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Indeed, the time is now, Black Stars
‘’The time we have all been waiting for is here. Months of thinking about the AFCON, weeks of preparing and days of travelling, have finally brought us to the time all of us have been waiting for. It is that time that we have to forget about all the things that have happened in the past, come together with that singular ambition of making history for yourselves and for Ghana.
‘’It is that time that all of us have to stand up and be counted. It is our time to bring the country together. It is our time to use football to revive the spirit of our youth. It is our time to use football to bring hope and happiness to our country.’’
The above quote from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku perfectly captures the atmosphere created by the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled for Cote d’Ivoire and set to kick off today.
At exactly 8pm, the Black Stars will commence their campaign for a fifth AFCON trophy to break a 42-year trophy drought with a group opener against Cape Verde.
This campaign is coming at a time when Black Stars fans appear crest-fallen with pride and ego dropping to its lowest ebb. There are a few out there, however, with some level of confidence and enthusiasm in the team that has regularly produced poor results in recent times in qualifiers.
That is the reason why the lucky 27 players selected by Coach Chris Hughton needed no reminders like what the FA President put out to know the responsibilities on their shoulders.
The 27-member team included Richard Ofori, Joseph Wollacott, Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Alidu Seidu, Denis Odoi, Kingsley Schindler, Gideon Mensah, Abdul Fatawu Hamid, Nicholas Opoku and Salisu Mohammed.
The others are Osman Bukari, Joseph Painstil, Ernest Nuamah, Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams, Jonathan Sowah and Daniel Amartey.
The rest include Alexander Djiku, Baba Iddrisu, Elisha Owusu, Abdul Samed Salis, Richmond Lamptey, Majeed Ashimeru, Mohammed Kudus, Andre Ayew, Ransford Yeboah Koningsdoffer with Chris Hughton as the Head Coach.
These players know better than all and have a better understanding of what it means to be handed places in national teams. It comes with pride and enhances the player’s status.
However, it also comes with a huge responsibility to put everything aside in defence of the country’s flag at the biggest continental football platform.
The FA President therefore minced no words when he reminded the team of the times in which they found themselves. Indeed, this is the time to deliver what a particular generation of Ghanaian football fans have not experienced in their lifetime.
At the same dinner to bid farewell to the team, the President of the land, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also urged them to strive to win the ultimate because the entire nation was behind them.
On the surface, it appears majority of Ghanaians have given up on the team but that situation could change based on what they show at the showpiece.
This is surely not bigger than the team full of youngsters that have struggled to keep Ghana at the top as one of the powerhouses of African football.
Paired in a group with Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique, Ghana is surely one of the countries expected to progress from Group B of the competition.
But they are likely to meet stiffer opposition after the group stage when other forces like Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and others all lurk around the trophy.
Asking the Black Stars to bring home the trophy appears a mere formality to demonstrate one’s faith in the team but realistically, it seem a huge impossibility but that underdog status is what they would be expected to thrive on to upset the apple-cart. Go for the trophy, Stars!
By Andrew Nortey
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
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
