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CAS dismisses George Afriyie’s Election case against GFA
The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the Appeal filed by George Akwasi Afriyie against the decision of the GFA Appeals Committee on the 2023 GFA Presidential Elections.
In a decision delivered to both parties on Monday, May 6, 2024, CAS upheld the decision of the Appeals Committee of the GFA and awarded costs against George Akwasi Afriyie.
George Akwasi Afriyie, the appellant in the case, has been ordered to pay an amount of CHF1,000.00 (one thousand Swiss Francs) to the GFA as a contribution towards legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with the arbitration.
Aside from that, CAS also ruled that the costs of arbitration, which will be determined separately, shall be borne by George Akwasi Afriyie.
On September 29, 2023, George Akwasi Afriyie filed an appeal with CAS against the GFA with respect to the decision of the GFA Appeals Committee. In his appeal, George Akwasi Afriyie sought an order directing the GFA Elections Committee to allow him to contest for the office of President of the GFA.
He also sought an order nullifying any GFA presidential election conducted by the GFA pending the final determination of the case and an order directing the GFA to conduct fresh elections.
The GFA, which was represented in this matter by Ms. Naa Odofoley Nortey (Esq.), Beyuo & Company, and General Secretary, Prosper Harrison Addo (Esq.), contended that the Elections Committee and the Appeals Committee were right in disqualifying George Akwasi Afriyie and that he did not meet the criteria as set out in Article 30(3) of the GFA Statutes.
In its response, the GFA stated, amongst other things, that the endorsement of the appellant by one member of the GFA was made through a person whose name was not part of the list of authorised signatories of the club, a fact that the appellant, George Akwasi Afriyie, knew or should have known at the time of submitting the application to be false.
The GFA also stated that the appeal was without legal merit and could only reasonably be classified as forum shopping by the appellant on the basis of the same facts.
After due consideration of all the evidence produced and all submissions made, CAS concluded that there are no valid grounds to set aside the decision rendered by the GFA Appeals Committee and upheld the decision of the Elections Committee on the grounds that the appellant’s nomination, contrary to the statutes and regulations of the GFA, was supported by four instead of the five required members of the GFA.
The decision by CAS brings closure to the matter of George Akwasi Afriyie’s disqualification from the 2023 GFA Presidential Elections.
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
