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Stop the sloganeering! …four-time champions, and so what?
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Blue-blistering barnacles! (apologies to Captain Haddock in the Adventures of Tintin).
So, it came to pass rather devastatingly that the Black Stars of Ghana crumbled like a pack of cards at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
A lame loss to Morocco, disappointing draw to Gabon and an outrageous defeat at the hands of debutants Comoro Islands were enough to see Ghana crash at the group stage. The world stood in disbelief as the Stars only managed a single point from a possible nine.
The BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, Sky Sports, Supersport – name them, all had a field day with reports of Ghana’s unimaginable slump to the nation of 869,595 people (according to the 2020 World Bank population), with some of the ‘poetic-imageries’ making fun of the Black Stars.
Some African football experts like Mark Gleeson were startled, wondering whether they were really seeing the early departure of Ghana. It was a crazy moment, but that symbolizes the current standard of the nation’s football.
And, of course by now, we must be honest to ourselves and announce to the entire world that we are no longer one of the giants of African football.
Indeed, our football has sunk almost into the abyss and we can only resurrect from that unenviable tag once we recognize that we are no longer one of the best at the moment.
The sloganeering, the mantra and the shibboleth of four-time African champions that we often scream at the least opportunity, must stop henceforth. It means nothing now to anybody, especially majority of the youth who have never seen the Stars lift any trophy.
Is it not shameful and distressing that when Ghana won its fourth Nations Cup in 1982, Cameroon had not even set eyes on the coronet for once? Today, the Cameroonians have clinched it five times and has a team that is demonstrating an extremely promising future to the world.
In the same vein, the Pharaohs of Egypt had lifted the trophy just twice at the time Ghana won it for keeps in 1982. Interestingly, the Pharaohs have gone ahead to annex it a staggering five more times. Today, we are not only known as the sleeping giants of African football, but we have slipped into a nadir of shame and ignominy due to the disturbing level of mediocrity of our players.
Now, the Stars are rapidly gaining notoriety of qualifying for tournaments they cannot hope to win. And, this is the major reason why you no longer see flags flying when they play. This is not a matter of lack of nationalism, patriotism or loyalty. The let-downs are a bit too many to rekindle any love story.
Indeed, let us not be pretentious about that. If a team you support wholeheartedly makes it a routine occurrence to let you down when the expectation is all-too high, your support will naturally wane one day. That is the situation now.
The writings had always been on the wall even before our penultimate tournament where we crashed out at the last-16 stage three years ago in Egypt. The Sword of Damocles had always been hanging around the neck of our football all these while; but like ostriches, we plunged out heads in the sand. We blatantly refused to see when it was even visible to the blind.
Today, the beloved Stars have become a subject of revulsion and rejection. They are no longer appreciated. They are eulogized no more. Their mere sight even put people off! In short, they are not loved but loathed.
Truth is that until they lift up their game and start performing again, it would be difficult to get the love back. Maybe, that revival must start with getting the result over Nigeria in the impending World Cup play-off against Nigeria, this March.
Anything short of that would rather aggravate the situation!
By John Vigah
African leaders have been urged to strengthen political commitment and domestic investment to end preventable maternal deaths and AIDS by 2030.
The call comes as African health ministers and policymakers meet in Accra to deliberate on health financing, health security and universal health coverage across the continent.
Mr Edouard Bizimana, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the African Union’s (AU) 25th Extraordinary Summit on Health in Accra.
He said Africa needed increased domestic investment to build resilient health systems as it continued to grapple with infectious diseases and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Mr Bizimana, who is also Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, said although Africa accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the world’s population, it bore 24 per cent of the global disease burden while having less than three per cent of the global health workforce and only one per cent of global health expenditure.
“Despite maternal mortality declining by nearly 40 per cent since 2000, Africa still accounts for about 70 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while almost two-thirds of people living with HIV reside on the continent,” he said.
Mr Bizimana said the growing burden of NCDs was placing additional pressure on already stretched health systems.
“These figures are not merely statistics. They represent painful human realities, preventable losses and unacceptable inequalities, they remind us that health is not an expense it is a strategic investment and a prerequisite for our sovereignty and development. “he said.
Mr Bizimana said recent global health emergencies had exposed Africa’s vulnerability and underscored the need to expand local production of medicines and vaccines, strengthen the health workforce and improve emergency preparedness.
“Our citizens expect resilient health systems where every mother can give birth safely, every child has access to essential healthcare and every African enjoys quality health services regardless of where they live,” he said.
The two-day summit, being held ahead of the 20th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, has brought together health ministers, policymakers and health stakeholders to identify solutions to Africa’s health financing and security challenges.
Madam Florence Samizi, Tanzania’s Deputy Health Minister, called for stronger collaboration among AU Member States to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The summit is being held on the theme: “Advancing Justice, Equality and Universal Health Coverage: Ending AIDS, Tuberculosis, Improving Maternal Health, Addressing Endemic Non-Communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa.”
The meeting is expected to adopt the Accra Declaration, a roadmap to strengthen Africa’s health systems and advance health sovereignty by 2030. -GNA
Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Political Science, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato says the imprisonment of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have little meaning unless it leads to a broader crackdown on illegal mining.
In a post on his Facebook page on the July 21, 2026, Dr. Zaato said the judgment should mark the beginning of efforts to completely eradicate galamsey and hold all those involved accountable, regardless of their political affiliation.
He said the country must work towards restoring polluted rivers, protecting forests and ensuring that people implicated in illegal mining activities are prosecuted.
According to him, those the President has publicly acknowledged to be involved in galamsey should face prosecution.
He called for the prosecution of district chief executives (DCEs), members of Parliament (MPs) and senior political party officials who have been accused of engaging in or supporting illegal mining.
Dr. Zaato further urged the government to take decisive action to end the destruction of the country’s forests caused by galamsey.
He maintained that the imprisonment of Chairman Wontumi would only have a lasting impact if it results in a comprehensive and impartial fight against illegal mining across the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
