Alexis Miranda Foundation fetes Special Kids

Alexis Miranda Foundation (AMF), a nonprofit organization established to create and increase Autism awareness in the communities around the world with a focus on Ghana and other African nations has held a party for the New Horizon Special School, Cantonments.

The Foundation which is committed to enhancing the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by Autism and other disabilities according to Goldie Segbedzi, the event organizer and representative of the foundation stated that, the gesture was to show how committed the foundation is adding that the founders hope to provide comprehensive professional services to children who are affected and help them reach their maximum potential and thrive in their communities.

Speaking to the Principal of the school, Vanessa Adu Akorsah, she opined that the support the institution has received from the Alexis Miranda foundation has been enormous and sought more benevolent people to join the fray as they are a ‘cocktail mix’.

“Lynn Osei Asibe, the founder of Alexis Miranda because of a 14 year old Autistic child has shown so much love to this institution which I normally describe as a cocktail mix because we have children with autism, down syndrome and other learning difficulties. However I believe that there are other benevolent people who can come and support this institution”, the Principal said.

The New Horizon Special school was established by Mrs Salome Francois in 1972 and is with the Ministry of Education, and has been legally registered as a Voluntary, Non-Profit making and charitable institution in Ghana.

It provides day school education for children and vocational training and employment for adults who have intellectual disability. Persons with other disabilities e.g. spastic, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, hearing impaired etc are also admitted so long as their primary disability is learning difficulty. Presently students aged four to forty plus years attend the school.

Why The Private Sector Would Not Invest In Fruitless Venture: A Comment On Stakeholders Call For Support To Complete The Museum Of Science And Technology.

I was saddened when I read on Graphic online on Wednesday September 11 2013 that “Stakeholders discuss funding of science museum”.All I said to myself was, there they go again trying to find ways of milking Ghana for an over 30 year old project which is still in limbo.

Permit me to proceed with alacrity.


In that piece it was stated that, “the Executive Director of the National Museums and Monuments Board, Dr. Zagba Narh Oyartey, speaking at a forum in Accra called on civil society, NGOs and other stakeholders in science and technology to help develop a coherent approach in ensuring the realisation of the dream.”


I want to find out from Dr. Oyartey the dream he was talking about. The dream that has been shattered by miscommunication or dishonesty?


Sometimes I am forced to question the mental integrity of our leaders who have received formal education.I am brought to that point because of how our leaders seem to be taking us for a ride.


If our leaders do not know then I would remind them that, according to the definition by the International Council of Museums, a museum is typically a permanent institution in the services of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, research, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education, enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment and not a place developed for squatters.

I remember vividly that a year ago the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Fritz Baffour, stated emphatically that the facility whose construction began forty years ago has been left unattended to due to budgetary constraints.


However speaking to the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board a few months ago, he stated otherwise.According to him the project has been at a standstill due to the change in hands of Directors who have all been in acting position adding that, 70% of works on the project was done an was only left with some fittings to do.

If one would remember, in July 2006 a publication by The Statesman stated that in an interview with Agyiri Sackey, Principal Curator of the MST on the state of affairs at the museum, he disclosed that Government had released ¢2.5bn to be used in the completion of the project.
He added that the idea was to complete the ground floor of the building housing the MST for the staff to move in; the rest of the work would then continue.

Mr Sackey also said the major challenges that faced the MST were lack of human resources, and logistics. He said the few personnel with the MST then were also resigning due to the poor condition of service and a lack of resources to work with.This leads me to my questions.

Do the personnel have better conditions of service and resourced now?Why has the museum not been completed?What was the money used for if it has not been completed?Since I do not want anyone to tell us the money was not enough for the project, I would add a further question.


If the funding was not sufficient then, weren’t estimates made before government released money for its completion?

Today when you visit the project all you will realize is how deteriorating the project keeps on getting with almost all the windows broken.

It is sad that forty years down the lane, the Museum of Science and Technology (MST), which was the brainchild of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, is yet to be completed due to the certain discrepancies.


A huge number of otherwise laudable projects abandoned just like the Museun of Science and Technology (MST).

To borrow the words of Professor George Hagan, a former Chairman of the National Commission on Culture whom I agree with “it is a national disgrace that it has taken 40 years to set up a science museum in Ghana’’.

Why The Ghana League Lacks Quality Players

Day in day out I hear club owners and locals soccer enthusiasts wailing at the declining nature of the Ghanaian league because all the players seem to be playing for foreign contracts. I however ask myself, why do you cry when you continue to deny these players what they deserve?

Taking a look at the various clubs in the Premier League I realized one worrying trend, overhauling of teams with players.

How can a club have as many as 40 or more first team players? How then do you even expect a coach to know the quality of his team ahead of a match day in a league where salaries range from as low as GHC30 to GHC500 on the average?

This was why I found it worrying when I heard that Premier League side Ashgold have completed the signing of ten players and promoted six of their academy players to the senior side ahead of the new season.  

With the addition of these sixteen players to the team what will be the remuneration for the players.

It is no surprise that Ghanaian footballers are increasingly making moves for financial reasons rather than sporting ones which has led to their careers taking a nose dive.   

Emmanuel Baffour, ex national goal king couldn’t wait for a practical move and jumped ship quickly to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in 2012 where he did not get playing time and currently looking forward to a move away from the club.

Also rising national goalie Fatau Dauda left local side Ashanti Gold to South Africa’s Orlando Pirates with no guarantees of first team action all because of what seems to be a new trend, finance.

I wouldn’t blame the players if the move to play outside is due to financial reasons because one cannot play in a league where remuneration is as low as GHC30 Cedis to GHC500 on the average.

We all attest to how the Ghana Football Association is struggling to attract sponsorship for the Premier League, after the expiration of the contract with Telecommunications giants Globacom.

Though the GFA spokesperson Ibrahim Sannie Daara has publicly asked companies to invest in the Premier League because it guarantees more exposure for potential sponsors than the GFA’s current cash cow, the Black Stars, with my little knowledge in marketing I know that unless a product is packaged correctly and attractively, there is no way there one would attract buyers.

So it is with sponsorship. I think the clubs and the FA need to get it right to attract better sponsorship deals and the stay of our players on the local scene.

How Ghana can beat Zambia

The Black Stars are to play the Zambian national side in their last Group D encounter in order to advance to the third and final round of the qualifiers in the African zone, to the 2014 FIFA World cup.

The game slated for Friday, 6th September, 2013 is going to be a tough one for the Black Stars who are favorites to qualify.

Though the Chipolopolo’s may be a strong side, the Black Stars ahead of the cagey encounter have got an upper hand, topping the statistical index ahead of this game.

To the Zambians the Stars need to employ a strategy that would be good defensively and in attack like the 4-4-1-1 formation in order to beat their Zambian opponents.

The 4-4-1-1 formation is an adaptable system that gives teams’ strength in midfield and plenty of width. The role of central midfielders and full-backs, particularly, can change depending on how much emphasis a team is putting on defense or offense.

The system 4-4-1-1 is going to be effective for Kwesi Appiah’s side because it can be adapted based on whether the team is setting out to attack or defend.

It is common in this system to have one striker playing high up the field capable of holding the ball up and laying it off for the oncoming midfielders, or a more nimble striking partner like Majeed Waris, who would be deployed as a withdrawn striker capable of running on to balls and finishing chances but with his absence Asamoah Gyan should be in that role, as he feels comfortable combining both creative and goal scoring abilities. And this is evident because, he's scored 6 goals in his last 4 games (i stand to be corrected) for the Black Stars in that role.

The withdrawn striker, capable of playing in the 'hole' (the area behind the main striker) would also use his creative skills to set up those around him, primarily his strike partner which I would prefer Mahatma Otoo.

Whichever front two combinations Appiah chooses to field, the player who is not a big target man or a withdrawn creative player, is likely to be a goal scorer, with the nose to sniff out score chances in and around the penalty area.

In this formation, the main striker would not lack support as he has four players including the withdrawn striker whose job would be to set him up. If the players behind the main striker on the day are of genuine quality, the formation can be a dream for the striker as he should receive plenty of balls into the penalty area, making the Zambian defense porous and posing more trouble for them to contain.

It is important to note that the front-man on the day becomes a strong physical specimen as, regardless of the support from midfield, he will need to hold off strong defenders like Mbola as he looks to carve out chances for himself or teammates.

In the middle of the field the system would allow Kwesi Appiah’s side to have one defensive midfielder and another whose job is to get forward and join the strikers in the penalty area.

A huge burden will be placed on the central midfield to augment defense and attack, so Rabiu Mohammed and any other selected midfield partner roles are going to be key.

The complexity of this position will be such that Rabiu Mohammed has to sit just behind the centre circle and will be primarily required by Kwesi Appiah to break down Zambian's attacks and beef up the defense when the team is on the back foot and act as an extra member of the defense.

 Now to complement the efforts of Rabiu Mohammed in the middle, a true all-rounder that plays at both ends of the field, literally filling in everywhere will be needed. Usually in possession of exceptional stamina with remarkable defensive and offensive skills, Agyemang Badu should be an option here.

However, whenever we want to surprise our opponents, the midfielders can take turns in going forward. With five men attacking I bet you it’s going to be difficult for the Zambians to keep up with as it’s going to be hard to pick up advancing midfielders who are making late runs into the box, or passing the ball between them to make space.

The winger's prime responsibility on the day would be to take on the Zambian full-backs and get the ball into the strikers. They can also cut inside and pass to teammates but if they are instructed to cross the ball by their coach, they would have to do so from a wide position.

However having a winger like Christian Atsu or Solomon Asante would be a plus to the team because they both have the ability to beat opposing defenders before crossing into the penalty area for the strikers and advancing midfielders, thus making the defense more vulnerable.

When on the back foot, it would be imperative that the wingers support the full-backs, or there is a risk that, that flank could be badly exposed especially when you have a full back who likes to surge forward like Samuel Inkoom.

It is going to be the job of the full-backs to defend against opposition attackers, particularly wingers like Chisamba Lungu. It is important that they stop the supply line for the striker, so must be strong and careful with their tackles.

The onus is on the two wing-backs to make regular forays forward and give the team attacking width.

The team's full-backs can also be a major attacking weapon. A full-back with pace, power and good crossing ability such as Harrison Afful is going to be a real asset on the flank as Ghana can pull Zambia’s players wide and provide ammunition for strikers.

Often when the Black Stars have a corner, the full-backs need to remain near the half-way line in case the opposition launches a rapid counterattack. This is because the central defenders will likely be up for the corner because of their height, while the full-backs can use their pace to foil the counterattack.

At the heart of defence the center-backs would be expected to repel the attacks of the opposing team, primarily by tackling and heading the ball out of the danger zone. The center-backs could adopt the zonal marking, man marking or even both form of marking under Kwesi Appiahs instruction.

The central defence of the Stars requires strength, bravery, concentration and an ability to read the game on the day because Rainford Kalaba and Katongo can be tough customers.

While their teammates' passing may be expansive, they generally need to keep things simple, distributing short passes.

They need to "shepherd" or channel opposition attackers into narrower or more crowded avenues of approach.

It is also imperative that together with the fullbacks, they implement an effective offside trap when necessary.

Meanwhile with the return of John Boye from injury the team is set to have a strong defensive pair.

As the last line of defence, whoever keeps the post must be able to make quick, athletic saves, be well composed and have good vision (ability to see build-up play ahead to others or ability to see a pass or awareness of players around his box).

If the Black Stars play with composure the formation will ensure good strength in numbers when defending as well as attacking, and makes it hard for the Chipolopolo’s to counterattack.

All Ghanaians look forward to Kwesi Appiah’s side to make it to the next round come September.

ZAK ANSAH: A TALENT TO WATCH

Zak is pacy forward and a product of Arsenal’s Hale End Academy who has made his mark in the reserves.

The ‘94’ born is an exciting talent with an eye for goal.

Zak was forced to play out of his comfort zone at the beginning of the season in a deep-lying central midfield role for the Under-18s.

Zak, who is equally adept out wide or through the middle, made his debut for the Under-18s at just 14 and is also an England youth international.

His promotion to the second string was swift, however Zak soon became an established member of Neil Banfield’s set-up in his preferred advanced role before a knee injury cut short his season.

CALEB EKUBAN: A YOUNG AND PROMISING STAR

Caleb Ekuban is a 19 year old young and promising Ghanaian footballer who plies his trade for Chievo.

Ekuban who is a right footed centre forward, has been likened to Ghanaian-born Italian striker Mario Balotelli.

The youngster has been a revelation in Italy’s Primavera division has had an impressive scoring run, scoring 6 times in 24 appearances having come on as a substitute in 10 games.

DANIEL AMARTEY; CATAPULTING TO GREATER HEIGHTS

Daniel Amartey is young Ghanaian midfielder who plays for Djurgardens IF in the Swedish League.

Amartey started his career with Accra based Inter Allies FC until his move to Sweden.

He was spotted by Magnus Perrsson during his scouting trip in Africa when he was preparing to take over as manager of Djurgardens IF.

To help Djurgardens IF secure Amartey’s signature, Pehrsson managed to secure the transfer rights of the youngster.

Amartey enjoyed short spells with the club’s U21 side in both 2011 and 2012.

He then made his league debut in the 2013 Allsvenskan opening game away against Helsingborgs IF.

The youngster scored in regulation time for his side Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Cup final but was beaten 3-1 on penalties by IFK Goteborg.

Daniel Amartey in his first season at the club and has earned rave reviews for his exploits.