Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Bongo MP said such a move would be ill-advised and given the VRA holds reliable power generation as a priority.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5UM8AeU3n0eQ5lt3j9D25Z7ePh9lBGrC”]”Because it is a public institution, its first concern is not profit making. Its concern is to ensure that the country is provided with reliable sources of power for all other sectors of the economy,” Mr. Bawa asserted.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta had given indications in March that it was looking to involve the private sector in restructuring the VRA when he presented the 2017 budget in Parliament.

The recent concerns with the VRA’s thermal component stem from the government’s advertisement in the Daily Graphic of August 23, 2017, noting the sale of at least a majority stake in specified thermal plants owned by the Volta River Authority (VRA).

These moves, according to the advert, formed “part of government’s efforts to restructure the energy sector.”

Those hints caught Mr. Bawa by surprise at the time and he warned that the government was underestimating Ghana’s dependence on the thermal power plants.

He noted that hydro sources for power now form less than 50 percent of our generation mix “so it means that as a country, gradually we are depending on thermal which is based on fossil fuel gas. So if the government has to offload that to the private sector, what it means is that as a country, we could be held hostage by the private sector.”

Foreigners likely to purchase VRA thermal stake

Given the huge capital outlays of these thermal plants, the MP argued further that “what you are going to have is foreign persons patronizing this particular sale because most Ghanaians will not be able to patronize this sale.”

This turn could have further security implication because of shifting mandate of the potential private owner.

“Therefore you will be handing over your thermal plant which is about 50 or 51 percent of your total generation mix to foreign companies and therefore, in terms of security, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Beyond the fact, there is a security component to it, remember that it is a public institution and they have a mandate to ensure that country is secured when it comes to energy. The private man who comes in doesn’t have that as part of his concerns. All he is think is about he makes his margins,” Mr. Bawa added.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonine.com/Ghana

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Many have offered opinions as to why Ghana failed to get past the semi-final stage in Gabon.

I will attempt to offer some perspective on the defeat, but I can tell you that there are so many reasons why the Black Stars came unstuck.

I will mention a few.

Laziness in scouting
Ghana coach Avram Grant claimed he spent time out of the country scouting players and that he watches the local league.

He has been economical with the truth and I will tell you why. Not long after the 2015 Afcon, he had two friendly games against MalI and Senegal.

Friendly games are supposed to allow the coach run the rule over fringe players but what did we see? The same first choice players were deployed in those games.

In short, Grant failed miserably in any attempt to deepen the squad. Again, during the qualifiers for the Afcon, he did not give such fringe players much of a chance, even when the team qualified with a game to spare.

As a result, there was little or no competition for places in the team and the Black Stars stagnated. From a top 30 team in the world Ghana is now a top 60 team according to FIFA.

The Black Stars now have no creator in chief to give incisive passes and one of the biggest Achilles heels of the team is weakness in lateral defence.

For instance, Harrison Afful is no longer the force he was and Baba Rahman needs competition at left back, but nothing was done before the tournament.

Christian Atsu has got talent but he has stagnated and He also needed competition but again, nothing was done.

I will deal with the over Reliance on Asamoah Gyan later in this piece.

Players played out of position

As a follow up from the first point, I will say that Avram Grant was lazy as a coach because he failed to see what had become obvious to most of us.

People can argue all they want, but Jordan Ayew is NOT and will never be an out and out striker. He is a playmaker and that has been his role at Aston Villa this season.

His best position is in any of the three attacking positions behind the main striker but Grant kept thinking of him as a striker.

I felt sorry for Jordan when he was fiercely lambasted for the first game performance but look at his assist for Gyan’s goal in the second match.

For me, if Jordan scores it is a bonus rather than the norm. Elder brother Andre is of a similar mould but again Grant persists in using him on the left flank.

That is why Andre would drift inside during games and leave the left back exposed. Instead of putting his trust in Andy Yiadom and moving Afful to the left back position after Rahman’s injury, he used Frank Acheampong who was left exposed time and again.

As a result, the team was unbalanced.

Why Management committee members failed

I am referring to a certain aspect which was the absence of Kwadwo Asamoah.

The team was crying out for a true creative force in midfield but there was no one available.

I am reliably informed that the Juventus midfielder told management committee members that he wanted time off the Black Stars, but in my view, the management team failed to make him feel wanted enough to come back to the team.

In short, they should have done more to persuade him to join up. So they failed in that respect.

Over Reliance on Gyan and wrong choices

I have been asking this question for a very long time: what are we doing to find a replacement for Asamoah Gyan?

At the moment nothing is still being done and instead Jordan Ayew is being groomed as his replacement which to me is a mistake for reasons I have already outlined.

Some of us knew about Raphael Dwamena before he was eventually called into the Black Stars and yet official scouting failed to pick him up. This is a player who has a lethal left foot, is strong and also very good in the air.

He would have been the perfect back up for Gyan but Grant felt that a certain Bernard Tekpetey, who has only one senior club game to his name this season, was better and so Dwamena was dropped.

Also, Abdul Majeed Waris was coming back to form after a run of injuries and yet, despite his experience, was dropped in favour of Ebenezer Assifuah, who is now a converted right winger with his club in Switzerland.

The end result was once again an over Reliance on Gyan and since Gyan was not fully fit going into the tournament, the Black Stars were always going to lack the cutting edge. Goals are the lifeblood of football and as a team, you do not expect to win trophies when you cannot score enough goals. After five games, the Black Stars scored four goals with two coming from the penalty spot.

Not good enough.

Tactical inadequacies

It was clear that Grant can no longer read the game well and so better coaches will always outfox him.

Again, his aversion to making suitable changes to his line up meant that the Black Stars looked predictable to any opponent. Hugo Broos exploited that by hurting Ghana on the flanks and Cameroon profited in the end.

Is was also inexplicable that at one goal down, he took Thomas Partey off and instead of giving the likes of Tepketey, Assifuah or Samuel Tetteh the chance to help the team, he brought on Emmanuel Agyemang Badu.

I wonder what he thought the Udinese midfielder would bring to the table. Replacing Afriyie Acquah with Gyan only weakened the midfield further when it was clear that Mubarak Also kept giving away fouls and that eventually led to the first goal.

I have no doubt in my mind that Grant retrogressed the team and took $50000 a month for practically doing nothing. Now that his contract is up, I say good riddance.
I will soon be back with another post on why too much money is wasted on the Black Stars and why it might not necessarily be the players agitating for things like match winning bonuses.

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By: Christopher Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghan

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Grant’s side are in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations but that has not stopped some Ghanaians expressing dissatisfaction with the performances.

“Every player had has criticism at one time or another. I would like that to change,” said the Israeli.

“I don’t know why they target players. I would like them to respect the payers, who are giving everything.”

Ghana are seeking an elusive fifth Nations Cup title in Gabon – their last came in 1982.

And they are showing the kind of resilience and quality necessary to end that 35-year wait, having beaten DR Congo 2-1 in Sunday’s quarter-final to reach the last four.

But some people have questioned whether the team is sufficiently equipped to go all the way, and Aston Villa forward Jordan Ayew appears to be the focus of the doubters’ negativity.

“Jordan is having a great tournament,” Grant countered. “He gave a great assist to Asamoah Gyan against Mali and scored a great goal against DR Congo in the quarter-final.

“Also his performance statistics are great and they show he is running a lot. He is answering his critics on the pitch.”

The Black Stars will meet Cameroon on Thursday for a place in the final.

“It will be very tough, we saw Cameroon’s quarter-final win over Senegaland they played very well,” Grant said.

“Cameroon will have one more day rest than us but we’ve shown we can deal with difficulties.

“My team is improving, every game we get fitter and sharper. And this team has a big heart.”
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By: BBC

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The Black Stars are fervently preparing at their training camp in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and defeated Bunyodkor Club from Uzbekistan, in a friendly game to fine tune the players for the tournament slated for Gabon from 14th January to 5th February, 2017.

In an interview from Dubai, coach Grant said the team created a lot of chances, but lacked the ability to convert those chances.

“The team, has been creating a lot of chances but has not been able to convert them, as much as I would need them to.

“In our previous games, we have created a lot of chances, but the percentages on capitalizing on the chances created are not good.

“Throughout our training, we have been working a lot in front of goal in finishing to fine tune for the team and for individual players as well.

The coach however, noted that the players are responding very well to training and is hopeful the team would perform well.

“I am glad we scored two goals from the friendly and I know we will get even better, because if you don’t create chances you cannot score goals, which is very important.”

Ghana won by 2:0 with goals from stars captain Asamoah Gyan and Frank Acheampong.

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Source: GNA

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Captain Asamoah Gyan leads the side that will begin an 11-day training tour in the UAE before travelling to Gabon on January 13 for the competition.

Below is the list:

Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Cordoba, Spain), Adam Kwarasey (Rosenborg, Norway) Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars)

Defenders: Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Andy Yiadom (Barnsley, England), Baba Rahman (Schalke, Germany), (John Boye (Sivasspor, Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Anzhi, Russia), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Edwin Gyimah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa)

Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Torino, Italy), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain) Mubarak Wakaso (Panathinaikos, Greece), Christian Atsu (Newcastle, England), Ebenezer Ofori (AIK Stockholm, Sweden), Samuel Tetteh (Leifering, Austria), Joseph Larweh Attamah (Başakşehir, Turkey), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium).

Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ahli, UAE) Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa, England), Abdul-Majeed Waris (Lorient, France), Andre Ayew (West Ham, England), Ebenezer Assifuah (Sion, Switzerland), Bernard Tekpetey (Schalke, Germany), Rahpael Dwamena (Austria Lustenau, Austria)

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Source: GFA

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Grant is currently under immense pressure to perform following Ghana’s less than impressive start to the Russia 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

A 0-0 draw at home to Uganda and a 2-0 defeat in Alexandria has left a nation that has qualified to the last three editions of the competition reeling.
The experienced Israeli manager revealed at the post game press conference in the match against Egypt that attention must quickly turn to the upcoming Afcon in Gabon.

With his contract due to expire after the Afcon it remains to be seen if Grant will be interested in a contract renewal with Ghana Football Association. Staying on will mean Grant will see out the full world cup qualifying process with Ghana.

He will however have to beat off competition from Bruce Arena,who is currently tied to LA Galaxy as head coach and General manager.

Arena is widely regarded as a legend back home in the United States and is widely acclaimed as their best coach of all time having led USA to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups respectively.

He recently signed an extension with the club this fall according to the LA Times who also revealed that no formal contact has been made between the USSF and Galaxy.

This makes Avram Grant a more suitable option since very little or no compensation will have to be paid to get him on board.

Reports say the handlers of US Soccer are impressed with the work Grant has done in his time with Ghana which includes a defeat in the 2015 Afcon finals to Ivory Coast.

The next world cup qualifier for the USA will be on March 24, 2017 against Honduras which affords whoever lands the job a good amount of time to prepare the team.

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By:Benjamin Nketsia/citifmonline.com/Ghana 4

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Egyptian Football Association executive director, Tharwat Sweilam, has denied reports of accepting an offer from Ghana FA to beef up security for Black Stars coach Avram Grant ahead of their 2018 World Cup qualifying clash of November 13.

Reports claimed that some Egyptian fans were arrested by Police earlier this week following plots to attack the Black Stars coach before, during and after the game at Borg El-Arab Stadium in Alexandria.

Israel and Egypt have a long-standing rivalry dated back to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, which culminated in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, making it unsafe for citizens of both countries to make reverse travels.

“Ghana is a normal team just like any other opponents that visit Egypt. The security measures will not see any changes,” Sweilam told DMC Sports TV.

“We don’t care about the nationality of their manager [Avram Grant] or any other thing. We know well the capabilities of our security forces and their ability to guard any national team. We don’t want to dispel our concentration, we know well what Ghana are attempting to do but we don’t want to keep reiterating these statements in the media.

“The most important thing for us is winning against Ghana in order to move closer towardsWorld Cup qualification after the qualifiers,” he added.

The game is expected to attract a record number of 75,000 spectators, who will be allowed entry to the match venue.
Uganda will host Congo at the Namboole Stadium in the other group game on November 12.

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Credit:Goal

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Portugal-based midfielder Alhassan Wakaso and defender Andy Yiadom of English Championship side Barnsley were handed their first Black Stars call-ups for the game on 13 November.

England-based Andre Ayew, who plays for West Ham United, returns to the national team after missing the previous game against Uganda in Tamale last month.

Ayew will lead the team that is dominated by players who have played recently in the Black Stars following injury to captain Asamoah Gyan.

Injury also forced coach Avram to exclude Juventus playmaker Kwadwo Asamoah from the squad for the game.

The Black Stars will open their pre-match camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday morning with all the players expected to join the team by Monday.

The team will train in the UAE until they depart for Egypt on Friday – 11th November. The Black Stars match with Egypt will be played on Sunday 13th November in Borg El-Arab Stadium.

Ghana will be chasing their first win in Group E of the qualifiers after drawing against Uganda last month.

Egypt lead Group E with three points – two more than second-placed Ghana and Uganda.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Cordoba, Spain), Adam Kwarasey (Rosenborg, Norway) Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars)

Defenders: Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Andy Yiadom (Barnsley, England), Baba Rahman (Schalke, Germany), Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City, England), John Boye (Sivasspor, Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Anzhi, Russia), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Edwin Gyimah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa)

Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Torino, Italy), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain) Mubarak Wakaso (Panathinaikos, Greece), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium), Christian Atsu (Newcastle, England), Alhassan Wakaso (Rio Ave, Portugal), Samuel Tetteh (Leifering, Austria)

Forwards: Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa, England), Abdul-Majeed Waris (Lorient, France), Andre Ayew (West Ham, England), Ebenezer Assifuah (Sion, Switzerland)

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Source: Ghana FA

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Norway-based midfielder Gilbert Koomson was handed his first Black Stars call-up in the squad.

Midfielder Enoch Adu Kofi, who plays in Sweden, returns to the national team for the first time since December 2014.

Captain Asamoah Gyan will lead the team that is dominated by players who have played recently in the Black Stars.

Coach Grant invited Hearts of Oak defender Inusah Musah and Emmanuel Ocran of Wa All Stars to join the team to be closely observed.

The duo has only been called up to be observed as their status is non-residential.

The team will train in Accra on Monday and Tuesday before flying out to Tamale as they prepare to face the Cranes.

Squad Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Cordoba, Spain), Adam Kwarasey (Rosenborg, Norway) Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars) Defenders: Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City, England), Baba Rahman (Schalke, Germany), John Boye (Sivasspor, Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Anzhi, Russia), Edwin Gyimah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa) Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Torino, Italy), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain) Enock Adu Kofi (Malmo, Sweden) Samuel Tetteh (Leifering, Austria), Mubarak Wakaso (Panathinaikos, Greece), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium), Christian Atsu (Chelsea, England), Gilbert Koomson (Songdal, Norway) Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ahli, UAE), Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa, England), Abdul Majeed Waris (Lorient, France), David Accam (Chicago Fire, USA) Observation: Inusah Musah of Hearts of Oak and Emmanuel Ocran of Wa All Stars – (The two players have been invited to train with the Black Stars to be closely observed by the coach.)

Meanwhile the Black Stars squad will travel to face the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in an international friendly in Durban on Tuesday October 11 after the World Cup qualifier with Uganda.

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Source: GFA

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