it's a must watch game any day: ghana's own "el-classico"

Exactly ten years ago on May 9, 2011, my dad, an unrepentant Hearts of Oak fan was at the Accra Sports Station when the stadium disaster that claimed some 127 souls happened. Of course we watched the game at home and despite the initial joy of Hearts beating Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko by 2 goals to 1, news of people were dying at the Stadium alarmed us to death. We first heard that some four people had died just after the game. Then, the number rose to six, then, 8 and it kept rising. Dad was still not back two hours after the game, and well, ten years ago mobile phones were scarce. He did not have one, so we didn't exactly know what had happened.

Mother almost went mad just thinking of the possibilities. We practically stopped her from going to the Stadium that evening. Just then, dad comes back home and tells us that he felt very uncomfortable of the atmosphere and decided to leave the stadium about five minutes to full time. He missed what has since been termed "black Wednesday" by just five minutes. Since that incident, matches involving the two traditional teams have been played under heavy security.

Tomorrow, March 20 is another date for the two most glamorous clubs to lock horns and again takes place at the same venue of the unfortunate May 9 incident and it promises to be a must see. The euphoria surrounding the game is already so high, radio stations can't stop talking about it. Not even the draw that pitched Chelsea and Manchester United in the quarter finals of the Champions League was enough to upstage it. I am of the view that Man U will take a beating of their lives in both legs. I am sure of it. So we'll Chelsea, Barca, Real Madrid and Inter go through to the Semi's. I digressed, sorry.

In an article, FIFA outlines the facts and figures between these two below.

With the Ghanaian championship in its 50th season, 40 of the past 49 titles have been shared between Hearts and Kotoko. Kotoko’s last championship success in 2008 marked their 21st triumph, while Hearts’ 2009 conquest was their 19th. Their league clashes in recent years have been dominated by Hearts, but Kotoko have bragging rights in terms of the impact they have made on the continent. Kotoko had won the African Champions Cup twice and lost a further five finals before Hearts had their first success in 2000. It came at their third attempt in the final after previous failures in 1977 and 1979. In 2004, the two clubs shared the distinction of becoming the first clubs from the same country to dispute the final of an annual African club competition when they reached the final of CAF Confederation Cup. Both legs of the deciding tie ended in 1-1 draws, before Hearts took the honours 8-7 on post-match penalties.

With the above statistics, there is no doubt this match promises to be a good one even though both teams are not in contention for this years league title. The bragging right alone is enough motivation for this match to be a fantastic one. The first leg in Kumasi saw Hearts beat their arch-rivals by a lone goal and thoroughly dominated them and Phobians would fancy their chances once again especially considering this is a home match. But, ardent followers of this type of game would tell you this can be anybody's game but being a Hearts of Oak fan, I would go for a Hearts win.

Changing the lives of women in poor communities – NEWIG

I have been living in Sogakofe for two months now and I must say that I am very impressed with some of the initiatives in the area. One of such initiatives is an NGO called Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG), Ghana. Housed in an impressive building, the gender based organization is situated in Tefle on the Accra – Aflao road. Its vision is to see “a society in which men and women are accorded equal rights, equal responsibilities and equal opportunities for sustainable development”. And, NEWIG does this by organizing programs aimed at improving the socio-economic and political status of women in Ghana, particularly the poor, marginalized and vulnerable.

NEWIG was founded on 8th January 2002 as a skills development and gender employment non government, non-profit organisation with the goal of improving the conditions of the less privileged in society especially women. It does so by creating the needed platform for them to have access to vocations (economic empowerment), good health and sustainable life styles as well as political leverage in society. NEWIG began to operate on a full time basis in September 2003, after being registered at the Registrar-General’s Department on 9th September, 2003. NEWIG programmes are implemented nation-wide.

It is run by a dynamic group of professionals led by an affable personality in the person of Mawusi Nudekor Awity, a Business Development Expect and Founder of the organization. She doubles as the Executive Director running the organization full time. I was even more impressed when I entered the premises and saw the professionalism with which the organization is run. There is a classy showroom where products are showcased for sale and various offices.

NEWIG implements its programmes under the following functional areas;

Entrepreneurial Training and Capacity Building

Under NEWIG’s entrepreneurial development programmes, it organises training workshops in Enterprise Creation and Business Management for women to recognise and avail themselves of business opportunities as well as sharpening their entrepreneurial and managerial skills for better business management. The organisation also organises outreach programmes on vocational skills in various disciplines. NEWIG has an Entrepreneurial Development Project in Accra and Tefle that runs 5 months biannual trainings in 17 compulsory disciplines, including textiles, cosmetics, soap processing; bookkeeping and costing, entrepreneurship, interior décor, hat making, beads jewellery, floral arrangement.

Gender/Women Rights Trainings

NEWIG organises seminars and workshops on Gender Trainings. It also involves trainings in Domestic Violence, Gender and HIV/AIDS. NEWIG believes that the Gender Trainings certainly may prompt individuals to change their personal or professional behaviour, by creating awareness on gender issues, focusing on specific gender and development competencies and reinforcing commitment to change for a better society.

Leadership & Women in Political Participation Trainings

Fora, seminars and workshops on Political Leadership Skills Building and Good Governance are areas through which NEWIG implements its political empowerment programmes. NEWIG is also involved in other services such as consultancy, interior decor and catering.

Since inception, the organization has achieved several milestones which deserve mention as follows;

• NEWIG has a project where the capacity of women are built for access to political opportunities; advocacy on affirmative action with political parties
• NEWIG has formed three women groups in Hamile in the Upper West Region, South Tongu and Accra. These groups have been empowered with skills including entrepreneurial skills and are working as cooperative groups thus improving their economic situation.
• NEWIG has empowered over five thousand women including women living with HIV/AIDS in various parts of the country economically through entrepreneurial skills training. Most of them have set up their own businesses and NEWIG has been monitoring them.
• NEWIG has a project for unemployed female graduates of tertiary institutions where they are given entrepreneurial and leadership skills training. Majority of the beneficiaries are now gainfully employed.
• NEWIG formed alliance with Ghana Liberal Students Association (GHALSA), University of Ghana, Legon Campus Branch after organising series of gender training programmes for them. The students were used as agents for NEWIG to create gender awareness on the campus.
• NEWIG has explored and come out with the following innovations for the benefit of women; Soap and cosmetics from shea-butter, mosquito repellent soap from neem oil, stress reliever soap from eucalyptus leaves.
• NEWIG has built a Women Empowerment Complex at Tefle where women from various parts of the country are trained in our three functional areas.

The challenge with this organization and many others is the availability of financial resources to run it effectively. Mrs Awity has high hopes of getting the necessary funds to make the organisation a successful one.