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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
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
