Category: Daily Guide Network

A total of 31 clubs have officially secured their place in the Round of 32 of the MTN FA Cup, with the final slot set to be determined after the outstanding fixture between Future Stars and Asante Kotoko on December 10, 2025.

This year’s knockout competition has already delivered major drama, with record holders Accra Hearts of Oak crashing out after a shocking 1-0 defeat to Division Two side True Life FC in the previous round.

Twelve Premier League sides have progressed, including two-time champions Medeama SC, 2023 winners Dreams FC, Aduana FC, Berekum Chelsea, Nations FC, FC Samartex, Karela United, Heart of Lions, Swedru All Blacks, Young Apostles, Gold Stars, and Eleven Wonders.

The Division One League will also be strongly represented with 16 clubs advancing. Notable among them are Real Tamale United, FC AshantiGold, King Faisal, Inter Allies, Port City FC, WAFA SC, Techiman Liberty Youth, Victory Club Warriors, Yepei FC, and Home Stars.

Three Division Two teams have also secured qualification, adding extra intrigue to the knockout phase as lower-tier clubs continue to upset expectations.

The draw for the Round of 32 is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, after which matches will be played from Tuesday, December 30, 2024, to Thursday, January 1, 2025.

The Second Vice President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Abena Ruthy, has disclosed that ‘She Rhythms’, a dynamic festival, shines a spotlight on Ghana’s top female music artistes and emerging talents, celebrating the rhythm and power of women in the music industry-and it’s here to stay.

Speaking to BEATWAVES on day one of the event, Abena Ruthy said the festival seeks to champion women’s voices and talents in Ghana’s vibrant music scene.

She further stated that the festival showcases the amazing talents of Ghanaian women and adds to the amazing December in GH experiences as well as the Black Star Experience.

Abena Ruthy further indicated that the workshop was designed to equip participants with insights into the current trends shaping the music business. She added that the organisers have a lineup of industry experts to share knowledge and practical tips to help musicians navigate and thrive in today’s evolving music landscape.

‘She Rhythmz seeks to make sure that women have a platform to showcase their crafts. The whole idea is that if you’re a woman and you’re a music practitioner, you should have somewhere to be able to let others see what you’re capable of doing,’ she stated.

Abena Ruthy expressed appreciation to supporting partners such as UNESCG Ghana, and Alliance Française, among others, while praising executives of the union for their support.

The event witnessed performance from Lipstick Band, an all-female band in Ghana known for entertaining patrons with different genres of music. Speaking to the paper after the performance, the group called on policymakers to create an enabling environment designed to project women in the entertainment industry, specifically, in the music sector.

They also applauded MUSIGA for the She Rhythms event, and called on corporate Ghana to partner to promote the event.

Other performers on the night were Lali x Lola, Delassie, Violet and Jessy, Obaaku Papapaa, Beatrice Quaye, and Veronica Kumi Bruce.

Ghana’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Kojo Bonsu, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with China, following a meeting with the Director General of the International Cooperation Department of China’s Ministry of Public Security, Mr. Wang Yong, in Beijing.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kojo Bonsu conveyed the Ghanaian government’s appreciation for China’s enduring support towards Ghana’s socio-economic development and emphasized the country’s commitment to expanding collaboration in emerging areas of mutual interest.

The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in security and public safety, with discussions centered on enhancing institutional capacity-building, facilitating training and technical exchange programs, and promoting the exchange of best practices and intelligence-sharing mechanisms to address transnational crimes and emerging security threats.

Both sides also underscored the importance of continued dialogue, mutual understanding, and respect for sovereignty in advancing their collective interests, including peacekeeping, counterterrorism, and the protection of citizens.

The engagement has been hailed as a reaffirmation of the shared vision for a safer, more prosperous future, and a practical step towards enhancing Ghana-China cooperation in security and development.

Key Areas of Cooperation:

– Enhancing institutional capacity-building within Ghana’s security and law enforcement agencies

– Facilitating training and technical exchange programs in policing, cybersecurity, and crime prevention

– Promoting the exchange of best practices and intelligence-sharing mechanisms to address transnational crimes and emerging security threats

The meeting concluded with mutual expressions of goodwill and a shared determination to translate discussions into concrete programs and joint initiatives in the months ahead, further solidifying the Ghana-China partnership grounded in mutual respect, solidarity, and shared prosperity.

Highlife sensation, Kofi Kinaata, has firmly denied rumours circulating on social media claiming he’s a father, urging his followers to disregard the unverified claims.

The artiste emphasised that his personal life remains just that-personal, and he’s focused on bringing the vibes with his music.

This clarity came to light after Kofi Kinaata, in a post sighted on his TikTok page, which has witnessed over two million viewership, saw him calling out to one Joyce Arthur in the video.

Apparently, most of his followers who commented under the video asked the ‘Thy Grace’ crooner to come clear whether Joyce Arthur is his biological daughter, since they both bear the same surname.

The post, which has since generated over 5,865 comments, had the likes of Crazildea, one of his followers, questioning Kofi Kinaata the paternity of the young girl in question. He wrote, ‘Kofi, 3y3 Born one, Fa koma wo Nana means the girl is your daughter.’

Kofi Kinaata, in response, emphatically stated that the young girl in question is his niece, saying, ‘She’s my niece, peace out (emoji).’

In recent times, Kofi Kinaata, in a series of media interviews, revealed that he has plans of walking down the aisle with his woman very soon.

Kofi Kinaata, known in private life as Martin King Arthur, revealed that although preparations are underway, he is yet to settle on an official date for his marriage ceremony.

While Kofi Kinaata did not disclose further details about his bride-to-be, his statement has generated buzz across social media, with fans expressing joy and anticipation for the upcoming union.

Kofi Kinaata recently joined forces with rap King Sarkodie to release ‘Have Mercy 2’. The track delivers everything fans admire about both artistes: soulful melodies, reflective storytelling, and sharp lyrical craftsmanship.

Kofi Kinaata’s signature wisdom-driven writing blends effortlessly with Sarkodie’s commanding flow, creating a song rich in meaning and cultural depth.

‘Have Mercy 2’ explores real-life struggles, personal growth, and the everyday challenges that shape the Ghanaian experience.

The Upper West Regional Police Command has arrested nine (9) persons in connection with the alleged attack of some police personnel in Saawie, in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region.

According to police report, on Friday, a mob numbering about thirty (30) attacked officers who were conducting enquiries at Saawie near Jirapa, dispossessed them of four (4) service weapons and caused injuries to the officers.

The Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP/Mr. Francis Yiribaare, immediately led a reinforcement team to the community and successfully rescued and evacuated the injured officers for medical attention. The team successfully retrieved all weapons, and efforts are ongoing to retrieve two magazines.

However, two of the officers who sustained varying degrees of injuries were treated and discharged, while one officer with a fractured arm has been referred to the Wa Regional Hospital for further medical attention.

Meanwhile, DCOP Yiribaare, has strongly condemned the attack on the police personnel and assured the public that decisive measures are being taken to ensure the safety of their officers and law-abiding residents.

The Upper West Regional Police Commander has urged residents of Saawie and neighbouring communities to cooperate with investigators and provide any information that may assist in the arrest of remaining suspects as well as recovery of outstanding items.

POS Foundation, a human rights civil society organisation, as part of activities marking its 20th anniversary has presented various items to the Kaneshie Senior High Technical School and Kaneshie West 1 Basic School in Accra.

Both schools received dustbins, cartons of sanitary pads, toiletries and ceiling fans worth GH?25,000.

The donation also forms part of activities marking the Foundation’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Executive Secretary of POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu, said the organisation had over the past 20 years championed human rights, gender-based violence advocacy, and played a key role in the Justice for All Programme in Ghana’s prisons.

He urged students to practise good personal hygiene and further encouraged them to become hygiene ambassadors in their homes, schools and communities.

Precious Klu, Project Officer in charge of Gender and Inclusion, encouraged the pupils to speak out against gender-based violence by reporting perpetrators to authorities.

She also used the opportunity to encourage them to keep their school environments clean at all times.

Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Kaneshie, Superintendent of Police Alice Harlley, on her part, urged the students to report any form of abuse to their teachers, stressing that ‘it is not true that you will die when you report people who abuse you.’

Municipal Chief Executive of Ablekuma Central, Frank Nkansah, announced plans to institute a monthly Sanitation Day for schools within the area to promote environmental cleanliness.

He commended POS Foundation for giving back to the community and appealed to businesses within the municipality to invest in local development.

Assistant Headmistress of Kaneshie Senior High Technical School, Regina Gyampomaa Oduro, said the school was delighted to benefit from the gesture, adding: ‘We promise that we will not allow our bodies to be touched anyhow.’

The POS Foundation is a leading human rights civil society organisation in Ghana that focuses its activities in the areas of Human Rights Advocacy, Access to Justice, Law/Policy Reforms, Youth Development, Gender and Inclusion, Cross-border Trade, Research, and Social Accountability.

With a track record of successfully implemented projects, the organisation has strategically positioned itself as a force to reckon with in many fields, including working on projects in six (6) West African countries (Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire).

The POS Foundation facilitates the state-led Justice For All Programme which seeks to adjudicate remand/pretrial cases to reduce prison overcrowding by setting up special mobile in-prison courts.

A Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) initiative by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation is improving the living standards of the people in the beneficiary communities.

A monitoring exercises carried out by the Foundation recently revealed encouraging improvements in sanitation practices and water infrastructure maintenance in the communities.

It was also revealed that the standpipes and pipelines of the communities are well kept. The Foundation therefore supplied them with sanitation materials to motivate them to maintain cleanliness around their facilities.

This came to light during the Quarter Four (Q4) WATSAN Review meeting to assess activities carried out throughout 2025.

The meeting brought together WATSAN committees from communities across the Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea-Huni Valley municipalities to assess the activities carried out.

Project Coordinator, Ayishetu Mohammed, noted that the Q4 review meeting provided a platform for all 22 host communities to give accounts of their achievements, challenges, and recommendations for the 2026 WATSAN programme.

She said, ‘New Atuabo had a success story. Other communities such as Amoanda and Koduakrom are also doing well.

‘Some have undertaken extensions to underserved areas, while others have drilled additional boreholes to augment existing systems,’ she indicated.

She mentioned that some community members still think that because Gold Fields provided the water systems, they should use them for free.

She said, ‘For water systems to remain sustainable, communities must take ownership and contribute to their upkeep’.

She told the people that once they accept that the system belongs to them, they should be committed to protecting and sustaining it for the future.

She encouraged the WATSAN teams to continue improving their operations and maintain the momentum as the Foundation prepares to refine its 2026 water and sanitation strategy.

Access Bank (Ghana) PLC has been ranked among the top-performing companies in boardroom gender diversity, according to the newly released Ghana Board Diversity Index Report 2025.

The Bank emerged as the second most gender-diverse board in Ghana, with 44% of its board seats occupied by women, significantly higher than the national average of 25%.

The annual report, published by TheBoardroom Africa in partnership with the Ghana Stock Exchange, assesses female representation across the boards and senior leadership teams of all 36 listed companies in the country.

Access Bank’s performance places it firmly in the category of ‘Gender Champions’, a designation for companies with at least 30% women on their boards. Only 39% of Ghana’s listed firms meet this benchmark.

Beyond its 44% female board representation, the report also highlights that 50% of Access Bank’s Non-Executive Directors are women.

The Bank further distinguishes itself as one of the few listed companies with both a Woman Board Chair and a Woman Chief Operating Officer, underscoring its strong commitment to gender inclusion at both board and executive levels.

The Board Chair of Access Bank Ghana, Ms. Ama Sarpong Bawuah, noted, ‘Our diversity agenda is integral to our culture and our business. We believe organisations that reflect the diversity of their markets are better equipped for innovation, sustainability, and long-term value creation.’

Commenting on the recognition, the Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana, Ms. Pearl Nkrumah, described the achievement as a reflection of the Bank’s long-standing commitment to inclusive leadership.

‘We are proud to be recognised as one of the top organisations driving gender balance in Ghana’s corporate space. Diversity is not just a metric for us; it is a strategic imperative. The presence of women at the highest levels of leadership has strengthened our governance, broadened our perspectives, and enhanced our decision-making as a bank,’ she said.

Despite Ghana recording a modest 1% increase in women’s board representation since 2024, progress remains slow. Sixty-one percent of listed companies are still below the 30% board diversity benchmark, while 14% have no women on their boards at all.

According to the report, companies chaired by women are nearly twice as likely to achieve the 30% diversity threshold.

Football fans worldwide now have a clearer picture of their FIFA World Cup 2026S journey after a colourful Final Draw held in Washington, D.C. The event-featuring legends Ronaldo Nazário, Francesco Totti, Hristo Stoichkov and Alexi Lalas-saw FIFA President Gianni Infantino announce an updated match schedule designed to improve player welfare, fan experience and global broadcast reach.

A total of 42 qualified teams, along with 22 others chasing the final six slots, discovered their group opponents and match dates during the live event.

Co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States now know who they will face and when. Mexico will open the expanded 48-team tournament on Thursday, 11 June, when El Tri take on South Africa at Mexico City Stadium at 13:00 local time-a nostalgic repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener.

On Friday, 12 June, Toronto will buzz with excitement as Canada host the winner of the European play-offs involving Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The USA begin their campaign later that day in Los Angeles, facing Paraguay at 18:00 local time in their first-ever competitive meeting.

England and Croatia will renew their rivalry on Wednesday, 17 June, at Dallas Stadium in a rematch of their dramatic 2018 semifinal. In Houston, Curaçao will make history on Sunday, 14 June, becoming the smallest nation to play at a World Cup as they debut against Germany.

Another standout fixture comes on Saturday, 13 June, when Brazil meet Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Monterrey will mark a major milestone on Saturday, 20 June, hosting the 1,000th FIFA World Cup match, featuring Tunisia versus Japan.

FIFA says the final match calendar was created to minimise travel, maximise rest days and ensure comfortable conditions for teams and fans. Venue temperatures, transport systems, security and global broadcast windows were key considerations.

The final schedule will be confirmed in March once the remaining six qualification spots are decided.

Tickets and hospitality packages are available at FIFA’s official platforms, with the next sales phase opening on 11 December.

Former Chief Executive Officer of National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, has filed an application for the review of the order of a High Court in Adenta, Accra, confirming the ‘unlawful’ freezing of some of his properties by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

According to him, no factual or legal basis was established by EOCO to support a freezing of his assets and further ‘categorically’ denied EOCO’s allegation of criminal conduct in the acquisition of the properties in question, indicating that they are not found on any credible evidence presented to the court.

He contends that EOCO was merely motivated ‘by a desire to freeze every property tangentially connected to him, irrespective of whether that property was acquired in his period in office or not.’

Hanan Abdul-Wahab, Faiza Seidu Wuni, together with Richard Sam-Asante, who is said to be on run, the Ludiba Foundation and Energy Partners Limited, two companies related to the couple, have been charged by the Attorney General for allegedly stealing money from the state through a criminal enterprise.

The five are facing 24 counts of charges of stealing, fraudulently causing financial loss to the state, abetment of stealing, money laundering, defrauding by false pretences, intentional dissipation of public funds, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.

Prior to the filing of the charges, EOCO seized some properties believed to have been acquired by the former NAFCO CEO through proceeds of crime.

The properties include three-bedroom house at Kpalsi in Tamale in the Northern Region; uncompleted storey building at Gumami, Tamale; 0.27-acre plot of land in Tamale and another 0.29-acre plot of land also in Tamale.

On November 21, 2025, EOCO secured a court order confirming the freezing of the properties, a confirmation he argues was done ex parte without notice to him.

In an application filed by Richard Gyambibi of Dame and Partners, the applicant argues that by proceeding ex parte to procure the order, EOCO deprived him of his constitutional right to be heard and to contest the factual and legal basis of its application.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab contends that the application for confirmation of the freezing of his properties failed to meet the essential statutory preconditions required for an invocation of the court’s jurisdiction to confirm freezing order made by EOCO, thereby making the order null, void and ought to be set aside.

The applicant further argues that some of the properties frozen by EOCO were acquired long before his appointment as CEO of NAFCO and the entire period of investigation for the alleged offences and, therefore, ‘cannot have any conceivable nexus to the matters purportedly being investigated by the respondent [EOCO].’

This includes the property at Kpalsi, which he said he acquired in 2011 and completed the construction of the house in 2013, and performed part of his Islamic marriage ceremony to his wife in the same year in that house.

He attached documents covering the acquisition of the land as well as photographs portraying a party organised in that house in 2013 to celebrate the marriage.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab also contends that the uncompleted storey building with GPS Address NR-151-7759, Gumami, Adjacent Baobab Guest House, Tamale, mentioned in the freezing order does not belong to him and therefore cannot lawfully form the subject of a freezing order issued against him.

He also argues that he does not have any legal or beneficial interest in the 0.27-acre land with GPS Address NS-320-6111, Estate Junction, Dagomba Street, Tamale, as it was the property of Al-Qarni Enterprise, an entity in which he has no interest.

‘The said Al-Qarni Enterprise transferred full ownership of its interest in the property to OSGAF Furniture Enterprise in 2022, long before the purported investigations commenced,’ he avers.

It is his case that a failure by EOCO to state and prove the essential factors specified by the EOCO Act 2010, (Act 804) and Ghanaian law in general, for a grant of a confirmation order as the one in question, renders the order obtained null, void and of no effect.

He also avers that ‘to the extent that the orders affected properties of mine acquired in 2013, long before I was employed as a staff of NAFCO, same violate my right to own property enshrined in article 20 of the constitution.’