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Jordan Ayew hat-trick gives Ghana victory in crucial World Cup Qualifier against CAR
Jordan Ayew scored a hat-trick in either half as Ghana beat Central African Republic on Matchday 4 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The win takes Ghana to 9 points following three victories and one loss in four rounds of matches.
Jordan Ayew put Ghana ahead with an early penalty after Abdul Fatawu Issahaku was fouled in the box inside six minutes.
Ayew drilled home the opener but the Black Stars trailed 2-1 at the break after Louis Mafouta took advantage of two defensive errors to temporarily silence the home crowd.
Mafouta first scored in the 11th minute before going past Gideon Mensah for his second goal in the 41st minute.
Back from recess, Ghana took control of the game and pressed for the equalizer as Kamal Deen Sulemana and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku swapped positions on the wings.
The pressure paid off in the 60th minute when Jordan Ayew equalised with a powerful header from Gideon Mensah’s cross. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku restored Ghana’s lead with a well-placed strike that beat goalkeeper Flory Yangao for the third goal.
The Black Stars added to the tally in the 69th minute when Jordan Ayew completed his hat-trick to put Ghana 4-2 up.
But Central African Republic mounted pressure and scored the third goal through Louis Moufata in the 90th minute but it was not enough as Ghana held on to win the contest.
The win takes Ghana to the top of Group I with 9 points as they await the results of the other matches on Wednesday, June 11, 2024 to confirm their position in the standings. The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will resume in March 2025.
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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
