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Messi’s history-making World Cup campaign
• Messi – Can he lift the World Cup trophy tomorrow?
It would be quite the fairy-tale, would it not?
One of – if not the – greatest player to step out onto the world stage, bowing out of international football with the trophy of his career. The one every player dreams of, even a man who has won so much already.
And Lionel Messi’s performances in Qatar have been a testament to just how much he wants this – a key figure in Argentina’s run to the semi-final, stepping up to take the first penalty of the shootout against the Netherlands with immeasurable pressure on his shoulders, and wearing the weight of the captain’s armband with pride.
No one expected the South Americans to be subject to an opening group game defeat to Saudi Arabia, who came from behind to win 2-1 despite Lionel Messi’s penalty putting Argentina ahead.
They went into their second game against Mexico knowing that anything less than a win would almost certainly seal their exit from the competition before the last game of the group – and Messi, when his team needed him the most, stepped up. Involved in both goals in the 2-0 win (one goal, one assist) ensured they stayed on track heading into their final encounter with Poland.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, pulling the strings as always, saw his team book their place in the round-of-16 with a 2-0 win, setting up a clash with surprise package Australia. Scoring his third of the tournament, Messi bagged a fantastic goal 10 minutes before half-time to put them in cruise control going into the second half, eventually going on to win 2-1.
Louis van Gaal’s Dutchmen welcomed them into the last eight, but the game was anything but friendly between the two. Another two goal involvements from Messi (one goal, one assist) put Lionel Scaloni’s side in the driving seat but for some late drama. Their captain stepped up and slotted home their first penalty, before Argentina booked their place in the semi-finals – setting up a mouth-watering clash against Croatia.
The 35-year-old has already written his name in the history books in Qatar, overtaking the late Diego Maradona for games played for his country at a World Cup tournament. His assist in the Mexico win saw him become the first player to set up a goal at five separate men’s World Cup tournaments – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and now 2022.
When the forward led his charges in the semi-final game against Croatia on Tuesday, he would not only equal Lothar Matthaus’s record of 25 games, but scored (penalty) and uniquely assisted in one, in Argentina’s thumping 3-0 win to book a place to the final tomorrow where they face off with France who deflated the pride of Africa – Morocco, 2-0 in Wednesday’s second semi-final tie.
It is safe to say that Messi has been integral to their tournament thus far, demanding more of his team and himself. Having reached the final, he could be in line to win the Golden Ball as he did in 2014. But instead of picking it up on the back of a loss, he would love to collect it after he has lifted the World Cup trophy this time.
Question: Can he clear France out of the way and cement himself in the hearts of Argentinians forever?
The French are also eager to defend the title they snatched in Russia four years ago – and become the only country after Brazil (1958 and 1962) to do so.
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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