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The Brentford example …GFA, NSA must emulate
“You can only become a good artist by copying the masters,” Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a French neoclassical painter, once said many years ago.
Impliedly, copying, for the right reasons is not a crime especially when the motive or focus is to improve something – it may be a product or an event.
As humans or institutions, copying usually happens to attain some level of conformity or influence. 
Perhaps, the Ghana Premier League non-conformity with some of the best leagues across the world was the reason why a development ahead of last Sunday’s match day one English Premier League (EPL) fixture between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspurs drew my attention to a few things often taken for granted.
The aforementioned game was scheduled to start at exactly 2pm so when the kickoff was delayed, it raised eyebrows among followers of the EPL. It emerged that the match was delayed due to sanitation issues inside the venue.
The actual problem was that water was not sinking into the ground and that affect everyone at the Gtech Community Stadium. The toilets and kitchens were the immediate cause of concern as there was no flow of water from the taps at the venue, prompting fears that the match could not get underway.
Interestingly, water flowing to the toilets – something often disregarded at our match venues including the major stadia across the country – was a major concern for the EPL. It was so significant that it warranted a halt to the match day activities, including delaying kick-off until the problem was fixed.
As a matter of urgency, the problem was eventually resolved less than 10 minutes into the match as normal service resumed, and water sank into the ground.
The development was one I’ll urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the organisers of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) to copy and implement in the coming season.
Fact is, the state of washrooms at the various stadia, especially the Accra Sports Stadium is nothing to write home about. As the closest venue, it feels comfortable restricting this piece to the Accra facility although interaction with staff at the other major venues and colleagues based in the regions have confirmed the situation is the same.
On match days, a lot of fans can be seen perching at ‘corners’ and other hideouts to urinate because that is the only way to avoid the foul odour that emanates from the urinals which are unclean as a result of the lack of running water.
And with taps not flowing most of the time, fans are compelled to resort to the use of sachet water for different purposes, leaving the stadium in a mess after the games.
But if the English considers the issue of sanitation as a priority, it must equally be so to the organisers of the GPL and the NSA, managers of the stadium.
What is not clear is which party – be it the GFA, NSA or the home club, is responsible to ensuring that there is free flow of water and the provision of other needs of fans since most of the clubs do not own the stadia.
For instance, with electricity supply to the Accra Sports Stadium disconnected for over two weeks now, whose responsibility is it to provide power if there was a Premier League game to power floodlights, Public Address (PA) system and other equipment?
Maybe, in copying this brilliant example of the EPL, the GFA, NSA and clubs using some of these facilities with facilities in a sorry state must begin to dialogue over roles to play to ensure that GPL matches were played under very healthy and hygienic conditions.
We must not wait for a COVID-19 era to run helter-skelter preaching about sanitation and enforcing sanitation rules.
With or without a pandemic, the GFA, NSA and perhaps, the clubs must find a way to provide a healthy surrounding for the fans to watch their games. The English example is worth copying.
By Andrew Nortey
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
