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Don’t force them to play!
Qualification games to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar roared off barely two years ago – with many wondering whether Ghana could snatch one of the continent’s five tickets to its fourth Mundial.
The nation carved a historic World Cup debut in Germany (2006) – continuing the romance in South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014), but failed to navigate their path to Russia (2018).
The Russia embarrassing fiasco jogged on the ‘nagging heels’ of disgraceful events of the Brazil World Cup that saw a heart-rending player rebellion – totally consumed by love for cash, robbing the team of a potentially eye-catching campaign. A calamitous first round exit was the upshot!
Indeed, Ghanaians were not the least surprised at all about the Russia qualification disaster; it was all-too predictable – albeit the players gave it a thoroughly decent fight.
But that is history now. No one wants to remember it.
What many Ghanaians are probably still celebrating now is the Black Stars triumphant entry into Qatar – upstaging no less an opposition than Nigeria’s Super Eagles. The sweetness in that momentous victory was that the Stars snatched qualification from the wild jaws of Abuja – (away goal rule) – not in Kumasi where the playoff game ended barren.
Victory did not only ensure passage to a fourth World Cup but raised strong concerns about building a formidably winsome Black Stars squad capable of making remarkable impression in the minds of fans.
Though many agree that at least the nucleus of the new-look squad that edged the Super Eagles must be in Qatar, it is the general view that the team must be augmented for the fierce challenges ahead.
However, there seems to be some alarm bells of anxiety and desperation as there have been calls for players like striker Inaki Williams (Atletico Bilbao), Chelsea midfielder Hudson Odoi and Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu among others, to join the squad.
Sadly, some of the players being bandied around are clearly not desirous about donning the national colours now – and one wonders why we are still at their heels.
As a matter of principle, we must make it a point not to compel anybody to play for the national team – no matter how big and grandeur the player is.
In any case, to qualify to feature for the Black Stars, a player must demonstrate a patriotic zeal; must have a huge desire to don the red-gold-green-and-star shirt. It is such a huge shirt, and nobody must be pampered to wear it.
Ahead of the nervy qualifier against Nigeria, some of the players indicated their availability only when Ghana qualifies. Such players must not have a space in the team.
From experience, once so-called marquee players are forced or kowtowed to play, they tend to hold their own country to ransom. No way!
It is always better to go into a competition with 11 average dedicated and whole-heartedly committed players on the field than carry a bus-full load of embarrassingly rich array of stars!
Mind you, you cannot buy commitment. You cannot buy valour. You cannot buy dedication. But you can buy big stars with money!
PlainTalk with John Vigah
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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
