Author: Kenneth Nii Tete Annan

Ghana’s second group game at the World Cup against England could be cancelled due to an escalating funding dispute surrounding the stadium scheduled to host the match. FIFA is facing the alarming prospect of relocating seven matches away from Gillette Stadium, barely four months before the tournament begins, according to a UK newspaper, The Mirror. Several World Cup matches, including Ghana vs. England, are scheduled to take place at the location that is home to the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. Scotland’s first two World Cup matches against Haiti and Morocco are also scheduled to be played there,…

The government has released GH¢855 million to settle arrears owed to cocoa farmers after a prolonged payment crisis that left many producers unpaid for months, despite delivering their produce to licensed buying companies. The payment is part of an emergency intervention to stabilise the cocoa sector and restore confidence among farmers and buying companies. A wide range of reforms have been announced by the government in the wake of the crisis to reorganise the sector and place the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) on a more stable financial foundation. These reforms include a controversial reduction of more than GH¢1,000 in the…

Phillipe Coutinho says he is leaving boyhood club Vasco da Gama because he is “tired mentally” and his “cycle at the club has ended”. The former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder was substituted at half-time after being booed by fans during Vasco’s win on penalties over Volta Redonda last week. Coutinho, who has 68 caps for Brazil, watched the rest of the game from the bench in the second half. In a lengthy, emotional statement on Instagram, the 33-year-old says he is leaving Vasco because “now is the time to take a step back”. “I would never disrespect the fans, my…

Leaders Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead dramatically to draw at rock-bottom Wolves and missed the chance to go seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. After goalkeeper David Raya and centre-back Gabriel mishandled clearing a high ball into the area, Gunners defender Riccardo Calafiori turned in rookie Tom Edozie’s shot in the fourth minute of extra time for a late equaliser. Hugo Bueno had started Wolves’ comeback with a stunning curling effort after Bukayo Saka, with his first goal in 15 games, and Piero Hincapie gave Arsenal what seemed a commanding lead. Bukayo Saka celebrated his new…

The new producer price of cocoa for the remainder of the 2025/26 cocoa season will take effect from Friday, February 13, 2026. This follows an upward review of the producer price to GH¢41,392.00 per ton. The new price would be applied to all cocoa purchases made statewide for the remainder of the 2025–2026 crop year, according to a statement provided to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday. It said under the revised pricing structure, the producer price to be paid at all buying centres was GH¢1,241.76 per load of 30 kilogrammes of Grade I and II cocoa beans naked ex-scale. The…

The bond hearing for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori‑Atta in the United States is set for today, February 19, 2026, as a federal judge considers whether Ghanaian authorities have filed proper proof of an extradition request. Judge David A. Gardey told lawyers handling the former minister’s immigration case that the court “cannot act on assertions without proof”, demanding that documented evidence of an extradition request be submitted by today before he considers any decision on bond or release. The hearing follows a January 20 closed-door court hearing in which the judge halted Ofori-Atta’s bail request after state lawyers objected to his…

Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory in Lisbon was overshadowed by an on-field racial abuse allegation that prompted a lengthy stoppage and an immediate ethics investigation. The incident, which unfolded five minutes into the second half, saw the referee activate the anti-racism protocol after Real Madrid’s forward raised a complaint following his goal celebration. What happened on the pitch Confrontation broke out at the corner flag as a result of the goal celebration. After Vinícius Júnior allegedly heard a Benfica player use a racial epithet, he went to the referee. The referee used the globally famous motion to indicate that the anti-racism…

President John Mahama has announced reforms aimed at enabling Ghana to purchase cocoa in Cedis and to halt the export of raw mineral ores by 2030, marking a shift toward economic sovereignty. A statement issued by Ghana’s Presidency said the President announced the closing of his high-level side event, “Accra Reset’s Addis Reckoning,” held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To put an end to what he called exploitative financing arrangements that have long limited Ghana’s cocoa industry, President Mahama laid forth urgent measures. “One of the…

Boxing fans can finally mark their calendars for the blockbuster exhibition between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr., set for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tyson had teased a March showdown somewhere in Africa, but this confirmed date and location ramps up the hype for a fight decade in the making. Two of the sport’s most influential figures from the past four decades will square off in this battle, which was first hinted at last year with no details regarding date or turf. Because few details have been released thus far, fans are speculating about the rules…

Security consultant and professor at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Prof. Kwesi Aning, has sharply criticised Ghanaian authorities for failing to issue a formal travel advisory to traders regularly travelling to Burkina Faso, despite escalating terrorist violence in the Sahel. His comments came after a Valentine’s Day terrorist attack on Saturday, February 14, 2026, which killed Ghanaian tomato vendors close to the town of Titao in northern Burkina Faso. Speaking on Tuesday, Prof. Aning disclosed that he had requested a producer to confirm if any Ghanaian organization, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ghana Road…