Ghana has joined the International Community to commemorate World Diabetes Day in Accra. This year’s celebration was aimed at raising awareness of the growing burden of Diabetes and strategies to prevent and manage the threat. Delivering a speech on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Ghana, Francis Kasolo, Public Health Specialist at the World Health Organization, Dr. Elizabeth Juma said “Africa’s diabetes statistics illustrate the depth of the challenge; 24 million adults are currently living with diabetes, with that number predicted to swell by 129% to 55 million by 2045” She added that last year, Diabetes mellitus took the lives of 416,000 people on the continent, adding that it is forecast to become one of the leading causes of death in Africa by 2030. “Importantly, diabetes is the only major noncommunicable disease (NCD) for which the risk of dying early is increasing, rather than decreasing. Similar epidemiological trends are reflected in Ghana as Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) affects approximately 6% of adults and the prevalence is expected to increase” She also revealed that response efforts are constrained but the fact that more than one in every two people in Africa living with Diabetes mellitus have never been diagnosed. Dr. Juma added that increased access to diagnostic tools and medicines, particularly insulin, is one of the most urgent areas of work. To accelerate progress on Diabetes and other NCDs, she disclosed that the WHO developed the Global Diabetes Compact. She explained that the vision of the Global Diabetes Compact is to reduce the negative impacts of the disease and ensure that everyone living with Diabetes has access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care. She ceased the opportunity to appeal to government of Member States to promise investment in essential products such as insulins, glucometers and test strips. “As WHO, we commit our full support to the requisite training of health workers in the prevention and management of NCDs at districts and community level, to improve availability of these services. “I would also like to urge African governments to adopt and customize the global targets for diabetes, as part of recommendations to strengthen and monitor diabetes responses within the national NCD programmes” “To Ghanaians, I cannot overemphasize the importance of healthy and balanced diets, combined with regular exercise, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption. This will go a long way to protecting individuals from Type 2 diabetes and other NCDs” Taking her turn, the Deputy Minister for Health, Madam Tina Mensah said “Studies conducted in Ghana estimate the prevalence of diabetes to be between 2.6% to 9%. Ghana Health Service records an average of 200,000 cases of diabetes reporting to heath facilities annually” Touching on cost of diabetes care, she further said “Although the direct cost of care is covered by National Health Insurance, extra costs in terms nutritional support are borne by the patient, his/her families and/or providers through out-of-pocket payments” Stressing on low awareness of diabetes, the Deputy Minister said “A landscape assessment on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) conducted in 2020 reported that only 19.2% of respondents at the national level knew about the NCD policy and strategy. These are documents which sets the direction for Ghana with respect to NCDs” She added that Ghana should appreciate all the efforts undertaken by partners to support diabetes care in both children and adults. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghana Premier League duo Ibrahim Danlad and Daniel Afriyie Barnieh have been included in Otto Addo’s final Black Stars squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The two players are officially the 7th and 8th locally-based Black Stars players in history to make the squad for a World Cup. In 2006, four locally based players were called whilst one each were added to that of the 2010 and 2014 squads. Danlad has established himself as an important goalkeeper for Asante Kotoko, Black Meteors and the Black Galaxies in the last two years whilst Barnieh is a leader at Hearts of Oak in the Ghana Premier League. Barnieh has scored four goals in all competitions this season, helping the Black Galaxies to a place in the African Nations Championship following a win over Nigeria. Ghana will take on Switzerland in their final pre-world cup friendly on Thursday, November 17 and play their first World Cup match against Portugal on November 24. Credit: 3news.com

Mubarak Wakaso, Jojo Wollacott, and Richard Ofori were the most notable omissions from Ghana’s World Cup squad, which was announced on Monday. The trio were part of the preliminary squad, but were not included in the final squad, which Otto Addo announced in Accra. Wakaso has been dropped because he does not fit the technical team’s plan, while Wollacott and Ofori are both injured and will not be ready for the tournament, which begins on Sunday, November 20. Andre Ayew, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku, Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, and Daniel Amartey are among Otto Addo’s 26-man squad. The only Ghana Premier League players in the squad are Danlad Ibrahim and Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, with Salis Abdul Samed and Kamal Sowah making their debuts. Black Stars are set to camp in Abu Dhabi, where they will play their final pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland on Thursday, November 17. Ghana face Portugal in their World Cup opener on November 24. They are joined in Group H by South Korea and Uruguay. The four-time African champions have set a semi-final target. Credit: 3news.com

Black Stars coach Otto Addo on Monday announced his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup. Here’s everything you need to know about the players who will be in Qatar. GOALKEEPERS Name: Lawrence Ati-Zigi Club: St Gallen Age: 25 Position: Goalkeeper He is the first-choice keeper for ST. Gallen in the Swiss Super League. He has kept the post 107 times. He has already kept 13 matches and conceded 19 goals. Having kept the post 4 times for the Black Satellites, he was invited to the Black Stars in 2017 and has made 15 appearances Qatar 2022 will be Ati Zigi’s first World cup. Name: Abdul Manaf Nurudeen Club: KAS Eupen Age: 23 Position: Goalkeeper He transferred from Aspire Academy to KAS Eupen in Belgium. Ghana’s Manaf Nurudeen competed at the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. He was first called up to the Ghana national team in September 2021 for World Cup qualifications against Ethiopia and South Africa, but he did not play. This is his second tournament invitation following his selection for the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon. Name: Ibrahim Danlad Club: Asante Kotoko Age: 19 Position: Goalkeeper He will be one of Ghana’s youngest men in Qatar. The World atmosphere alone presents him with an opportunity to add to his experience. The Kotoko goalkeeper has had to a couple of loan engagements with King Faisal and Berekum Chelsea and has kept the post in 50 Ghana Premier League games. Impressively he has kept 26 clean sheets out of that number. He has gone through the youth sides including The Black Meteors (u23) and exhibited good performance. He won Ghana Premier League in the 2021-22 season. With the Black Satellites, he won the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and the WAFU Zone B U-20 tournaments. DEFENDERS Name: Baba Rahman Club: Reading FC Age: 28 Position: Left back The Reading FC full-back won the Ghana Premier League with Asante Kotoko in 2011–12. His impressive form earned him a transfer to Europe. He has been under contract at Chelsea since 2015 but has spent majority of his career either on loan to other clubs or in hospitals due to injury. He has however recovered and established himself in the Reading team and has made 30 appearances from the start of last season. He played every match in the 2015 Africa cup of nations which Ghana finished as runners-up. Name: Gideon Mensah Club: AJ Auxerre Age: 24 Position: Left back He played for West Africa Soccer Academy in Ghana before securing a deal in Austria. He is currently a Salzburg player but has spent most of his time on loan to teams like FC Girondins Bordeaux, Zulte Waregem and Vitória Guimarães SC. He won the heart of many with his performances for the Black Stars in the double-legged tie against Nigeria in the World cup playoffs. The left-back provided the assist to Thomas Partey’s goal which propelled Ghana to a fourth World cup appearance. Name: Daniel Amartey Club: Leicester City Age: 27 Position: centre-back The former Inter Allies player was invited in 2015 by Avram Grant for the African cup of nations. He played all the games in the group stage leading to Ghana’s second place finish. He also played in the 2017 and 2021 African cup of nations and was named in the team of the tournament for the former. With Leicester, he has won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Community Shield Name: Alexander Djiku Club: Strasbourg Age: 28 Position: Center back Played in France in his entire career playing for Bastia and eventually moved to Caen and Strasbourg. He is the current vice deputy captain of Strasbourg. Djiku is arguably Strasbourg’s best player with an average rating of 7.19. He got the opportunity to represent Ghana in Ghana’s 3-0 defeat to Mali in October 2020 and has played 18 more. Despite making less than 20 international appearances, he will be a key player in Ghana’s defence at the world cup. Name: Joseph Aidoo Club: Celta Vigo Age: 27 Position: centre-back He started his playing career at Inter Allies. He captained the side in the 2014-15 season before joining Hammarby IF in Sweden. He later moved to Genk and made a total of 75 appearances while scoring five goals. He signed for Spanish outfit Celta Vigo in 2019. He has played over 100 matches for Celta Vigo and is considered an integral member of the squad. He was part of the squad that represented Ghana in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the U-20 African championship. He has played just a single match in a major tournament for the Black stars (against Guinea Bissau in the 2019 AFCON) and will be seeking more appearances in Qatar. Name: Denis Odoi Club: Club Brugge Age: 34 Position: Right-back Before making his debut in March 2022, he played a few matches for Belgium U20 in 2008, U21 in 2010 and the Belgium senior national football team in 2012. He has made a total of 526 appearances for clubs across Europe including Anderlecht, Lokeren and Fulham. Denis Odoi is known for his aptness to play on both sides of the defence. He was one of the outstanding performers in Ghana’s double-legged tie against Nigeria in the World cup playoff. Name: Alidu Seidu Club: Clermont Foot Age: 22 Position: Centre-back He joined Clermont Foot from JMG Academy at the age of 19. He’s fought his way through to the first team. He played 22 times for his side in Ligue 2 but has played more after the team was promoted to Ligue one. This season alone, Alidu has played in 14 matches for the French side. He can also play as a right-back. Name: Salisu Mohammed Club: Southampton Age: 23 Position: Centre-back He began his youth career in Ghana switching to a number of clubs including West Africa Football Academy and African Talent Football Academy. He, fortunately, joined the Spanish side Real Valladolid B as a teenager and made his instantaneous impact and got him a promotion to the senior team. He was recognized as one of the future prospects by several top clubs including Southampton where he now plies his trade. Salisu made his Ghana debut on September 23, 2022, as a second-half replacement in a 3-0 friendly loss to Brazil. Name: Tariq Lamptey Club: Brighton Age: 22 Position: Right-back Tariq is one of several players who participated in England’s junior teams but failed to make the three Lions. His predicament at the national level was identical to that of Chelsea, where he only made one senior appearance. The availability of Chelsea’s fullbacks Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta made it tough for Tariq Lamptey to break through. The teenager moved to Brighton & Hove Albion in order to gain more playing time and eventually became a regular starter. He has appeared in 64 matches for the Seagulls thus far. He made his debut for the Black Stars in a friendly match against Brazil. MIDFIELDERS Name: André Ayew Club: Al Sadd Age: 32 Position: Attacking Midfielder André Ayew is by far Ghana’s top player, having played for both the U20 and Black Stars. He guided the Black Satellites to the African Youth Championship in 2009 before becoming the first African country to win the FIFA U20 World Cup. His leadership abilities followed him to the Black Stars, where he is currently captain. In 2010, 2011, and 2015, Ayew was chosen to the CAF Team of the Year. He was also named BBC African Footballer of the Year and Ghana Player of the Year in 2011. Along with four other players, he was the highest scorer at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. In his fourth tournament as captain, he will lead Ghana to Qatar. Name: Thomas Partey Club: Arsenal Age: 29 Position: Midfielder Ghana’s current finest player in recent years. Before joining Atlético Madrid in 2012, Thomas Partey played for Leganés. He debuted for the Black Stars in 2017 and has since appeared in 38 games, scoring 12 goals. He won the 2020-21 La Liga with Atlético Madrid, as well as the UEFA Europa League in 2017-18 and the UEFA Super Cup in 2018. He was named to the CAF Team of the Year in 2018, the SWAG Sports Personality of the Year in 2018, and the Ghana Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. Ghana would undoubtedly rely on him to make a mark in Qatar. Name: Mohammed Kudus Club: Ajax Age: 22 Position: Attacking Midfielder Kudus may just be a little over twenty, but arguably, Ghana’s talent to watch at the mundial in Qatar. The Ajax man has assumed a new role as a false number nine and has delivered an inch-perfect performance in that position. He stole the headlines a few weeks ago having scored in three consecutive UEFA Champions League matches. Kudus has already scored nine goals in 20 matches for Ajax. Kudus’ versatility has been displayed from infancy when he played for right to dream academy through to FC Nordsjaelland and his current Dutch club. In 18 appearances for the national team, he has netted five goals and provided three assists. He has won with Ajax, back-to-back Eredivisie titles in 2020–21 and 2021–22 and the KNVB Cup in 2020–21. Name: Daniel-Kofi Kyereh Club: Freiburg Age: 26 Position: Attacking Midfielder He is calm in keeping possession and a threat in the final third. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is excellent with long passes and set-pieces. His work rate is really commendable. The attacker may not be an outright starter in the Ghanaian set-up but what he really offers is unique. He can be remembered as one of Ghana’s outstanding performers in their last AFCON outing in Cameroon. Name: Elisha Owusu Club: Genk Age: 25 Position: Midfielder. He began his youth career at Olympique Lyonnais and captained the reserves before breaking through to the senior side. He also played for Sochaux on loan before moving to Gent in Belgium. A lot of football connoisseurs have quizzed the management on the backup to Baba Iddrisu and Thomas Partey and Elisha seem to be one of the answers. He actually showed a glimpse in Ghana’s tie against Nigeria. Calm but diligent with his passing coupled with precision. Name: Salis Abdul Samed Club: RC Lens Age: 22 Position: Midfielder. He joined Clermont Foot in France from JMG Academy in 2021 and was one of the best passers in the French Ligue 1. Salis is playing for Lens this season and his current performances are simply magnificent. Fortunately for Salis, his first invitation to the national team is the World cup assignment. He would definitely wait for the opportunity to get minutes to impress the world. He poses as a competition for Elisha Owusu and a backup for Thomas Partey. Name: Kamaldeen Sulemana Club: Rennes Age: 20 Position: Winger He is also a product of the right to dream academy. He spent seven years with them and later joined FC Nordsjælland in 2020 in Denmark. He was involved in 22 goals out of 43 matches before joining Stade Rennais FC in 2021. He made his debut for Ghana in October 2020 in a friendly match against Mali. Kamaldeen was also part Ghana’s AFCON 2021 squad and played in all three matches. His pace and dribbling ability as well his creativity will obviously add a lot to Ghana’s play at the world cup. Name: Abdul Fatawu Issahaku Club: Sporting Lisbon Age: 18 Position: Winger He is the squad’s youngest member, yet he is also one of its fastest. His left foot is well renowned for launching bows towards the goal. He joined Steadfast FC at the age of 15, after leaving the Tamale Utrecht Academy in 2019 and spending a season on loan with Dreams FC in the Ghana Premier League. After making his debut for the Black Starlets in 2018, he was selected captain of the African under-17 qualifiers for 2020. He was later invited to represent Ghana at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in 2021. Despite his age, he scored two crucial goals in the group stage, propelling Ghana to the knockout stage and eventually winning the competition for the first time in its history. Issahaku was voted the tournament’s best player. Name: Kamal Sowah Club: Club Brugge Age: 22 Position: Winger Kamal Sowah is one of the players who could make his debut for the Black Stars. He has a lot of strength and speed. He is very inventive on both sides of the ball. Excellent at cutting in from the left and firing crosses from the right. Ghana now have more alternatives on the flanks because of his talent. Name: Osman Bukari Club: Red Star Belgrade Age: 23 Position: Winger Bukari is a quick runner, dribbler, and excellent crosser. His defensive instincts make him a natural workaholic on the field. In 24 games this season, he has seven goals and five assists for Red Star Belgrade. He appeared in 127 games for AS Trencin, KAA Gent, and FC Nantes. He scored 22 goals and assisted 35 others for them. Prior to his first game for the Black Stars, he had scored three goals in three games for the Black Meteors. With FC Nantes, he won the Coupe de France in 2021-22. During his stint at AS Trencin, he was also chosen to the 2019-20 Slovak Super Liga Team of the Season. FORWARDS Name: Iñaki Williams Club: Athletic Bilbao Age: 28 Position: Forward Ghana has long sought quality strikers, and while several forwards have shown promise, they have struggled to maintain it. Iñaki who spent several years with Athletic Bilbao, might be Ghana’s option. Surprisingly, the former Pamplona player is rarely hurt, and his ability to recuperate swiftly is nearly unfathomable. After 286 La Liga matches, he has been involved in over 100 goals. Last September, he made his Black Stars debut against Brazil in an international friendly. In 2020-21, he helped Athletic Bilbao win the Supercopa de España. Name: Antoine Semenyo Club: Bristol City Age: 22 Position: Forward Semenyo is another possibility for Ghana’s striking troubles due to his talent. The Bristol City forward is quick, crafty, and has a lot of firepower in his legs. He scored eight goals and assisted on 12 others in 32 games. He has four goals and an assist in 18 games this season. He made his debut for the Black Stars in a 3-0 win over Madagascar in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Name: Daniel Afriyie Barnieh Club: Hearts of Oak Age: 21 Position: Forward He is arguably the best local-based player Ghana can boast of and his call-up may justify the calls from Ghanaians in his favour. He captained Ghana to the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations glory and WAFU Zone B U-20 Tournament triumph in 2020. With his club, Accra Hearts of Oak, he has won the Ghana Premier League, Ghanaian FA Cup, Ghana Super Cup and the President’s Cup. He also won for himself the SWAG Home-based Footballer of the Year and Ghanaian FA Cup Top scorer both in 2021. He also won the 2022 Ghanaian FA Cup Player of the Year. Due to his versatility, he adds depth to both the midfield and attack of the Black Stars. Name: Jordan Ayew Club: Crystal Palace Age: 31 Position: Forward Jordan is a versatile attacker who is capable of operating from all angles (Left Right and centre). He is a gifted dribbler with pace with an incredible work rate. He played at Marseille, Sochaux and Lorient before joining Aston Villa in 2015. He also played for Swansea City in the English Premier League. At Crystal Palace, he won the Crystal Palace Player of the Year at the end of the 2019–20 season. He was also Ghana’s player of the year in 2020. He has scored 19 go in 83 appearances for the Black Stars and assisted an extra 10.

The police in the Ashanti Region have arrested three persons over the Sunday, November 13 disturbances during the regional delegates’ congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Disturbances including a case of shooting were recorded during the congress held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. According to the police, the suspects and their accomplices were involved in different offences including assault on a Police officer, spraying pepper from a device onto some persons at the voting centre and engaging in a fight, resulting in injuries to one of the perpetrators. The suspects are Yahya Shaibu Tia, Fati Ibrahim and Husien Yakubu alias Jarlune. They are aiding in investigations while efforts are underway to get their accomplices arrested to face justice, the police said on Monday, November 14. Credit: 3news.com

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has left Ghana, on Sunday, 13th November 2022, for a two-day private visit to the United Kingdom. President Akufo-Addo will return to Ghana on Wednesday, 16th November, 2022. In his absence, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution, act in his stead, the Presidency said in a statement on Monday November 14. Credit: 3news.com

Daniel Afriyie Barnieh’s mother couldn’t contain her joy after learning that her son had been included in Ghana’s final squad for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The Hearts of Oak forward is among the 26 players named by Otto Addo on Monday. She spoke exclusively to 3Sports shortly after Addo’s announcement. Black Stars are set to camp in Abu Dhabi, where they will play their final pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland on Thursday, November 17. Ghana face Portugal in their World Cup opener on November 24. They are joined in Group H by South Korea and Uruguay. The four-time African champions have set a semi-final target. Watch the video below: Credit: 3news.com

News coming in indicates that an Accra High Court an Accra High Court has granted the police their application to stop pressure group Arise Ghana from embarking on demonstration on Tuesday, November 15. The pressure group Arise Ghana is expected to hold it demonstration at the Revolution Square, opposite the Jubilee House. The organisers have served notice of challenging the court ruling. Credit: 3news.com

Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku has called for unity and calm following the Black Stars squad announcement ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Black Stars coach Otto Addo named his 26-man squad on Monday, with Mubarak Wakaso and injured trio Jojo Wollacott, Richard Ofori and Iddrisu Baba missing out. In-form Joseph Paintsil, Jeffrey Schlupp, Ransford-Yeboah konigsdorffer and Majeed Ashimeru were also not included. “All the negativity around the Black Stars team, must stop. Let’s be positive. Let’s rally around the flag and let’s make our dear nation great and strong,” Okraku said. Black Stars are set to camp in Abu Dhabi, where they will play their final pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland on Thursday, November 17. Ghana face Portugal in their World Cup opener on November 24. They are joined in Group H by South Korea and Uruguay. The four-time African champions have set a semi-final target. Credit: 3news.com

Renowned gas infrastructure engineer and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company, Dr Ben K.D Asante has described natural gas as a good source of energy that is crucial to the industrialization agenda of Ghana. According to Dr. Asante, considering the current impact of climate change, countries across the world need to act quickly and make efforts to help mitigate the impact of climate change and ensure a sustainable development model. He said it is imperative that Ghana does not only deal with the challenge of acquiring ever-increasing amounts of energy to continue economic growth but also make sure that its energy stores increasingly come from renewable methods that are sustainable for the environment. Dr Asante was speaking at the Ghana Oil and Gas Conference organised by the Ghana Upstream Chamber in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The conference was under the theme: ‘Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy’. Ghana has, so far, made remarkable progress in its clean energy transition, becoming one of the countries to have investments in solar and other renewable sources of energy. Credit:3news.com

The Akufo-Addo Administration says it has decided to wash its hand off the much-talked about Saglemi Housing Project. According to government, the move will afford a private developer the opportunity to refurbish the housing units and sell to potential owners Addressing Journalists in Accra on Sunday, the Minister for Works and Housing Francis Asenso Boakye said "Government is exhausted and handicapped and can’t make further commitment to the Saglemi project. "On this basis, we’re allowing for a private sector developer to take up the initiative to build and sell the housing units" The Minister asserted that, a committee will be commissioned to guide the process and ensure transparency in the bidding process. The Saglemi housing project was started in 2012 under the NDC government to build 5000 housing units. This did not materialize due to alleged misappropriation of funds. The minister noted that, the 1,500 units built are currently inhabitable and an amount of about USD46 million is needed to provide water, electricity and storm drains. In addition, the Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso Boakye said, the high court is looking into the issues of embezzlement and anyone found culpable for crime will be convicted. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has in a communique issued after their plenary assembly in Donkokrom, Eastern region called on government to go after financiers behind illegal mining. According to the Bishops Conference, financiers behind the menace are chiefs, politicians, Regional Ministers, MMDCEs, and security personnel, among others hence the difficulty stopping the menace and prosecuting perpetrators. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference, therefore, joined calls for the arrest of Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party Bernard Antwi Bosiako alias chairman Wontumi owner of Akonta mining Limited for illegally mining in Forest reserve. “We urge the relevant agencies responsible for the protection and preservation of our natural resources to ensure the prosecution of the financiers of activities that result in major crisis facing the country such as illegal Mining (Galamsey).“ "One critical example is the call for prosecution of the owners of Akonta mining Limited, among others who have been accused by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, confirmed by the Minerals Commission and reported in the media”. They also cautioned against plans to begin mining in the Volta and Oti regions next year by government to avert spread of the scourge of illegal mining to the regions. The Bishops Conference wants a moratorium placed on new mining license in the country for the proper streamlining of the industry. On the current economic crises in the country, the Ghana Catholic Bishops conference recommended for significant reduction in the size of government, government expenditure as well as Presidential and ministerial convoys. They also charged government to aggressively act on Auditor General’s report to retrieve all alleged stolen monies, all as part of commitment towards burden-sharing in the current economic crises. Credit: starrfm.com