Hot!
Cote d’Ivoire 2023 by far the best AFCON -Tshabalala
• Siphiwe Tshabalala – Ex Bafana Bafana star
Following his wonder strike when Africa hosted its first ever FIFA World Cup back in 2010, South African football icon, Siphiwe Tshabalala successfully engraved his name in the rich history books of African football when he became the first player to score a goal in Africa’s first hosting of the World Cup.
“Shabba” as the dreadlocked legend is affectionately known is among a star-studded list of CAF Legends that are present at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
Speaking to Cafonline.com on the sidelines of the ongoing competition in Korhogo where he is based in the same host city as Bafana Bafana, Tshabalala hailed CAF’s organisation and the warm reception of the Ivorians in staging what has so far been an exceptional 34th edition of Africa’s biggest event.
“Before coming to Korhogo, I attended the Opening Ceremony which was absolutely world-class in all aspects. The organisation, the venue, the fans and of course the football. Coming to the football, the quality of football has been impressive so far. I also have to commend the great officiating of matches and great organisation by CAF. This is by far the best AFCON that the world is witnessing,” declared Tshabalala.
The former Bafana Bafana star, who also shone brightly in the colours of South African club, Kaizer Chiefs played in three TotalEnergies CAF AFCON competitions with Bafana Bafana in 2006, 2008 as well as in 2013 when South Africa finished in the quarter-finals as hosts.
“My fondest memory of AFCON is wearing my national team jersey of South Africa representing my country in the biggest tournament in the continent and competing against the best in the continent on three occasions. This is the greatest tournament on the continent and every African footballer’s dream”, he added.
With the competition gradually approaching the exciting knockout stages, Tshabalala also touched on the competition’s evolution and highly competitive nature – predicting that it will be a tournament of upsets.
“It is a very difficult competition for all teams. The standard is world-class. There have been big upsets by the so-called small teams. They rose to the occasion. This will definitely be a tournament of upsets” said Tshabalala.
The former Bafana Bafana’s bold prediction has certainly come to fruition with recent results that saw some of the tournament favourites (Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Algeria) not getting the desired results against their less fancied opponents.
More dramatic outcomes are expected as the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 continues with the last round of group matches to determine the 16 nations that will battle it out in the knockout stages of the competition.
Hot!
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.
Hot!
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
