Day: December 26, 2022

KRC Genk winger, Joseph Paintsil, has accused Otto Addo of taking his World Cup dream away after he was dropped from Ghana’s 26-man squad for the Qatar Mundial.

The 22-year-old winger was named in the 55-man provisional squad for the 22nd edition of the Mundial in Qatar.

However, Addo, who is a former Black Stars coach excluded the promising forward from the final 26-man squad.

Speaking about the ordeal he went through after missing out on the final squad, the former Tema Youth winger said he is happy Otto Addo has left his post because the Borussia Dortmund development coach took his dream away.

“I’m happy about it. The World Cup was a fantastic opportunity to show me to the world, but he took it away from me. I’m now patiently waiting to see who the next national coach will be. , because I will always be available for the national team. Hoping for him that he continues to shoot on the ground as he does behind a microphone,” Paintsil told Belgium-base Newspaper Belang van Limburg.

He also added that Otto Addo didn’t give him any reasons for his decision to drop him from the final squad.

“His decision was unfair. He gave me no valid reason to explain my absence. I told him the same thing during a phone conversation. He told me that there were players ahead of me in the hierarchy.

“Among them, there were guys who, like me, play in the Jupiler Pro League. They didn’t have the same stats, but Addo said football isn’t all about goals and assists,” Joseph Paintsil added.

Paintsil, who recently extended his contract with KRC Genk until 2026, has scored 7 goals and provided eight assists in his 14-game outings for the Belgian giants in all competitions.

Source: Modern Ghana

The former Secretary to the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Cromwell Onuawonto Bissue, has filed a suit at the Accra High Court, seeking an interlocutory injunction on ongoing investigations by the Special Prosecutor against him.

According to the motion of notice, Mr Bissue wants the Court to restrain the Special Prosecutor from investigating him with respect to Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s documentary titled ‘Galamsey Fraud’.

The application was filed on behalf of Mr Bissue by his lawyers on Friday, December 23.

The lawyers explained how the Office of the Special Prosecutor had failed to furnish them with information sought by their client as part of the investigations.

The Office had threatened to put out an Interpol Red notice to arrest of the former Western Region Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after he failed to honour its invitation as part of investigations on the petition sent by Anas Aremeyaw Anas after his documentary was aired.

But after waiting without any response from the Office, lawyers decided to file for an injunction to freeze the investigations.

Cited as the other defendants are the ace investigative journalist and his company, the Tiger Eye PI.

Lawyers of Charles Bissue have, however, indicated that he will be in the country in January and will report to the Office immediately upon return.

Source: Modern Ghana

Former Morocco head coach Vahid Halilhodzic has said he will not forgive nor forget being sacked just before the 2022 World Cup finals.

WHAT HAPPENED? After leading the Atlas Lions to secure a place in the 2021 AFCON Qatar finals, the experienced tactician was relieved of his duties three months before the Mundial.

Faouzi Lekjaa, the Moroccan FA boss, later explained why they had to part ways with the Franco-Bosnian tactician. To Lekjaa, Halilhodzic’s tendency to fall out with key players was the reason that informed their decision to sack the coach.

Halilhodzic had fallen out with Hakim Ziyech, who at one time announced retirement from international football before reversing the decision, as well as Amine Harit, and Noussair Mazraoui.

The former Nantes and Lille manager has now said he will not forgive the North Africans for the sacking.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID: “You know, I didn’t comment on anything about Morocco at all. Journalists from Morocco, from the region, are calling me… but it’s hard for me to say anything,” Halilhodzic said.

“And these words cannot wash away my bitterness, and cannot make up for what I missed with this tournament.

“They took away my pride, I can’t forget or forgive them. Because it was also supposed to be my farewell to my coaching career. That’s all I can say on the subject.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ziyech and Mazraoui were key players for the Atlas Lions who became the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, this was not the first time Halilhodzic was sacked before the World Cup finals. The Japan Football Association showed him the door two months before the 2018 tournament in Russia.

Ahead of the 2010 finals in South Africa, he was sacked by Ivory Coast and was replaced by Sven Goran Eriksson.

The coach, a 1982 World Cup participant with Yugoslavia, was in charge of Algeria in the 2014 Brazil finals. He led them to the Round of 16, where, despite putting on a strong show, they were eliminated by the eventual champions, Germany in extra time.

WHAT NEXT FOR HALILHODZIC? With his expansive coaching career, eyes will be keen to see which club or nation will next appoint Halilhodzic. Though, he may have hinted this is the end of his career.

Source: Ghana Web

The Obuasi East Health Directorate has collaborated with Obuasi East District Assembly, Rotary club of Obuasi, GCB, Addapath Wellness, an NGO based in Obuasi to donate food items worth over 20, 000 Ghana cedis to children living with HIV/AIDS in Obuasi.

These food items included bags of rice, boxes of milo crates of milk, boxes of tin fish as well as boxes of tin tomatoes, drinks and biscuits.

The move was to bring smiles to the faces of children living with HIV/AIDS and to discard stigmatization against such children.

Kwame Annor, the Secretary of the Obuasi Rotary club said they decided to support the donation as a means of showing love to the poor and the needy, especially during Christmas.

He was of the view that the donation will encourage people living with HIV to openly declare their status without any form of stigmatization.

The Obuasi branch manager of GCB Bank, Kwadwo SAMPENE Agyei said the bank needed to step in as a way of showing support and care to children living with the virus.

“We decided among the Staff of the bank to voluntarily contribute to support this worthy cause. We came in, particularly because we took inspiration from the fact that it could also happen to us.”

Administrative Manager of Addapath Wellness, Felix Danso Kwening said the NGO has over the years championed the cause of the vulnerable and the needy in the society who solicit their support on grounds of health and fitness.

He said the NGO in 2019, teamed up with the Obuasi Rotary club to embark on similar donations.

He said the group has come to the realization that children living with HIV/AIDS struggle to get the needed nutrition to supplement the medication given them since most of the have lost their parents.

He however bemoaned the level of discrimination and stigmatization against people living with HIV which he believes constitutes a major challenge in the fight against HIV.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary hospitals, madam Peace Bansah of the ART and TB unit of the AGA Health foundation expressed gratitude to the donors for what she described as putting a balanced diet on the table of the children.

She added that antiretroviral therapy or drugs alone do not help the children but rather the nutritional value also contributes significantly to boosting their immune system.

She also spoke against the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS and advised guardians of children with HIV/AIDS to help them take their prescribed drugs.

Source: Ghana Web

The Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana today, December 26, 2022, have shown that the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 8.2988 and a selling price of 8.3072.

As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 8.2959 and a selling price of 8.3042. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 10.00 and sold at a rate of 11.50.

Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 10.0200 and a selling price of 10.0325 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.9633 and a selling price of 9.9741.

At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 11.00 and sold at a rate of 14.50.

The Euro is trading at a buying price of 8.8173 and a selling price of 8.8276 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 8.7899 and a selling price of 8.7986.

At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 10.50 and sold at a rate of 12.00.

The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.4889 and a selling price of 0.4893 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.4837 and a selling price of 0.4840.

At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.90.

The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 54.6501 and a selling price of 54.7332 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 56.5771 and a selling price of 56.5664.

At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 10.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 14.00.

Source: Ghana Web

A ranking member of parliament’s finance committee, Cassiel Ato Forson has described the government’s decision to include individual bondholders in the debt exchange program as “not surprising”.

He, therefore, questioned the timing of the release of the information.

Ato Forson wrote on his Twitter page on December 25, 2022, “Folks,

Point 3(v) of this Ministry of Finance Press Release indicates Govt has now added individuals holding domestic bonds to the domestic debt exchange!

“Not Surprising but why sneak it in on the eve of Christmas???” he asked.

The government in a press statement on December 24, 2022, announced that individual bondholders will be affected by the debt exchange programme.

The finance ministry said that the government was “expanding the type of investors that can participate in the Exchange to now include individual investors.” 

It also added the setting of a non-binding target minimum level of overall participation of 80 percent of the aggregate principal amount outstanding of eligible bonds. 

“Offering accrued and unpaid interest on eligible bonds, and a cash tender fee payment to holders of eligible bonds maturing in 2023,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, when the government announced the programme on December 5, 2022, it stated that individual bondholders and treasury bills were to be exempted from the programme.

But the Christmas eve statement said, “there would also be eight new instruments to the composition of the new bonds, for a total of 12 new bonds, one maturing each year starting January 2027 and ending January 2038.”

However, the ministry said the modifications would be set forth fully in an Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum, expected to be published in the week of December 26, 2022. 

“Conforming changes (including adding and modifying defined terms) in respect of the above amendments and modifications to cure ambiguity, omission, defect, error or inconsistency may be included in the Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum,” the Ministry added in the release. 

The government also announced an extension to the deadline for voluntary participation in the debt exchange programme to January 16, 2023, from the previous December 30.

Source: Ghana Web

Member of Parliament (MP) Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, representing the people of Assin Central has weighed in on the ongoing impasse over the construction of the National Cathedral.

Ghanaians are kicking against government’s idea of spending huge sums of money on building a cathedral in a nation that has run to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But contributing to a debate about the matter on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, December 21, the NPP flagbearer hopeful argued it will bring more good than harm.

He wants Ghanaians to focus on the benefits, like the tourist attraction and other benefits associated with the cathedral, and not its cost.

“The situation we are in, things are tough, no doubt about that. But it (the National Cathedral) will promote tourism in Ghana,” he said.

“So let us think along those lines where we are going to make money and not only look at the amount here and say that it is a crime,” Mr. Kennedy Agyapong stressed.

Meanwhile, Parliament has rejected the approval of 80 million Ghana cedis allocated to the cathedral on the basis that it was a misplaced priority, according to the minority caucus.

Source: Modern Ghana

Vice President, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was at the Glorious Word Power Miracles International, the church of Apostle Isaac Owusu-Bempah on Sunday, December 25, for the Christmas Service.

Speaking at the Church, the Vice President stressed that Ghana is only a peaceful country because of the grace of God and not by coincidence.

“Today, Ghana is one of the most peaceful countries, the most peaceful country in West Africa, and the second most peaceful country in the whole of Africa, we should thank God.

“I believe that we are a peaceful country not by a coincidence but by the grace of God, we have men and women of God who keep praying for the this country and God is listening to our prayers,” Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said.

In a direct message to Apostle Isaac Owusu-Bempah, the Vice President admonished the renowned man of God to continue offering prayers for the country to stay peaceful and continue growing into the Ghana everybody wants.

“I want to thank Rev Owusu-Bempah for his prayers for this country I want to ask that he should continue praying for Ghana and the government,” Dr. Bawumia said.

Source: Modern Ghana