Hot!
Ayekoo, gallant Black Stars!
Pockets of Ghanaians across the country were on Tuesday night thrown into delirium when the Black Stars booked their ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament.
You know what; the Thomas Partey-led side upstaged no less an opposition than sworn rivals Nigeria’s Super Eagles – who had vowed to flush the Ghanaians out of their way for a seventh World Cup berth.
Indeed, 24 hours ahead of the gut-wrenching tie, the government had announced that public servants in the Nigerian capital of Abuja be given a half-day, whilst free transport arranged from the suburbs to ensure a capacity 60,000 crowd to cheer on the Super Eagles at the Moshood Abiola Stadium.
The directive was obeyed to the letter, and the stadium was filled to the rafters by an intimidating crowd who disrespectfully decided to jeer at Ghana’s national anthem.
Clearly, the Nigerian fans’ behaviour may have infuriated the enterprising new-look young Ghanaians whose stand-in skipper Partey stunned the packed stadium into petrified silence with an 11th-minute right-footed thunderbolt that tore under goalkeeper Francis Uzoho for the opening goal. At that point, even the drop of a pin could be heard by the dumb. Absolute silence!
However, Captain William Troost-Ekong dispatched from the penalty spot after 22 minutes, following a VAR check on Denis Odoi’s challenge on Ademola Lookman. But the Super Eagles failed to score again to keep the game at 1-1 heading into the break.
The second stanza saw a couple of tactical changes by Ghana coach Otto Addo as Jordan Ayew took an early rest. The three changes saw the team switch from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2. This gave them greater midfield control, able to protect their defence and move the ball forward with something approximating to aggression.
As a matter of fact, the team became more stable, resolute, composed, relaxed and impenetrable under pressure from their West African rivals – who had thrown everything at the Stars.
Indeed, Ghana could have killed off the game even before the Tunisian referee’s final signal, had substitute Osman Bukari taken a begging chance from a fierce counter in the dying moments of the eventful half. But never mind, the away goal rule had guaranteed a place for the visitors.
Sadly, the final whistle triggered ugly scenes from the livid home crowd who did not believe what they were seeing. The incident left the image of African football badly bruised.
As a matter of fact, Nigerian security forces had to fire tear gas to disperse the angry fans who stormed the pitch, obviously in reaction to Nigeria’s failure to qualify for Qatar.
The fans plunged into a demolition mission – smashed benches and anything in sight, while others chanted “Pinnick must go! Pinnick must go!!,” referring to the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.
Black Stars players and Ghanaian journalists had no choice but to take an Usain Bolt-like sprint into the tunnel and straight into their dressing room for safety, cutting short their celebrations.
Similar scenes happened in 1973 during the West Germany ’74 World Cup qualifier when Ghana beat Nigeria 3-2 in Lagos with Stars’ Kwesi Owusu banging home a hat-trick.
The man who engineered Ghana’s famous qualification, Otto Addo – and his technical team, deserves lots of plaudits for fashioning out a system that caged all Nigerian forwards including the dangerous Victor Osimhen. Addo has been around for barely a month but shown great derring-do in team building. Of course, coaches CK Akunnor and Serbian Milovan Rajevac were all part of the qualification process and cannot be forgotten to carving a return to the World Cup, after missing out on the Russia edition in 2018.
The likes of goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott (put up a magical performance in both Kumasi and Abuja), Issahaku Fatau, Mohammed Kudus, Baba Iddrisu, Denis Odoi, Daniel Amartey, Alexander Kwabena Baidoo Djiku, Jordan and big brother captain Andre Ayew among others, have all contributed massively to the success story.
After that dismal showing at the Cup of Nations in January, with the embarrassing loss to minnows Comoros condemning them to a humiliating first-round exit, Tuesday’s Qatar qualification in Abuja, should give Ghanaians something to cheer home about.
PlainTalk with John Vigah
This present team is showing more desire and passion than what we saw at the Cameroon Nations Cup.
Whilst we congratulate the entire team and the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, for a good work done, let us begin to sit and plan for what lies ahead of us in Qatar.
Black Stars, Ayekoo!
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on April 17, 2026, decorated nineteen (19) senior officers who have been promoted to their next ranks based on the recommendations of the Police Council and approval of the President, John Dramani Mahama.
The ceremony, held at the National Police Headquarters in Accra, forms part of efforts to recognise merit, dedication, and long-standing service within the Ghana Police Service, while strengthening leadership across key operational and administrative levels.
The officers promoted from Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) to Commissioner of Police (COP) are Dr. Luke Asue-In-Yeng Zakpaa, Mr. Frederick Agyei, Mr. Duuti Tuaruka, Mr. Arthur Osei-Akoto, Mr. Darko Offei Lomotey, Mr. Eric Ken Winful, Mr. Barnabas Nambont Nasumong, and Mr. Desmond Owusu Boampong.
The IGP and members of POMAB congratulated the officers and urged them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the discharge of their duties.
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
