Newcastle United‘s run to the League Cup quarter-finals in which they host Brentford on Wednesday has the team and supporters dreaming again of ending one of the longest trophy-droughts of any of England’s big clubs.
“I think the willingness has been there from previous teams but we want to be the team that can get over the line and achieve something special,” manager Eddie Howe said on Tuesday.
Three times since then they have reached the FA Cup final — 1974, 1998 and 1999 — while they have also twice finished runners-up in the League Cup, most recently in 2022-23. Howe is the latest manager to try and restock the Newcastle trophy cabinet and has impressed since turning the club from relegation candidates to Champions League qualifiers.
This season the Saudi-owned club have again been struggling with injuries and are 12th in the Premier League, although they are only five points off the top four.
Newcastle thrashed Leicester City at the weekend to get back to winning ways but face a dangerous Brentford side who will also be eyeing a Wembley final.
Southampton will begin life after Russell Martin when they host high-flying Liverpool in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Sunday’s 5-0 hammering by Tottenham proved the final straw for Martin. The former Scotland defender was dismissed after that dismal showing left Southampton nine points adrift of safety at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Under-21s manager Simon Rusk will step up on an interim basis as Southampton search for Martin’s replacement, though there are not much tougher tasks than an opening game against the league leaders.
Arne Slot’s men are two points clear at the Premier League summit and with a game in hand on their rivals, but the Dutchman will be keen to put Liverpool’s title quest to one side as he aims to take a step closer to his first piece of silverware on Merseyside.
This is the first time Liverpool have reached the last eight of the EFL Cup as defending champions, since they won the competition four seasons in a row between 1980-81 and 1983-84.
Liverpool have won six of their last seven meetings with Southampton in all competitions (D1), scoring two or more goals in all of those clashes.
Arsenal are looking to recover from their weekend disappointment when they host Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
The Gunners drew 0-0 with Everton on Saturday to drop more points in the Premier League title race and were unable to capitalise on Liverpool being held by Fulham.
Now, they must dust themselves down as Mikel Arteta plots a return to Wembley. For all of Arsenal’s progress under the Spaniard, the trophy return is relatively low and a domestic cup victory could be a major boost during a slightly more difficult season this time around.
Palace, meanwhile, continued their recent good form after a difficult season with a 3-1 win over rivals Brighton on Sunday.
Declan Rice could feature for the Gunners despite coming off against Everton with a knock. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori will miss the game, along with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Arsenal look favourites at home, although much depends on what kind of team Arteta deploys.
A dissemination workshop on the Migration and Translocality in West Africa (MiTraWA) project has been organised for key stakeholders in the Yilo Krobo Municipality to share the project’s findings and initiate a policy dialogue.
Led by the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) at the University of Ghana, the project aims to generate recommendations for effectively incorporating translocality into migration policies, thereby contributing to sustainable development in Ghana.
The research, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is focused on communities in the Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region and other areas in the Nandom District of the Upper West Region.
The findings from the project are expected to play a crucial role in shaping migration policies that reflect the realities of these translocal communities.
During the workshop, held in Klo-Agogo, Professor Edmond A. Agyeman, a member of the MiTraWA research team, explained that translocality emerged in the everyday lived practices of migrants, as they moved from the rural areas to urban localities.
He said the research findings from the selected communities indicated that members migrated for work, educational and personal reasons, as well as due to climate change’s impact on agriculture.
Furthermore, he noted that while the migrants were away from their places of origin, they reconnected and maintained translocal ties through social, family and cultural interactions, periodic visits, communication via mobile phones and the transfer of remittances.
Regarding the benefits stemming from the interconnections between migrants and their places of origin, Prof. Agyeman mentioned that approximately 60 percent of the households surveyed agreed that migrants supported their livelihoods.
He also explained that remittances boosted agrarian and non-farm businesses in the origin communities, while consumption-driven and productive remittances contributed to local economic development.
However, he cautioned that migration and translocal relations also posed challenges, and that it was observed that translocality did not reverse the trend of rural-to-urban migration among youth and has the potential to create dependency among rural populations on remittances.
The policy recommendations outlined to address the concerns included the necessity to improve rural communities in the districts to become economically diversified employment centres with a conscious effort to promote local start-ups through training programmes.
It was also essential to foster nearby ‘urban’ job opportunities that enable rural dwellers to commute to town as they stay in their villages.
This will stabilise and strengthen ‘agropolitan districts’ that allow combining agricultural and urban economic activities.
Also, it was recommended that improvement in infrastructural development in rural and urban spaces will bring about simultaneous economic development.
The participants at the workshop were farmers and officials from the security agencies and Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly.
Mr. Adu Kwabena, the Yilo Krobo Municipal Planning Officer, indicated that due to climate change and the lack of modernization in agriculture, farming has become less attractive to the youth, leading many to abandon it and pursue opportunities in the cities.
He encouraged farmers to form farmer-based groups to foster greater interaction with Agriculture Extension Agents, which would help educate the youth about the lucrative potential of agriculture.
He also stated that once farmers established associations, they could negotiate better prices for their products in the markets and advocated for essential services such as extension support, farm equipment, and fertilizers at the district level
“With the farmer-based groups, prices of their products would be reached at a concession and there will be no cheating,” he said. “This will boost the interest of the youth in farming, and they would not like to travel.”
Assistant Commissioner of Immigration Justice Amevor, at the Odumase Krobo Sector, encouraged the youth to pursue legal avenues for acquiring passports and visas if they wish to travel outside the country.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, has said the region has immense potential to transform not only itself but also the entire country, if adequately harnessed and utilised.
He said the region was an attractive destination for investment, particularly agriculture and tourism.
Dr Letsa, who was speaking at the second Regional Coordinating Council meeting, asked various stakeholders to continue to build on the successes chalked by the region to create decent livelihoods for the people.
Considering the recent events in some parts of the country, he said the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) had taken preventive measures to promote dialogue between the leadership of the two main political parties.
The Minister said the VRCC had also directed the Municipal and District Security Councils to engage local party leadership, which had yielded positive results.
Dr Letsa urged the Councils to continue their engagement to facilitate a smooth transition process and work to ensure that the next government established itself quickly to begin its duties effectively.
He thanked the chiefs and people of the region for their support and cooperation during his tenure, and the heads of departments and agencies for implementing government policies, initiatives and activities during the period.
Some youth in Ashaiman-Lebanon say they are awaiting President-elect John Dramani Mahama’s scrapping of the 10 percent sports betting tax, as promised in his campaign messages, ahead of the December 7 general elections.
The 10 percent withholding tax introduced in 2023 by the current government is intended to increase the country’s domestic tax revenue.
The introduction of the tax led to a lot of backlash from the youth and the campaign promises from the president-elect and the National Democratic Congress to abolish it when voted into power.
The youth, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said they were looking forward to having the tax abolished and that they depend on sports betting for survival.
The GNA gathered that to be successful in sports betting, one must understand all the moves and terms, such as correct score, booking (red card), corner, either half, aviator, bottles, spin the wheel, voucher and cards, among others.
The youth who engage in sports betting call themselves by many names, including investors and game-men.
Mr Nasiru Mussah, who engages in sports betting at one of the many betting centres in Ashaiman, said he occasionally engages in it, through some of the sporting platforms.
Mr Mussah said even though he often stakes bets during his desperate financial period, he became frustrated when they started deducting the taxes from the little wins he depended on.
According to him, betting comes with its own emotional challenges, therefore, adding the 10 percent tax increased their frustration, calling for its total abolishment.
“The emotional toll of losing both bets and seeing my team lose can be overwhelming. It is very tough to watch your team losing, especially after deciding not to withdraw potential winnings when ‘cash out’ is given. It can drive you mad, and now this tax on the bet too is another headache,” he said.
He described the tax as a burden on the youth, saying many of the youth in Ghana rely on bets as their financial pillow during tough times.
“When you get a lucky winning bet and they tax it, it is very devastating, irrespective of the amount you win,” he added.
Mr Benjamin Arhin, another ‘investor’, backed the call on the president-elect to fulfil his promise of abolishing the tax, reiterating that taxing sporting bets meant taxing the youth’s survival.
He said most of the youth engage in betting due to the high rate of unemployment in the country and the many expenditures they need to take care of, such as rent and utility bills.
“We bet because they have not created jobs for us, and we have expenses we must take care of. The companies that have available jobs also do not pay well, but with betting, you can win enough to take care of your things,” he said.
The National Service Authority (NSA) says the robust system they have put in place will not allow anyone to put ghost names in the payroll of the service. It has, therefore, requested the Bureau of National Investigation (NIB) to delve into the allegation to either confirm or deny it.
NSS
A statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by the head of the NSA, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, said his outfit has nothing to hide, hence their call on the NIB to probe the allegation.
The following is the full statement;
The National Service Authority (NSA) has noted with concern, recent media publications, alleging the introduction of “Ghost Names” and the inflation of payroll for the payment of allowances of National Service Personnel for the service years spanning from 2018/2019 to 2023/2024.
The Authority wishes to state categorically that, these allegations are extremely baseless and unfounded.
Indeed, the National Service Authority has since 2021 instituted strong electronic measures that have significantly created checks and balances in both the downstream and upstream mobilisation and deployment of National Service Personnel. These measures resulted in several preventive attempts of fraudsters into the system and generated savings of over 300 million cedis within the period of 4 years (2021-2024). The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and other key stakeholders have enormous evidence of the robust system implemented by the National Service Authority and the gains made over the period.
The Authority has the inclined belief that no system, including manual and electronic processes and procedures are perfect and devoid of impeachment. However, the result and the evidence of the elimination of attempted fraudsters into the National Service portal has been overwhelming and since 2021 drawn curtains-down on the presence of “Ghost Names” in the National Service system.
It is worth emphasising that, the electronic system backed by consistent and progressive monitoring coupled with advanced technology (the use of the Ghana card, the facial verification system and the objective proof of eligibility from the tertiary institutions) brought highly desirable results.
Following the series of publications with bizarre allegations against the Authority, the Management of the Authority conducted a quick review of the system and found all the allegations to be untrue.
Even so, the Governing Board at its Emergency Board meeting of Thursday, December 12, 2024, has requested the National Investigation Bureau. Based on our assessment, we are unable to substantiate any viable rationale that will push individuals, groups or institutions to peddle such allegations capable of tarnishing the hard-earned reputation of the Authority at this time where giant strides have been made to enhance operational efficiency and ensure value for money.
The allegations threaten to undermine the transformative progress the NSA has achieved in recent years.
The National Service Authority remains grateful and appreciates the contribution of all stakeholders to the development of our elite youth and engage them for a national development and nation building efforts.
To maintain institutional image, ensure efficiency and improve operations in line with Public Service values and standards, the National Service Authority welcomes any stakeholder ready to partner with the Authority to deal with relevant matters and address any found or substantiated operational distortions. Indeed, notwithstanding, the Governing Board has taken the bold decision by requesting the National Investigation Bureau ( NIB) to assist the Authority investigate these allegations.
In view of these developments, the Authority wishes to urge the public to exercise restraint in its commentaries and publications on the matter and condemnations of personalities, since the damages that may be inflicted upon them may be irreparable when after the investigations, they are found to be innocent.
The NSA remains resolute in its mission to serve Ghana with integrity and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that public resources are protected and utilized judiciously and responsibly.
The NSA, however, acknowledges that, a petition has been submitted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. We welcome this development and wish to assure the public of our full cooperation with any investigations to establish the facts and vindicate the integrity of the Authority.
The eighth parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana has resumed sitting, with the status quo in place. The near fisticuff over which party is in the majority or minority compelled the Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagin, to abruptly adjourn sitting indefinitely.
However, when the House reconvened on Monday, December 16, 2024 to commence the sittings of the seventh meeting of the fourth session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, the NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) sat at their usual place as the majority, and the NDC MPs sat at the left-hand side of the Speaker as the minority.
Also, the Speaker, throughout the proceedings referred to Afenyo-Markin as the Majority Leader and Ato Forson as the Minority Leader. There was no misunderstanding this time, as witnessed before they went on recess.
APPEAL
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, in his welcome address appealed to Members of Parliament (MPs) to carve a good image for the House in its dying moments.
He has thus urged the Business Committee and leadership of Parliament to sequence the activities of the House, prioritising legislative items. The 8th Parliament has enjoyed massive publicity, but largely for negative reasons.
The first day in the life of this Parliament witnessed chaos during the election of the Speaker. During the passage of the controversial E-Levy, there was near fisticuffs, and also just recently over some seats that were declared vacant or not.
“It is essential as leaders for us to act to preserve the gains of our democracy. In summary, I emphasise our sacred mandate to save the people of Ghana.
“This sacred mandate remains active until the end of this parliamentary term and nobody should forget that.
“Honourable Members, let us end this Parliament on a good note,” Bagbin stated.
BUSINESS
Speaker Bagbin mentioned that the House had a lot to do before it was dissolved, but the time left was not enough. He thus called for the loyal service, utmost dedication, focus and firm action of MPs.
He said that several crucial private and public bills, tax and financial requisitions, international agreements and committee reports are pending and at various stages of consideration.
“Unless we abandon the interest of the people and nation, there is no way the long list of government business on the Order Paper could be done within this limited period of time, before the end of the term of office of this Parliament”, he said.
He, therefore, proposed the House consider the expenditure in advance of the Appropriation Bill 2024, Environmental Protection Bill 2024, Boundary Commission Bill 2024, Social Protection Bill 2023, Parliament Transition Bill 2023, Parliamentary Service Bill 2024, and Public Accounts Committee Reports.
The vault on account, called the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation 2024, is a critical bill, as that would permit the incoming government to pay public sector wages from January to March, before presenting a full budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
TAX WAIVERS
The leader of government business, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, presented the business for the week.
Among the list was the plan to grant some tax waivers to some companies under the One District, One Factory policy.
This caught the attention of the NDC MPs, who reiterated their long-held position to reject the grant of tax exemptions.
The MP for North Tongu, Samuel OkudzetoAblakwa, indicated that if allowed, the incoming Mahama government would be in a fix.“I mean, why do you want to saddle the next government with these huge revenue losses when you have been roundly rejected at the polls?” Ablakwa asked.
However, he swiftly touted that the Mahama government has promised to abolish “obnoxious and nuisance taxes and “then you are creating more fiscal liabilities for us. So, we want to serve notice that we are not going to support these tax waivers.”
His position was corroborated by the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, who said the tax exemption, if granted, would be “a fiscal strain on the next budget.”
Apart from the about US$350 million tax waiver the government is asking for, it is also seeking to purchase Ships worth 140 million Euros for the Ghana Armed Forces. But the minority would not yield to the demand.
DOUBLE STANDARD
In response, the Majority Leader, Afenyo-Markin, could not agree with the position of OkudzetoAblakwa, pointing out the double standards in the stance of the minority on the tax exemptions.
He questioned how the minority would reject the move by the Akufo-Addo government to grant tax waivers to corporate Ghana, but at the same time state that the incoming Mahama government would cut down on obnoxious taxes.
If that were to be so, why would this same incoming government reject the 1D1F tax [waivers], which is giving an incentive,because we don’t want too many imposition of taxes on corporate Ghana. You are saying that you are going to repeal taxes; we are giving an incentive, you say no.”
NOT NEW
While the Majority Leader made the point that the exemptions being sought had been in the house for the past two years, the minister for Defence, DomincNitiwul, said the GAF had been pursuing the purchase of the Ships for three years now.
The House adjourned sitting to Tuesday, December 16, 2024 with a call on the government side to prioritise the vault on account, instead of the tax waivers and other bills.
Former National Chairman of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged the National Election Security Taskforce to provide security for the Electoral Commission to undertake the re-collation of parliamentary results of constituencies in contention.
According to the party, it was necessary adequate security was provided to avert reoccurrence of the mayhem visited on the process by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which allegedly compelled EC returning officers to declare results in their favour.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, former chairman of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu, criticised the opposition NDC for allegedly interfering in the collation process.
He expressed concern over the actions of some NDC supporters, which he claimed had contributed to the delays in declaring results in these constituencies.
“We call on the NDC leadership to demonstrate responsible leadership by calling their supporters to order. This is a crucial time for our nation, and no action should undermine our democratic processes,” he reiterated.
Mac Manu further appealed to all stakeholders, including the EC, political parties and security agencies to act decisively in the interest of democracy and national peace.
He emphasised the importance of respecting the expressed will of voters. “In the interest of democracy and the peace of our dear country, we urge the EC and all stakeholders to take immediate steps to give effect to the will of voters as expressed in the December polls,” the party said.
The press briefing, led by the party’s Electoral and Legal Affairs Committee, addressed concerns over the collation and declaration of parliamentary election results in certain constituencies that have faced delays and related controversies.
WON SEAT
The NPP stated its confidence in winning all the 12 parliamentary constituencies to be re-collated.
The constituencies in question are; Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, Dome Kwabenya, Ahafo Ano North, Obuasi East, Ahafo Ano South West, Akwatia, Suhum, Fanteakwa North, Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Techiman South.
Already, the EC at its re-collation in Accra declared the Akwatia, Suhum, and Fanteakwa North in favour of the NPP. These constituencies had earlier been declared for NDC.
The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin briefed the press about alleged delay tactics by the NDC at the Tesano re-collation center, which halted that of Nsawam-Adoagyiri, only for an injunction notice to be served on the EC by the NDC.
VERIFIABLE DATA
The party indicated that their assertions of victory in the listed constituencies are based on data from polling station results, particularly the official pink sheets submitted after the polls.
“We are very certain that our parliamentary candidates in the above-mentioned constituencies won the elections. This conclusion is based on verifiable data from the pink sheets, as we have consistently demonstrated,” he stated.
IMPLORE EC
Peter Mac Manu, called on the EC to resume the collation process without delay to ensure that the democratic will of voters is upheld.
According to him, the EC’s intervention is critical to settling any lingering uncertainties and fostering national stability.
“We implore the National Election Security Taskforce to provide adequate security to facilitate peaceful collation under a serene environment. We also urge the NDC leadership to rein in their supporters to ensure the process concludes without further disturbances,” he said.
The Circuit Court at Dansoman, a suburb of Accra, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Baasit, on Monday, December 16, 2024 granted bail to three accused persons; Emmanuel Obeng Addo, alias Nii Ayi I (67), Richard Suzey, alias Asafoatse Ankrah I (35), and Edward Ocanta, alias Asafoatse Quarshie (40).
They are facing charges of conspiracy, failure to notify the police of a special event, and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace.
The accused, who pleaded not guilty, were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢20,000 with two sureties.
The sureties must be public servants residing within the jurisdiction of the court and earning not less than GH¢1,000.
The accused are to report to the police once every two weeks until further notice.
The case was referred to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for possible settlement and adjourned to February 2, 2025 for a review of the settlement outcome. The court advised all parties to comport themselves during the proceedings.
Brief Facts
The Complainants, Naa Abrafi I, the Queen Mother of MayeraFaase and the Amasaman Divisional Police Command, alleged that the accused have been at the center of a protracted chieftaincy and land dispute in MayeraFaase.
Naa Abrafi I, who has served as Queen Mother for 29 years and is recognized by the National House of Chiefs, has been working to install a new chief following the death of the former leader in May 2023.
However, the accused, who do not recognize her authority, have reportedly acted to undermine her legitimacy.
On November 22, 2024 during the funeral of the Queen mother’s late mother, the accused and their supporters reportedly stormed the event.
Armed with guns and chanting war songs, they declared themselves as the new family heads and Asafoatse for Mayera Faase. Their actions caused dignitaries to flee the funeral grounds.
The accused were allegedly carried on the shoulders of their supporters in a symbolic installation ceremony. The police responded to the disturbance, but the group managed to escape and completed the installation ceremony at Otubruhum Dadebanaa, Accra. Videos of the event were later circulated on social media.
Arrests and Investigations
Emmanuel Obeng Addo was arrested on November 24, 2024, upon returning to MayeraFaase. Richard Suzey and Edward Ocanta were later apprehended and brought to the police.
During investigations, the accused admitted to failing to notify the police about the installation ceremony.
While Emmanuel Obeng Addo admitted to challenging the complainant’s legitimacy as Queen Mother, the other two accused claimed they were unaware that notifying the police was required for their actions.
