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GFA fulfils pledge to RFAs
All 10 Regional Football Associations (RFAs) have received a significant boost after the Ghana Football Association (GFA) released GHc300,000 to support the payment of officiating fees for the various league competitions organised by the RFAs.
The disbursement of these funds is in fulfilment of the pledge made by GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku at the 29th Ordinary Session of the GFA Congress in Kumasi on Monday, July 10, 2023.
The funds disbursed to all RFAs is to support the cost of officiating in the competitions organised by the RFAs.
The disbursement was done taking into consideration the number of clubs in each region, the number of matches to be played, and the cost of refereeing in each region. This was done to ensure some form of equity in the application of the funds.
The Greater Accra RFA received an amount of GHc50,000.00 while the other football regions, with the exception of the Upper East and Upper West regions, each received GHc30,000.00. The Upper West and Upper East football regions received GHc20,000.00 each.
The RFAs and the District Football Associations (DFAs) under their jurisdictions, are in charge of clubs in Division Two, Division Three, Regional Women’s Division One, and Colts U13, 15, and U17 leagues.
Payment of officiating fees has historically been a great challenge for clubs that compete in the Regional Leagues.
The GFA is also investing an amount of GHc200,000.00 into the training of “Catch Them Young” Referees to bring them to an optimum level and prepare them for the Regional League competitions.
It would be recalled that the GFA has already provided whistles, Assistant Referees flags, and red and yellow cards to the RFAs to further resource the “Catch Them Young” Refereeing Policy.
The Association will also be distributing referee uniforms to the RFAs in the coming weeks for “Catch Them Young” Referees.
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Traders, ‘Okada’ riders take over Circle pavement
• Korle-Bu CEO with staff of Nivaansh MediQas
Activities of traders and drug addicts are contributing to make the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area very uncomfortable and unsafe for commuters.
Day in and out, pedestrians are ‘ejected’ from the pavement created for their safety as traders preferred to sell their wares on that space.
That hinders the free movement of the pedestrians.
The small space left for the pedestrians are also shared with ‘Okada’ riders.
As if these woes are not enough for a commuter on a single day, they also have to navigate carefully to avoid clashes with drug addicts and the mentally challenged.
These people have turned the pavements into their places of abode, covering every inch of space with their wares.
Our photographer, Lizzy Okai, captures some of the unfriendly scenes the authorities must try and deal with to restore sanity to the area.
By Lizzy Okai
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NDC outlines demands before committing to Peace Pact
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has set forth specific conditions that the party insists must be met before considering signing the Peace Pact advocated by the National Peace Council in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
Mr. Nketia expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of past Peace Pacts, highlighting that they had not achieved their intended outcomes, particularly referencing the 2020 elections, during which eight NDC members were allegedly killed by national security operatives without accountability.
During an August 20 meeting with the National Peace Council at the NDC headquarters, Mr. Nketia detailed the certain conditions for the NDC’s participation in the Peace Pact.
The NDC is demanding that the recommendations from the investigation into the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election be fully implemented.
They also want those responsible for election-related violence in the last election to be prosecuted, stressing the importance of justice and prevention.
The party is calling for accountability regarding irregularities in the printing of ballot papers and insists that visible measures be taken to prevent such issues from happening again.
They are also pushing for a thorough investigation into the missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s (EC) warehouse, expressing concerns about the integrity of the EC’s systems and the potential bias of its staff.
Furthermore, the NDC is urging the President to publicly commit to respecting the results of the 2024 elections. Lastly, the party insists that the Peace Pact should be signed by key figures, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the National Security Coordinator, before they will consider signing it themselves.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
