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To the aid of deaf football
Mustapha Ussif – Minister of Youth and Sports
Many years ago when I was handed an invitation as a young Sports Reporter to cover a kind of social gathering for a national deaf team, Black Wonders, it aroused my curiosity to try to know how people with disability play sports.
It was the first time I heard about such an ‘adventure’ having joined the Sports Desk from my days with the authoritative Evening News newspaper.
And my mentors in para sports, which was not structured like its present state and was more about football – Charles Arhin, Winfred Chartey Annan and a few others, realised my fascination about seeing deaf people play football to that level, told me a lot about them.
The more I listened to their story, the more enthusiastic I became; waiting for that Friday evening to meet the deaf football heroes that had won a competition within West Africa and were to be rewarded by the leadership of the team.
Quickly, I drew the attention of a Senior Photographer of the Sports Desk, Seth Osabukle (Nii Osa), who I covered most of my assignments with but it appeared he has met them before.
With his affirmation, it was declared a date with a deaf football family.
Finally when the day came, Nii Osa and I were some of the guests that arrived at the venue – a small hotel around Bubiashie, near North Kaneshie.
What we didn’t know was that the team had actually been camped at the hotel and were set to break camp after the gathering.
After a brief wait, they emerged from their rooms, looking very excited and feeling appreciated as that kind of organisation had only been seen with their able counterparts, the Black Stars.
From that small beginning, deaf sports has evolved, leading to the formation of two groups to regulate the sports activities of the deaf – Ghana Deaf Football Association (GDFA) which is solely responsible for deaf football and the Ghana Deaf Sports Federation (GDSF), responsible for the organisation of other deaf sports.
The success of deaf football may have played a role in the expansion of disability sports as Ghana now boast an incredible number of para sports disciplines.
Apart from deaf football, other disciplines including wheelchair tennis, amputee football, para athletics, Para-badminton, Para-cycling, Para-powerlifting, Para-shooting, Para-swimming, Para-sitting volleyball, Para wheelchair basketball among others, have all sprung up.
The rationale behind the organisation of these groups of people with different forms of disability was to get them out of the street and help them use sports to make a living.
With such a brilliant idea, one may expect that they would enjoy some kind of preference in sharing resources but sadly, the system has slightly been unfair to them as most of their events have been sponsored from individual pockets.
The recent struggle by managers of the deaf football team, Black Wonders, to garner resources to take part in what is termed the Deaf Football World Cup readily comes to mind.
With about a month to the championship slated for Malaysia on September 23 to October 27, the privileged Ghanaian deaf team was uncertain about their participation as a result of GH¢846,770 cash they needed for the entire team.
The amount, would take care of return air tickets, accommodation, feeding, allowances and other logistics and miscellaneous expenditure.
Recent checks with the team officials indicated that the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) intervened with the provision of 20 return tickets, meaning a reduction of the team size.
Sadly, the corporate sector which is also considered government’s major partner in sports development has been silent on the pathetic story of our deaf brothers savouring an opportunity to also be measured as some of the famous sports heroes to also cut a slice of history for Ghana.
It is surely a wretched story with no entity standing out for blame because of the obvious resource scarcity but one which the deaf community see as discriminatory. It may be late but a last minute intervention can turn things around for the Black Wonders.
By Andrew Nortey
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Let’s reintroduce Cultural Studies to complement educational reforms — Tourism Minister
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has emphasised the importance of reintroducing Cultural Studies in schools as part of Ghana’s broader educational reform agenda.
She said Cultural Studies would complement existing efforts to reposition Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to promote digital literacy and expand Creative Arts education.
Speaking at the 2025 Homowo Festival of the people of Ningo-Prampram, held on the theme: “Education: The Best Legacy for our Children,” Madam Gomashie said cultural education was critical to national identity and development.
She noted that the festival’s theme aligned with the Government’s vision to transform education in Ghana and encouraged the youth to embrace it not only as a means of personal development but also as a way of preserving traditional values.
These values, including patience, wisdom, and hard work, were at the core of the Homowo celebration, the Minister said.
“Cultural festivals like Homowo are vital instruments for strengthening cultural identity, preserving historical memory, and fostering national unity. Additionally, festivals serve as platforms for educating the youth through storytelling, music, dance, and other traditional practices, while also providing opportunities for community engagement.”
Madam Gomashie highlighted the strong foundation that Ghana’s tourism was built on, which included culture, traditions, and the creative industry, collectively contributing to over GH¢4.8 billion to the economy.
“Festivals give tourists reasons to visit our country. Therefore, with the right infrastructure and the development of all the domains, the sector can do more than what has been recorded,” she added.
Mr Sam Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, commended the community for their vibrant participation in the festival. He announced plans for the construction of a new nursing training school in Ningo, aimed at expanding access to healthcare education in the area.
Nene Osroagbo Djangmah XII, Paramount Chief of Great Ningo Traditional Area; King Dr Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, Ga Mantse; Nene Tetteh Wakah III, Paramount Chief of the Prampram Traditional Area; Prof. Odaifio Welentsi III, Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area; Naana Dugbakuwor Dugba II, Paramount Queen Mother of Great Ningo; and Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Special Envoy on Religion and Inter-Faith Affairs, who represented the Chief of Staff, were among dignitaries at the festival. -GNA
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
