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A man and his legacy! Ambassador Ray Quarcoo
A man and his legacy! Talk of braveness, boldness, loyalty and ingenuity; these are the words that best describe Hon. Ray Quarcoo. He is a man who needs no introduction when it comes to Ghanaian sports and has effectively invested his time, energy and resources into the promotion and development of sports in the country, from boxing to football at all levels.
My first encounter with the man who has masterminded the success of several Ghanaian boxers was in the year 2014 when Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport Africa, announced its partnership with Box Office Sports Promotions to broadcast live the then much-anticipated boxing bout between Brimah Kamoko (Bukom Banku) and Ayitey Powers.
I served as a member of the Organizing and Promotions team for what was dubbed the Biggest bout of the time and Ambassador Ray Quarcoo was one of the key stakeholders and connoisseurs of the game of boxing that we had listed for an exclusive interview on the phases of boxing in the country and how the bout was going to project Ghanaian boxing as a buildup to the coverage of the fight.
We were warmly received at his residence, which is not very far from his Bridge Boxing Gym, a multipurpose boxing facility. I remember Ambassador Quarcoo indicating the need to restore the past glory of Ghanaian boxing and the lost fortunes of amateur boxing being the primary reason for setting up his Bridge Foundation Boxing Club and also adding to the government’s effort at developing the sports across the country.
It was a great recording with him. He detailed the state of boxing in the country at the time with clear facts and figures and also walked us through his involvement in the game and his reign as the head of Ghana Boxing which witnessed a lot of changes as he started to build systems and structure for the sport. Sponsorships, capacity building for players within the sports and building amateur boxing were his top priorities.
Renowned for his exploits in the areas of sports sponsorship and development, Ray Quarcoo, was appointed Goodwill Sports Ambassador by President John Evans Atta Mills. The appointment which was made on Tuesday, 1st June 2011 was communicated by Hon. Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs. A patron of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), he remains one of the few personalities who have contributed immensely to sports development in the country.
The appointment of Ambassador Quarcoo as Goodwill Sports Ambassador was in full acknowledgement and recognition of the significant role he has played and continues to play in developing sports in the country. The President charged him to use the good office of his new appointment to mobilize both national and international goodwill, solidarity and support to further enhance requisite infrastructure and capacity for the advancement of sports in the country.
Some of the nation’s great boxers, who directly benefited from his counsel and assistance in their respective success stories, include Ike Quartey, Alred Kotey, the Clottey brothers (Joshua and Emmanuel) and many others. In 1984, he supported the Ghana Olympic committee with $5,000 towards the Los Angeles Olympic Games; and solely sponsored the Black Bombers to participate in a Pre-Olympic International Tournament in the USA; funded other training programmes for the team in Denmark, Norway and Lagos, Nigeria before finally enplaning to the Los Angeles Games at his own expense.
In 1994, he received a Certificate of Honour for sports promotion and development from the International Olympic Committee and subsequently, was honoured by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) for his immense contribution towards Ghana’s participation in the Barcelona Olympics.
He has held various positions in the administration of sports in the country. From 1991 to 1993, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Welfare Committee of the National Senior Soccer Team, Black Stars and a member of the National Sports Council within the same period. In 2001, he was the First Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA); and from 2009 – 2013, was the President of the Ghana Boxing Federation.
Since his appointment, in fulfilment of his mandate, the Goodwill Sports Ambassador has been working closely with both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority, to seek sponsorship for the national sports teams; training of coaches, officials and athletes; and procurement of equipment,
He has also arranged exchange and joint training programmes with friendly countries in Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa; as well as scholarships for young brilliant athletes to study abroad and more importantly, help build strong cultural and strategic bilateral sports relations between Ghana and other countries in the area of sports.
He is a trained Electronics Technician; with over 47 years of working experience, Ambassador Ray Quarcoo is the Honorary Consul General of Haiti to Ghana with Exequatur since 2013. He is expected to facilitate multiple and deep engagements with political bodies, commercial organizations, Haiti nationals in Ghana and also undertake political, commercial and cultural activities for Haiti.
He worked with Grundig; as well as served as Director of International Projects and West African Sole Representative of FlexPlan International, a Danish Hospital Engineering Company in Nigeria. He returned to Ghana from Nigeria and set up Planet Electronics Company Limited, dealing in Motorola Communication Systems; and also specialized in assembling radio and television in partnership with Hitachi, a reputable Japanese television manufacturing company.
He also served as Ambassador at Large (Special Envoy) to the Former Head of State of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Valentine Strasser from 1992 and in 1996. Upon his return to Ghana, he set up TransContinental Financial Services Limited (TCF) in partnership with Travelex of the United Kingdom.
By Chris Koney (chriskoney@gmail.com)
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Health has assured the public that Ghana has not recorded any suspected or confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease despite recent outbreaks reported in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In a public alert issued on May 18, the Ministry disclosed that confirmed and suspected Ebola cases had recently been recorded in the two African countries, according to updates from the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC.
The Ministry noted that it is working closely with international health partners to strengthen Ghana’s preparedness and response systems across the country.
According to the statement, authorities have activated several precautionary measures, including enhanced surveillance and screening at airports, seaports and land borders.
It added that health officials are also increasing monitoring of travellers arriving from affected countries while health workers are being trained and equipped to identify, isolate and manage suspected cases safely.
The Ministry further disclosed that public health emergency coordination systems and rapid response teams have been activated to respond quickly if necessary.
It indicated that public education and community awareness campaigns have been intensified to keep citizens informed about the disease and preventive measures.
The Ministry explained that Ebola Virus Disease is a severe viral illness spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated materials and surfaces.
It stated that symptoms may include fever, weakness, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, bleeding.
The public has therefore been advised to wash their hands regularly with soap under running water or use alcohol based hand sanitizers.
The Ministry urged Ghanaians to avoid direct contact with bodily fluids of sick persons and to avoid handling dead bodies without proper protection.
Additionally, it cautioned against handling or eating sick or dead wild animals and advised the public to ensure that all meat is properly handled and thoroughly cooked before consumption.
The statement encouraged persons experiencing suspected symptoms to report immediately to the nearest health facility.
The Ministry appealed to the public to avoid spreading misinformation and rely only on official updates from the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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