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Kurt Okraku holds dialogue with GFA Disciplinary Committee
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku, has urged the Disciplinary Committee (DC) to work towards expeditious adjudication of cases and speedy dispensation of justice.
Addressing the 10-member Committee, chaired by Osei Kwadwo Adow Esq., President Okraku urged the members of the judicial body to dispense justice with alacrity as undue delays become a significant barrier to the effective administration of justice to the football community.
In a healthy and broad discussion, the President engaged members of the committee on the scope of their work, processes and logistical challenges, as well as the future outlook for this vital judicial organ of the GFA.
He assured that the Football Association would continue to invest in the judicial bodies by way of providing logistics and organising capacity building programmes, amongst others, to enable them to deliver on their mandate speedily.
Mr. Okraku said Match Commissioners and Referees will also undergo further training as has been done on a yearly basis.
President Okraku used the opportunity to commend members of the Committee for their dedication to duty.
“The essence of this engagement is to say ‘thank you’ for your support for the work of the FA and the football family. We do appreciate your work,” President Okraku said.
The President spoke highly about the new prosecutor whose work ethic received widespread commendation from the Committee.
“You would realise that we have changed the prosecutors. We now have a new prosecutor and I think he’s brought some energy into the process,” he said.
“I want to listen to your team as to how we can make this process a lot quicker, for decisions to come out a lot faster than we currently have. And then if there are inherent issues, we can pick them up and I will get the General Secretary to react immediately.”
Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Osei Kwadwo Adow Esq., called for a retreat for the judicial bodies to brainstorm at the end of the season.
“We want the FA to organise a retreat for the committee at the end of the season for us to assess ourselves and to look at the laws we are applying: To look at the procedures through which cases go before they get to us,” he said.
In supporting the call for the retreat, President Kurt Okraku said: “We’ve been talking about a retreat. I think that the retreat will focus on all the judicial committees of the FA so that there is a clear synergy amongst them. The retreat will provide a platform for participants to share ideas.”
He re-echoed his immense gratitude to the members of the Committee.
“On behalf of the Executive Council and on my own behalf, I would like to thank you once again for your dedicated service. I think we’ve come from a point where we’ve improved a lot. It’s very clear from the submissions that there is a lot that we can do for enhanced service delivery and I encourage all of you to sustain your support and make sure we deliver justice to our football community.” the President concluded.
The Ghana Football Association, under the leadership of Kurt Okraku is determined to build strong independent bodies for the betterment of the football community.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
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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
