The confirmation by FIFA that it received a complaint from the South African Football Association (SAFA) over their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ghana which they lost 1-0 is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the world football governing body FIFA has confirmed that it has received a complaint from the South African Football Association (SAFA) over their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ghana which they lost 1-0.
FIFA in a statement in response to a query from Graphic Online said: “FIFA has received a complaint from the South African FA in relation to this matter and will review it. Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage.”
It will be recalled that the Black Stars of Ghana defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 1-0 last Sunday at the Cape Coast Stadium to qualify for the play-offs for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The goal, which was scored by Ghana captain Andre Ayew came from the penalty spot after Ghana defender Daniel Amartey was fouled.
Replays of the incident show that South Africa defender Rushine de Reuck held the Leicester man after a corner was floated in his direction by Daniel Kyere.
Senegalese Referee Maguette Ndiaye awarded the penalty which was converted by Ayew.
Ghana had trailed South Africa by three points heading into the match and victory was the only result required to seal qualification to the third round of the qualifiers while the South Africans had only needed a draw.
The newspaper says that the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has deployed a new contingent of Police officers to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
AMISOM in a statement said a team of 113 newly deployed personnel, from the Formed Police Unit (FPU), arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Monday, to begin their one-year tour of duty and help build the capacity of their counterparts in the Somali Police Force (SPF).
The new personnel join an advance party of 47 other officers, who had earlier jetted into the country, to constitute a contingent of 160 personnel that will be based in Baidoa, the administrative capital of South-West State of Somalia. They will complete a two-week COVID-19 quarantine period before heading into Baidoa.
On arrival in Mogadishu, the officers were welcomed by the AMISOM Police Commissioner, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Augustine Magnus Kailie, and senior members of the AMISOM Police Leadership Team.
In his remarks, the Police Commissioner noted that the officers had arrived at a critical time when Somalia is holding elections and urged them to play a key role in securing the ongoing elections, and serve the mission diligently.
“We have an assignment at hand to provide security for the ongoing elections. These elections are not a day’s business, but will span perhaps up to January. So, my word of caution to you is that you have to be very careful and dedicated to your duty,” said AIGP Kailie.
This is the second FPU contingent to be deployed by Ghana, to serve under AMISOM. They replaced the first contingent, whose tour of duty has ended.
The Graphic also reports that the Finance Ministers in the ECOWAS region last Friday held their Sixth Meeting in Accra, Ghana, to deliberate on the Community Levy.
The meeting was also focused on the consolidation of the ECOWAS Customs Union.
With the exception of Mali and Guinea which did not have any representative at the meeting due to their suspension from the regional body over military coup d’etat, the meeting was attended by the rest of the ECOWAS countries, as well as Directors-General of Customs agencies from 13 of the 15 member states.
The Sixth Finance Ministers’ Meeting was intended to help the participants to examine and approve the various community legislation, aimed at enhancing the fluidity of intra-community trade as well as to strengthen the ECOWAS Customs union.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, in a speech read on his behalf, said ECOWAS member states needed to establish a stronger economic space, which allowed for the diversification of production and the reduction in the dependence on the export of a few primary commodities to improve economic growth rates, create employment and raise living standards of the people.
He said ECOWAS member states needed to hold each other’s hand in order to help drive the sub-region’s development in a holistic approach and also to ensure economic stability.
For him, it was worrying that in spite of the various legislations to make free movement of people and goods still remained a challenge, calling on all member states to abide by the region’s free movement policy.
Dr Kassi Brou said the implementation of the Community Levy and the Consolidation of the ECOWAS Customs Union would make the sub-region an economic power on the continent.
The Ghanaian Times says that the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, will today present to Parliament the 2022 budget and economic policy of government.
The exercise is in line with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 21 (3) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016, (Act 921).
In line with the constitutional provision, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, lay before Parliament, the 2022 budget estimates.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on the 2022 budget yesterday, said the budget would primarily focus on expanding on the economy’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as creating a climate-friendly entrepreneurial state to address unemployment and import substitution.
“Digitalisation of the economy, skills development and entrepreneurship will also feature prominently in the presentation,” the statement said.
The budget would outline measures to boost government revenue and the areas the revenues would be expended.
This is the sixth budget of the government since 2017 and second since the ruling government won power in the 2020 general elections.
Experts and financial think tanks were keenly watching the measures government would initiate to reduce growing public debt and the fiscal deficit in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
GIK/APA