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Hearts, Kotoko clash over bragging rights
Kumasi Asante Kotoko will be hoping to exact revenge on arch-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak when the two sides renew their edgy confrontations tomorrow at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana football’s ‘Super Clash’, as they honour an outstanding matchday seven fixture of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
Last season’s title-defining clash on matchday 31 ended with a sublime Daniel Afriyie Barnieh lone-goal eventually handing the league trophy to the Phobians, ending their 12-year chase for the most coveted prize on the domestic football scene.
At the opposite side, it turned out to be an ego-crushing loss for the ‘Porcupine Warriors’ who never got their acts together as their season crumbled afterwards settling for second position on the league log.
This feat etched Hearts coach, Samuel Boadi as a cult figure and a gaffer marked for great exploits at the club as he added the Football Association (FA) Cup to Hearts’ collection last season.
Fast forward to the end of a new season and the tables have turned drastically; Kotoko are flourishing under new trainer, Dr Prosper Nartey Ogum. They lead the chasing pack at the end of the first round with 36 points, six points adrift closest contenders Bechem United who have amassed 30 points.
Meanwhile, Hearts are languishing at eighth position on the log with 24 points and their chances of defending their status quo as champions slipping away as the weeks roll-on.
Coach Boadu now feels the tide turning against him, the love dissipating, especially when his side cracked against Regional foes, Great Olympics recently, in their derby clash, submiting to a 1-0 loss to the ‘Wonder Club’ thus suffering their first home loss of the season and a winless run against Olympics in three outings.
Against this backdrop, coach Boadu is cognisant that a win, no matter its shape or form in this epic clash, will buy him some goodwill and maybe the required trigger needed to transform his side’s season fortunes.
But to achieve this, he needs his best guys to show up. Cringing at the absence of nimble-footed winger Ibrahim Sulley, he has captain Fatawu Mohammed, forward Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, creative force Awako Gladson, striker Kofi Kordzi, Salim Adams, Kojo Obeng Jnr, Isaac Mensah and Black Stars goalie, Richard Attah to count on to deliver a five-star performance whilst veteran Sulley Muntari is expected to provide the necessary inspiration needed for such a high-stake encounter.
Just like Boadu, much would be in play for Kotoko gaffer, Dr Ogum, who would be eager to deepen his affection among the Kotoko faithful –
wary that a win against Hearts would be a masterstroke in attaining that.
It would also be to prove that his side’s 3-2 defeat to King Faisal in the regional derby earlier in the season at the Baba Yara was just a mild setback and that he was up to the task of delivering the needed results against the ‘big boys.’
Despite the absence of injured influencial players, playmaker Brazilian Fabio Gama, young prodigy Isaac Oppong and Ieft-back Ibrahim Imoro out due to suspension, the talent at Dr Ogum’s disposal is still shockingly hard to pick from.
From the league top scorer Franck Etouga and his Cameroonian campatriot George’s Mfegue who boast a combined 15 goals, to midfielders Richard Lamptey, Sheriff Mohammed, Mudasiru Salifu, Justice Blay, Richard Boadu, to the defensive unit of captain Ismail Ganiu and Yusif Mubarik, Coach Ogum has the ensemble of a star-studded cast that can deliver a top performance to make their revenge mission a reality.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
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.
