News
Football on the altar of morality
Sudan coach, Kwesi Appiah’s status after Tuesday’s second leg AFCON 2025 qualifier against the Black Stars of Ghana, his native country, would be of paramount interest to football fans across the country as well as officialdom.
His association with the Sudanese football where he serves as the national team coach and Ghana as an Executive Council member has raised conflict of interest issues in recent times.
That situation appears to have overshadowed the preparation and buildup for the match Ghana needs a win badly to stay in contention for a slot for next year’s continental football fiesta in Morocco.
It is not as if these concerns are new. It is not! In fact, they were expressed from the moment the news about Sudan’s interest in him broke out.
From the time negotiation started till when it fully materialised and signatures appended to a deal that allows Appiah to ‘eat with both hands’, nothing was done about it.
Even if something was done, it must have surely been under some closed-door environment.
Perhaps, the silence of the FA may have been grounded in the belief that Ghana would avoid Sudan in the qualifiers or had expected football’s integrity rules to deal with the matter.
Others have argued and taken on Appiah on grounds of morality.
The Sudan avoidance school of thought may be fair because Appiah had work peacefully and succeeded in building a winsome Sudan team that lead Ghana’s group in the qualifiers.
Randy Abbey’s concern was therefore legitimate, although it raised a few eyebrows with the timing.
Going forward, Appiah graciously announced a decision to step down from his position as a member of the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), following a directive from CAF, but TEMPORARILY.
“This situation is contrary to the CAF Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics.
“For that reason and to preserve the integrity of the AFCON qualifiers, I urge you to take immediate action to resolve this conflict of interest, including at the minimum, temporarily stepping down from one of the two roles until the conclusion of the competition,” a CAF statement read.
That appears to have solved a part of the puzzle as both teams prepare for the second leg of the double-header on Tuesday.
However, the wording of the CAF letter leaves the door open for a return to the subject because Appiah could return to take back his position on the FA Executive Council.
It may still not sound right for one person to perform dual roles which can conflict in many other ways and not necessarily in clashes involving the two parties.
It appears the myriad rules established to check the administration of the game have no consideration for this particular situation, leaving it on the person in the centre of the storm to be judged on grounds of morality.
Well, since the qualifiers will conclude just next month, one needs to be patient and wait to see the next line of action to be taken by the Ghana FA and Appiah.
But if you ask me, I will suggest a much clearer way in dealing with such situations. The rules must even not let it happen for people to be subjected to moral torture, a test majority of the people will fail.
By Andrew Nortey
News
Government to spend GH¢13.9 billion on infrastructure in 2025 – Deputy Finance Minister
Government will commit GH¢13.9 billion in 2025 to priority infrastructure projects under its “Big Push” initiative, with the amount projected to rise to GH¢21.2 billion by 2028, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko has announced.
According to him, the funds will be drawn mainly from petroleum revenues under the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) and mineral royalties.
He indicated that the projects will focus on roads, transport, energy, power generation, digital infrastructure, and urban and rural development.
Mr. Ampem described the “Big Push” as an economic reset powered by a US$10 billion programme, stressing that the country’s infrastructure needs remain urgent.
He explained that Ghana requires US$37 billion every year for the next 30 years to meet development goals across sectors. Maintaining existing infrastructure alone, he added, will cost an extra US$8 billion annually.
The Deputy Minister drew attention to Ghana’s score of 47 out of 100 on the Global Infrastructure Hub index, which is below the average for lower-middle-income countries.
He argued that this was a sign of chronic underinvestment in critical sectors.
“Our cities need better transport. Our industries require dependable energy. Our farmers need modern irrigation. And our youth demand digital highways for the future,” he emphasized.
Mr. Ampem highlighted the limits of government spending, pointing out that the public purse cannot meet the demands alone. He stressed that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are therefore indispensable.
He revealed that the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) will set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to attract private capital, blended finance, and international development funding.
The Deputy Minister urged both local and international investors to explore opportunities in transport, energy, digital infrastructure, and urban development, describing them as “vast and transformative.”
He assured that the framework is in place, the vision is clear, and the government’s commitment under President Mahama’s leadership remains firm.
Mr. Ampem called for strong collaboration between government and the private sector, noting that sustainable infrastructure transformation will require a united effort.
The announcement was made at the KPMG Infrastructure Roadshow in Accra, held under the theme “Unlocking Ghana’s Public-Private Partnership Potential: Bridging Reform and Results”.
The event brought together policymakers, investors, engineers, and business leaders to explore strategies for accelerating infrastructure development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Ghana Tourism Marketplace is good initiative – Alisa Asamoah
The immediate past President of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA), Chief Executive of Riali Consult, Mrs. Alisa Osei Asamoah, has lauded the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC) for its efforts to improve the viability of the sector through the Ghana Tourism Marketplace (GTM).
The GTM is an innovative platform that aggregates all tourism and hospitality vendors in Ghana, providing a unified platform for the distribution of their products and services.
The GTM is a shared economy model to benefit all stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem.
Speaking to the media after a stakeholder deliberation on GTM, Mrs.Asamoah said, this is what they are looking for. According to her, it is a good initiative by the GTDC.
“This is what we are all looking for. When you go to South Africa, and other countries, they have initiated the same thing,” he said.
She said this would positively impact the industry because that is where the private sector would exhibit their products, adding that it is going to be competitive.
Mrs.Asamoah concluded that this would increase trust between them and their clients, and from the presentation, the project would be very sustainable.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
