener noted that where both genders have equal opportunities and operate at near optimal levels, there will be greater economic Expansion and output for the prosperity of all Africans
Additionally, she stated that to drive inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, amongst others, there is a need for an intentional and clear alignment to economic and social dynamics in specific contexts.
“This will in turn positively impact the involvement and contributions to drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the overall economic prosperity of Africa,” she added.
She further stated that as 2030 approaches, WISA which officially launched on May 1, 2025 in Partnership with the UN Global Compact on behalf of all Women of Africa and of African Descent, will mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gaps, by being deliberate to center women at the heart of implementation and compliance.
The Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod Jewellery, Getrude Emefa Donkor, said, Saving alone cannot make one financially sound, adding that investing and having other sources of income is the best way to go.
She also provided some tips for women, calling for discipline in spending, and consistency in saving behaviour, as well as inculcating the habit of budgeting.
WiSA is a Coordinating Pan-African Organization that works with other CSOs, NGOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organizations and individuals to bring all women, men, young people and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the SDGs across Africa.
WiSA stands for the development of new perspectives and catalytic ideas towards accelerating growth for the achievement of the SDGs, including closing the Gender Inequality gap.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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Promoting Gender Equity In Governance: Felicia Adjei highlights importance of proportional representation
The Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, has made a statement in Parliament on the importance of proportional representation in promoting gender equity in governance.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, she noted that the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was a bold step toward encouraging women’s participation, but laws alone cannot guarantee fairness if the electoral system does not support inclusion.
She explained that proportional representation, particularly through Gender-Balance or “zebra” lists where parties alternate between male and female candidates, could help ensure equal opportunities for women in leadership.
The Kintampo MP was of the view that such a system promotes fairness by design rather than leaving representation to chance.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
