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Ejisu are 2023 MTN Ashantifest Soccer festival champions
• An action scene from the third place match between Dichemso and Kwadaso
The 2023 MTN Ashantifest Soccer tournament lived up to its festival billing with a mouthwatering final that saw Ejisu triumph over Santasi to climax the over a month-long competition.
Ejisu were crowned the champions after emerging 4-3 victors over Santasi on penalty shoot-outs after a grueling 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Aimed at unearthing budding stars in the participating communities in the Ashanti region, the championship sponsored by MTN Ghana was watched by a huge crowd that included traditional rulers, MTN officials, dignitaries as well as coaches and retired players.
Perhaps, the sight of seasoned coaches like Samuel Boadu, Paa Kwesi Fabin, Akwesi Appiah, Kweku Frimpong and Abdul Razak ‘Golden Boy’ provided a fillip for players that wanted to revive their respective careers as they put up an impressive display to thrill the guests.
Enock Morrison gave Santasi a 55th minute lead at the Otumfuo Park at Dichenso in Kumasi with a freekick.
But Ejisu drew parity in the 70th minute as Raruf Abubakar fired home what the fans expected.
They stretched their superiority to the shoot-outs where they converted four against the three scored by Santasi to emerge winners to take home the giant trophy, a cash prize of GHȻ20,000 and other souvenirs at stake.
Kwadaso recorded a 3-1 victory over Dichemso in a thrilling third place match that saw Samuel Sarpong score a brace and a goal from George Agyemang.
Ransford Bonsu scored the consolation goal for Dichemso.
By Spectator Sports Reporter
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
