Hot!
Our locals deserve better!
Ghana head coach Otto Addo, the other day made stimulating assertions that may have cut refreshing vibrations through the hearts of home-based players.
He made a statement that suggested he did not really care whether a player was local or overseas-based; maintaining that his selection would be hinged on performance and nothing else.
Addo’s invitation of locals – Hearts’ top goal-poacher Afriyie Barnieh, Bechem United’s net-breaker Augustine Okrah (banged in 17 goals at the time of his invitation), ahead of Ghana Black Stars’ first two 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Angola, was seen by the public as indication of confidence in the ‘home contingent.’
The Stars demonstrated some stirring output at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium, a performance that crushed the Malagasy contingent 3-0 in an exhausting evening of good football.
Many Ghanaians celebrated the vintage win but had wished a local player had played a wee part in a victory that put the Stars at the summit.
However, that leading goal poachers – Banieh and Okrah were reportedly given defensive duties during their training with the national team, leaves much to be desired.
They say a good player should be versatile, ambidextrous and be able to play in all positions.
But certainly, you would not expect them to gleamer like the way they could have done in their regular attacking positions.
Of course, we agree players need to adjust and be able to grab and fight for any position thrown at them, but we also know that it is an Himalayan undertaking to unseat players in such departments.
If you really want to consummately appreciate the quality of players you have, let them play in their favourite positions – and assess them properly. Otherwise, it would appear as though you only want to set them up for failure and then have enough justification to gleefully flush them out!
Luckily, Hearts left-full back Dennis Korsah, was reported to have been given a late call-up for the team’s second group qualifier against Central African Republic.
That none of the league’s prolific scorers made the trip was a bit disappointing and all-too disconcerting, especially when the Coach had earlier gilded the lily of the guys, lauding them for their superb performance at training.
So what happened? Suddenly, the so-called fine-fettle form of the players evaporated into thin air?
The point is, if players (especially local ones) are constantly invited and not used, there is the tendency for them to feel sidelined and frustrated. And, If it becomes a regular feature, serious players who suspect they may not feature in matches, may not respond at all.
Nevertheless, it was also unfortunate on the part of Okrah to have turned down the invitation of Coach Addo for the team’s trip to Japan for a four-nation tournament that started on Friday (yesterday). Peeved and slighted as he may have felt, he should have pounced on the second offer. After all, how many times had he been called and dropped?
Who knows that was going to be a massive opportunity for him to explode off his talent to the world in the Japan tourney? It was delectable to see Barnieh saluting that second bite of the cherry and making the Asian trip.
Of course, this is not to suggest everybody should be made to just saunter into the Black Stars and grab a position on a silver platter. No, not all. We all appreciate how the team is being made competitive with players battling and jostling for positions. That is thrillingly positive.
But for goodness sake, what is Mubarak Wakasu doing in the team? That he came on late in the Stars’ victory against Madagascar was as disrespectful as shocking.
Wakasu will always be the number choice for every Ghanaian if he was in great shape or was playing regularly well for his team. Indeed, until the Stars’ game at the Cape Coast Stadium, he had not kicked a ball (played a game) for close to a year.
Though he was nursing an injury, Wakasu was also incredibly included in Ghana’s final squad to the Nations Cup in Cameroon early this year – and never kicked a ball.
In the brief moment he lasted in the Cape Coast game, we all saw a player in poor physique – limpidly showing he should not have been in the now-highly competitive team.
Could we not have brought on some of those fringe players instead of Wakasu?
Truth be spoken, Jonathan Mensah too is clearly at the twilight of his football, just like Wakasu. We saw how poorly he defended his line which resulted in Central Africa Republic’s equaliser during the Stars 1-1 draw game in their second Nation’s Cup qualifying tie played in Angola.
Remember, we are supposed to be building a formidably winsome Black Stars’ squad and cannot be taking things for granted.
A Ghanaian football fan made a disturbing statement on radio the other day that suggested that, no matter the game time you get overseas, “you are automatically better than the local player – and always the preferred choice for team selection.”
Certainly, we cannot turn our Black Stars into this white-bread expedition. If this is the situation now, then we must do our damndest and move away from this mediocrity.
PlainTalk With John Vigah
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.
