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Maxwell Konadu takes charge of Black Meteors
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has appointed Maxwell Konadu as the Head Coach of Ghana’s National Male U23 team, the Black Meteors.
The appointment of the vastly experienced Konadu, who is currently Head Coach of Premier League side Nsoatreman FC, is key to the GFA’s strategy of taking players through a structured and consistently tracked developmental pathway and ultimately preparing them for high performance at the senior level.
It also aligns perfectly with the GFA’s overarching football philosophy of identifying, grooming and continuously improving talented players for the competitive age category teams as well as the senior national team, the Black Stars.
Maxwell Konadu brings exceptional experience to his new role having coached teams within Ghana’s developmental age groups, including U17 and U20.
The 2012 Ghana Premier League winner with Asante Kotoko has had two stints as Assistant Coach of the Black Stars, having worked under James Kwasi Appiah (2012) and Milovan Rajevac ( 2021).
Konadu’s new role is particularly exciting because of the close alignment of the Black Meteors to the senior national team, the Black Stars: The Black Meteors are the final age category team placed just under the Black Stars.
The former Legon Cities Coach, who has been working for several years within the Ghana coaching structure, is expected to oversee the further development of the creme de la creme of promising players that will come through the developmental pathway provided by the GFA through the various developmental national teams.
The former Ghana international, Maxwell Konadu is to play a key role in maintaining the flow of players who transition through the ranks to the senior level.
Maxwell Konadu, who played for Upper West Heroes, Asante Kotoko as well as Portuguese sides Unia Leiria and Beira-Mar, was part of the Gold medal winning squad at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
The experienced gaffer will be assisted in this pivotal role by former Asante Kotoko Coach and CAF License A holder, Abdul Gazale.
Ben Owu, a 1991 FIFA U17 World Cup winner, has been named as the Goalkeepers Trainer while Hearts of Oak legend, Amankwah Mireku, will be the Team Manager.
Other backroom staff named for the team include Eric Totime (Physiotherapist) and Henry Bart-Plange (Masseur) with Collins Osei Bonsu and Attah Debango serving as Equipment Officers. Eli Vorgbe will function as the team’s Video Analyst.
Maxwell Konadu and his backroom staff are expected to build a crack team to compete in international assignments and provide viable player options for selection to the Black Stars.
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
