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Paraphernalia traders counting losses after Black Stars early exit
● Mrs. Gifty Ahiador Agblo was one of the sellers of
national colurs paraphernalia during the world cup
Business people always look out for opportunities to invest their monies to gain and the qualification of the Black Stars to the world cup tournament hosted by Qatar was not an exception.
Many citizens and fans the world over also like to get something in national colours to wear or carry along to cheer them.
These could be shirts, scarfs, mufflers, flags, caps, hats among others in red, gold, green and black representing the Ghana Flag.
Unfortunately, some traders in Tema who invested in the sale of paraphernalia in national colours to cash in on the World Cup tournament seem to have “gambled” at a loss.
They are currently contemplating what to do with the rest of the items after Ghana’s early exit from the world game.
For such traders, the Black Stars failure to qualify had hit them harder than expected because they were hopeful the team would progress to the next stage to enable them to make some profit.
One of such is Kojo Bruce who sold things at the various Traffic Lights intersections to passengers and drivers .
He said after Ghana lost to Portugal in the first match, the sale went down significantly, but the Black Stars trashing Korea 3-2 there was rise in sales until our unfortunate loss to Uruguay.
“ My wife advised me to rather invest in Christmas decorations and items because there was no guarantee that Black Stars would qualify even at the group stages but I didn’t listen but now look”.
Mr. Bruce said he could only hope that people would still buy them to use as souvenirs even if it was at a reduced price.
A 64-year-old Mrs. Gifty Ahiador Agblo said before the tournament she sold second hand furniture but had bought flags and caps to be sold at the Adjei Kojo Underbridge Market during the period.
She admitted that after the first match with Portugal which Ghana lost, patronage naturally slowed down.
However, she said after the second match it became encouraging so she was hopeful that the Black Stars would do better which unfortunately did not happen.
She sold a flag at Ghc10 which drivers hung on their vehicles and the caps between Ghc20 and Ghc25 each.
Mrs. Agblo said there was the need for everyone to have something which was Ghanaian whether the country was playing in a tournament or not and people should take advantage of the period.
She said regardless of the situation, as a Ghanaian, she would forever be a strong supporter of the Black Stars.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
