Hot!
Hearts, Kotoko go on revenge mission
Defending champions Hearts Of Oak will be hunting for a win when they welcome Medeama SC to the Accra Sports Stadium today to honour their match day 23 fixture of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
The Phobians picked a vital point in mid-week against Berekum Chelsea in a 1-1 draw, a result which leaves their title hopes in ‘limbo’ but could also fancy their chances and stage revenge, having lost 1-0 to Medeama in the first leg.
On Suday, League leaders Asante Kotoko will face rivals King Faisal in the Kumasi derby at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The Porcupine Warriors were shocked to the marrow with their first 3-2 defeat in the first round.
Gaffer Nurudeen Amadu and his charges are poised to record a double over Kotoko but a more determined and resilient Kotoko can outshine King Faisal.
Relegation-threatened Gold Stars will host Dreams at the Dun’s Park tomorrow. The debutants have been one of the inconsistent side and will hope to improve on their output.
Spirited Legon Cities will lock horns with Ashantigold at the El-Wak Sports on Sunday. Both sides have been in recent fine form and will be eager to continue.
Poor performing West African Soccer Academy (WAFA) will welcome Aduana Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park tomorrow.
WAFA have managed just a win in their last seven games and a victory could secure them a good spot on the table.
It will be a battle for survival at the Ohene Ameyaw Park when Eleven Wonders take on new boys Accra Lions at the Techiman on Sunday.
At the Aiyinase CAM Park, Karela United will tussle it out with struggling Elmina Sharks.
On Monday, Great Olympics will travel to face Bechem United at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park, whilst struggling Real Tamale United (RTU) square off with Berekum Chelsea to climax the round of games.
BY LINUS SIAW NARTEY
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
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
More more more
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
