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Pursuing a shinning legacy: Building fresh sets of Black Satellites
Barely two months after their gold medal winning feat at the 2023 Africa Games hosted by Ghana, a team of Technical Handlers, led by gold medal winning Coach Desmond Offei, have commenced an intensive and wide ranging search for the next stock of footballing talent.
They are expected to take up the mantle from their illustrious predecessors who have, over the last three years, consistently won laurels and lifted the flag of Ghana high.
This first phase of the search for more talented footballers effectively started on May 1st, 2024, and will run all the way through till 16th June, 2024.
A generation of Ghana’s Black Satellites won the 2021 WAFU Zone B Championship, and the U20 AFCON thus qualifying for the U20 World Cup. That World Cup tournament was cancelled by FIFA due to Covid-19. The next generation of Black Satellites won the gold medal at the 2023 Africa Games.
Whilst the nation continues to bask in the glorious feats of the Black Satellites, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in its pursuit of consistent high levels of performance by the national teams, commissioned Coaches Desmond Ofei, Nii Odartey Lamptey, Salifu Fatawu and Isaac Amoako to scout for more talents that would augment the current crop of Under 20 players.
The ongoing scouting activity has been necessitated by the fact that a number of the current squad are ready for promotion to the Black Meteors (National U23). In addition to this, the Technical team are looking to further strengthen the squad and deepen the pool of available talent.
The scouting team shall observe several matches in the Division One and Premier Leagues with the net being cast all over the country.
Additionally, three Mini-Tournaments involving selected players shall be organised in three zones, as follows:
Northern Zone: Upper East, Upper West, Northern, North East Middle Zone: Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Ashanti, Savanna, Oti Southern Zone: Greater Accra, Western, Western North, Central, Eastern, Volta.
By the end of this phase of scouting for the national Under 20 team, a number of top talents would have been selected for further assessment ahead of putting together Ghana’s next generation of Black Satellites.
With this approach, underpinned by identification of talents best suited to Ghana’s football philosophy (DNA), the needed foundation for continuing success would have been laid.
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Manhyia would serve as Ghana’s unifying force …Otumfuo assures on commemoration of 27 years on the Golden Stool
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, last Friday celebrated his 27th enstoolment with a colourful and culture-rich ceremony at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, drawing a distinguished gathering of dignitaries from across Ghana and beyond.
Clad in splendid kente and adorned in rich traditional regalia, the dignitaries added colour and elegance to the occasion, as the palace grounds came alive with a vibrant display of Ghanaian culture.
Traditional drumming, dancing and symbolic rites underscored the deep-rooted heritage of the Ashanti Kingdom, captivating guests and reaffirming the value of tradition in modern society.
Speaking at a high-level Executive Gala organised by the Diaspora Affairs Office of the Office of the President in strategic partnership with the E ON 3 Group, the ‘World-Meets-in-Ghana’ gala, the Asantehene urged Ghanaians to guard against the divisive tendencies of partisan politics.
The event was to honour the Asantehene’s nearly three-decade reign under the theme ‘Advancing Peace and Sustainable Economic Development through Royal Vision’.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted that such attitudes threatened the country’s long-standing values of unity, civility and brotherliness.
He assured that Manhyia would continue to serve as a unifying force for the nation.
The celebration also featured the presentation of commemorative gold coins to notable national leaders, including the President, John Dramani Mahama, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as well as Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a former Vice President in recognition of their contributions to peace and national development.
By Spectator Reporter
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Energy Minister announces full restoration of power generation units after major grid disruption
Energy Minister, John Jinapor has announced that all power generation units affected by the recent national grid disruption have been fully restored and are back in service.
According to the Minister on social media, engineers, technicians and emergency response teams worked continuously to restore electricity supply and stabilise the national grid after the incident caused major challenges within the power sector.
In a statement, the Minister praised the efforts of personnel from the Ghana Grid Company Limited, Volta River Authority and Electricity Company of Ghana for their commitment and coordination during the emergency.
“Mission accomplished. All generation units are now back in service,” the Minister stated.
He explained that despite the scale of the disruption, technical teams worked around the clock to restore power and secure stability within the system.
“Through their tireless work, discipline, and commitment to country, power has been restored and system stability secured,” he said.
The Minister further expressed appreciation to the leadership and staff of GRIDCo, VRA, ECG and other supporting agencies for their collective response to the crisis.
According to him, the successful restoration of the system demonstrates the resilience and capability of Ghanaian professionals in times of national difficulty.
“This moment shows that even under pressure, Ghana can rely on the strength and skill of its people,” he added.
The Minister offered prayers for the country’s energy sector and the engineers who led the restoration efforts.
“May God bless our engineers, our energy sector, and our nation,” he stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
