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Veep commissions UG Stadium ahead of African Games
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Friday, commissioned the University of Ghana stadium (Legon Stadium), at a colourful ceremony in Accra.
The 11,000-capacity facility which has been completed to host the 13th African Games, Accra 2023, as Ghana wrap up preparations ahead of the opening of the Games on March 3, was unveiled amidst fanfare.
Commissioning the arena, the Vice President said “The history of the African Games is tied with the history of the continent. I believe it is common knowledge that the Great Pan African and First President of the Republic of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah is a founding member of the Games. The Games thus inhabit the Spirit of Africa and Pan-Africanism.
“Our theme for this edition of the Games, “Experience the African Dream,” is thus steeped in the core values of unity, independence, political and economic cooperation, as well as historical and cultural awareness.”
He indicated that “this is the age of the African Renaissance. The continent is tagged by Trade Finance Global with the potential to shape geopolitics and world economics for decades to come.”
“This potential would not marginally materialise to propel our people into prosperity without conscious and intentional action on the part of everyone, especially leadership across all social divides and facets of society,” Dr.Bawumia said.
The United Nations, he said, had identified sports as the most appropriate vehicle for sustainable socio-economic development and made a pronouncement as such in 2018.
“Combined with the youthful bulge of our demographic dividend, the opportunity is here, and the time is now. Ghana is ready to host the world.”
According to him, it is in recognition of many social and cultural benefits inherent in sports that the Government of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic, took the bold decision to bid for and win the rights for Ghana to host this edition of the African Games.
He said this visionary step has resulted in the construction of international standard sporting facilities such as the University of Ghana Sports Stadium and Rugby Field as well as the Borteyman Sports Complex.
“Construction of these facilities has not been easy, but we know that the returns would be immediate and substantial,” he concluded.
Over 13,000 elite athletes, sports technocrats, technicians, and officials, including volunteers, are expected to participate in the African Games which ends on Saturday, March, 23.
The African Games is a celebration of the continent’s greatest sporting talents who gather and compete in an atmosphere of camaraderie, unity and celebration of the cultural diversity that is uniquely African.
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
