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Essien shows the way
The news of former Ghana international Michael Essien joining Danish side Nordsjaelland as a player-coach for the 2020-21 season must be an eye opener for other footballers who are at the twilight of their careers.
It is a popular move for players the world over that wants to pursue managerial careers when they finally hang their boots.
Top players like Frank Lampard and John Terry who featured alongside Essien, Vincent Kompany, formerly of Manchester City, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, Luis Enrique currently in charge of the Spanish national team, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal are some examples of the new breed of coaches that followed in this path.
It makes their progression smooth and less cumbersome as they hope to find clubs in the top flight.
In Ghana, it has not been a common sight seeing players chase such opportunities when it’s clear they are nearing the end of their careers.
Thankfully, the very few that are chatting this path are showing signs of becoming bedrock of the coaching community in Ghana.
Kwesi Appiah, Ibrahim Tanko and lately C.K Akonnor have proven that when our coaches go through the process successfully, it will be very difficult for officials to ignore them.
Laryea Kingston is also doing a wonderful work with the Right to Dream Academy which is churning out a number of talented youth.
At the age of 37, Essien is aware of his dwindling energy levels and will surely play a bit pat role as a player and assist the Head Coach Flemming Pedersen for the new season.
Undergoing this successfully will aid his quest for a full coaching badge.
According to reports, Essien will join the staff in an assistant role and participate in training sessions alongside the players to help implement the drills and ideas and conduct video analysis and ‘group evaluations.
“I am delighted to have joined FC Nordsjaelland coaching staff as part of my development towards my full coaching licence. I will also be assisting the players on and off the pitch as part of my role,” Essien said on social media.
It, however, becomes heart-breaking to see a number of other players hover around after a sterling career doing virtually nothing and have chose to ignore such opportunities.
Unfortunately, with the efforts put in place by federations to provide a path for players to venture into coaching after their careers, a lot more are seen walking around and doing virtually nothing, preferring to boast about their exploits in the past and blame the nation for not helping them after they retired.
Meanwhile others like Essien, Akonnor etc have shown that with a little effort, they stand a chance of becoming coaches.
This is surely an example a lot of the retired footballers out there would have to emulate.
Undoubtedly, the implementation of the Club Licensing exposed a weakness in Ghana’s coaching structure as it rendered a number of our coaches unqualified to handle Premier League teams.
One of the ways by which that problem can be addressed is the certification of coaches through the right channel which even favours those in active service.
With the Belgium FA, players, especially those in the national teams are usually required to start planning for their coaching badges; so they collaborate with their respective clubs find ways to get them enrolled on such schemes.
That was why Vincent Kompany got his badge a year after retiring and a player like Kevin De Bruyne is set to complete his course although he is still active.
Of course, every player may not end up being a coach but for those that harbour that dream, they should consider this path Essien has charted and follow.
Essien reached the very top of his career by winning trophies with both Lyon and Chelsea.
He caught the attention of Chelsea, who signed the midfielder for £24.4million, – a club record for the Blues by then.
By Andrew Nortey
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
