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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.
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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