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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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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