The Maidens dominated the tie thanks for four goals from captain Mukarama Abdulai and one from Nina Norshie.

The result puts Ghana in a good place ahead of the second leg which will be played in two weeks.

Head coach of the team, Evans Adotey, was very pleased with the output of the team in Gambia.

“I am very proud of my team because we kept our ambitions reasonable in the aspect of securing victory. I played against a very good side although the scoreline was large. I will not underrate the Gambians ahead of the second leg.

We need to make sure we keep either keep the scoreline intact or we add to it.”

The team has since moved to Prampram to start preparations for the second leg.

The Maidens are expected to travel to Cape Coast to intensify their training sessions for the return leg which is very likely to be played at the Cape Coast Stadium.

Victory for Ghana will set up a two-legged encounter with Djibouti in February 2018 in the final round of the qualifiers.

Africa will have three representatives at the World Cup which will be played in Uruguay.

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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The competition, which featured Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal, formed part of the “See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, and Feel Ghana” campaign being championed by the GTA, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to promote local tourism on a global scale.

[contextly_sidebar id=”F5CLQ6qoZzL0FmARXxmEbTjkhY1eXXoL”]Gambia prepared the jollof rice without tomatoes but with mustard, fish and other ingredients, making their jollof yellowish-white as compared to Ghana, who used tilapia, tomatoes and other ingredients to make their jollof attractive and tasty, giving it a reddish colour.

The Nigerian and Senegalese chefs used ingredients they believed could make their jollof super and delicious but, unfortunately, they could not win.

Ms Felicia Aniagyei, the Acting Public Relations Manager of the GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the Jollof Competition, which falls under the “Eat Ghana” module, was to encourage Ghanaians to be proud of their local dishes and patronise them wherever they went.

She said the occasion was also used to showcase some locally made cuisines including Kenkey with fish and rice balls with groundnut soup.

This month has been dedicated to the “Eat Ghana” module while next month, September, would be for the “Wear Ghana” module, followed by the “Feel Ghana” in October.

Ms Aniagyei noted that engaging other African countries in the competition was to help showcase the varieties of jollof rice and deepen the relationship among the participating countries.

Some of the jollof prepared at the event included; Kontomire black eye bean Jollof, Smoked Tuna and Vegetable Jollof, Beef Jollof and Egg plant koobi Jollof.

Mr Lucky George, the Publisher of African Travel Times Magazine, said jollof rice originated from the SeneGambia in the 19th Century before they separated to become two different countries.

There was also Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) challenge in the jollof rice competition, out of which Mr Seth Ocran, the CEO of Yorks Car Rentals, emerged the winner over Abeiku Santana of Kaya Travel and Tours and Mr Akwasi Agyemang of the GTA.

The judges, who were drawn from Mexico and the Netherlands, said the judgment was based on criteria including presentation, aroma, and taste.

Mr Jan van der Veer, the lead Judge, told the GNA that the Gambians had “a fine presentation and a better taste for their jollof as compared to that of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.”

He lauded the Tourism Ministry and the GTA for the innovative event adding that it was a great avenue to sell Ghana to the world.

The event was characterised by live-band music from the Ghana Immigration Service Band and the iconic Ghanaian female highlife Artiste, Akosua Agyapong.

–

Source: GNA

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The team will now go to Washington DC and show off their invention.

The reasons for the initial rejections are unclear.

Gambia is a Muslim majority country but it is not on the US’s six-country travel ban, which was introduced by President Donald Trump.

One of the participants, Fatoumata Ceesay, 17, told BBC Newsday, the team was pleased to be able to travel.

“We are excited and happy, but also disheartened, because we are not going with our mentor because he is a government official,” she said.

Mucktarr Darboe is a director at the ministry of higher education, and the US has a ban on granting visas to employees of the Gambian government after a deportation row last year.

Earlier this week, an all-girl team of roboticists from Afghanistan were denied US visas to travel to the same competition.

The Gambian robot has been devised to clean contaminated rivers.

It was designed for the First Global competition, which has seen teams from 164 countries compete in a series of robotic games.

The culminating three-day US event starts on 16 July.

The non-profit organisation aims to promote Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering, and maths).

“I hope to come back with knowledge and inspiration to give young Gambians, especially the girls,” said Ms Ceesay.

She said many people her age aspired to careers in medicine and “engineering is lagging behind”. She hopes success stories like that of her team will highlight Gambia’s potential to innovate.

Neither Afghanistan nor Gambia is part of the US’s so-called travel ban, which affects people from Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen.

–

Source: BBC

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The match was part of Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming CHAN 2018 qualifier against Burkina Faso in August and the WAFA Tournament in Ghana in September.

Hearts of Oak midfielder, Thomas Abbey, put Ghana in the lead in the 54th minute but Gambia pulled even in the 74th minute through Lamin Jallow.

3 minutes later, Tema Youth’s Joseph Paintsil was fouled for a penalty which was converted by goalkeeper Razak Abalora to give Ghana the win on the day.

–

By: Citi Sports Desk

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It’s the first time the new government of the west African country has put a figure on the amount it believes Jammeh plundered from state coffers before leaving for exile in Equatorial Guinea in January after 22 years in power.

“President Yahya Jammeh personally or under his instructions directed the unlawful withdrawal of at least $50 million,” Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said, describing withdrawals from The Gambia’s central bank and linked with state-owned Gamtel between 2013 and 2017.

“We have today obtained a court order freezing or placing a temporary hold on the known assets in the country of former President Yahya Jammeh and companies directly associated with him,” Tambadou added.

READ MORE: Remembering The Gambia’s notorious Mile 2 Prison

The court order concerns 88 bank accounts in Jammeh’s name or those of his associates, Tambadou told journalists, along with 14 companies linked with the former strongman.

Jammeh ran everything from bakeries to farms during his tenure and was regularly accused of taking over successful businesses for his own gain.

Monday’s order was designed to prevent Jammeh “liquidating or dissipating assets”, the minister added, confirming the order applied only to the former leader’s assets in The Gambia.

Last Tuesday Gambian police said three cousins of the former president would face theft charges after selling off his cattle, raising suspicions that his contacts still in the country were under scrutiny.

“These discoveries are just a tip of the iceberg,” Tambadou told a news conference.

Interior Minister Mai Fatty accused Jammeh of taking $11m after leaving in January, adding that he also took luxury cars piled on to a Chadian cargo plane, but the claim was not backed up by the rest of the cabinet.

The Gambia’s longtime opposition United Democratic Party won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections in April, easily defeating Jammeh’s party which has been cast into the electoral wilderness by his departure.

That came after the stunning ousting of Jammeh by President Adama Barrow in a December presidential election, a result which the defeated leader fought for weeks until the threat of a regional military intervention.

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate dozens of forced disappearances under Jammeh’s rule, with victims clamouring for justice.

The Gambia’s National Assembly was long derided for acting as a rubber stamp for Jammeh’s decisions, but hopes are high for a revitalised chamber with a raft of fresh faces elected.

–

Source: Aljazeera

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He says this is in line with current arrangements within the mission to reduce the number of soldiers there, due to the success of the international Community in persuading long time leader Yahya Jammeh to leave that country.

“In line with the downsizing, Ghana’s troop contribution will be cut to 50 men and the highest officer will remain with the 50 men,” Mr. Nitiwul said while reporting on the progress of the mission in Parliament on Wednesday.

Ghana contributed 208 soldiers to the ECOWAS mission with a mandate to keep the peace in the Gambia in the midst of the country’s post election impasse.

Mr. Nitiwul further stated that, the Ghanaian soldiers had discharged themselves creditably, adding that Ghanaians in Gambia were safe.

“I can report to this House that our troops have taken advantage of their presence in The Gambia to visit and secure all the Ghanaian people or people of Ghanaian descent.The Ghanaian community in The Gambia are well secured and safe. Ghana’s deployment has been successful because of government’s prompt decision and approval of the financial support that the troops needed. It is envisaged that 158 men  will be arriving on the 20th and 21st, leaving 50 men in The Gambia.”

Mr Jammeh was defeated in the December’s election by Adama Barrow, but refused to step down after he lost, forcing ECOWAS to deploy troops from Ghana, Senegal and other African countries to compel him to hand over.

Mr. Jammeh later decided to step down after talks with the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania.

He subsequently left The Gambia for Guinea, paving way for the new President, Adama Barrow, who had been sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, to return to the country.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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Mr Jammeh was defeated in December’s election by Adama Barrow but he went on to challenge the results.

But two days after Mr Barrow was sworn in, Mr Jammeh left on a plane reportedly bound for Guinea.

Mr Barrow told the BBC that he would be returning to his homeland “sooner than later”.

In an interview with the BBC on Saturday, he said said he wanted to create a truth and reconciliation committee to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during Mr Jammeh’s time in office.

Mr Barrow has been in neighbouring Senegal for days and was inaugurated as president in the Gambian embassy there on Thursday.

Troops from several West African nations, including neighbouring Senegal, had been deployed in The Gambia, threatening to drive Mr Jammeh out of office if he did not agree to go.

Mr Jammeh’s decision to quit came after talks with the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania.

Guinea’s President Alpha Conde is with Mr Jammeh and his wife on the plane that left Banjul late on Saturday.

In an address on state television, Mr Jammeh – who had once said he would rule The Gambia for a billion years – said he would stand down and that it was “not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed”.

The scene at Banjul airport, by BBC Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead

Yahya Jammeh arrived at the airport amid a large convoy of vehicles and throngs of cheering supporters.

He stood on a small platform to hear ceremonial music performed by a military band and then walked down a long red carpet surrounded by dignitaries.

He climbed the steps to the plane, turned and kissed and waved a Koran at those assembled.

After 22 years in power, he left bound for Guinea where it’s believed he will stay before going on to another country.

Soldiers and other dignitaries were emotional as he left – many of them crying.

The details of the arrangements made – or promises offered to persuade him to give up power peacefully are not yet known, but there was the real threat of military action from regional states.

He’s the first president to peacefully hand over power in The Gambia since independence from Britain in 1965.

“I have decided today in good conscience to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation with infinite gratitude to all Gambians,” he said.

Mr Jammeh was given an ultimatum to leave office or be forced out by UN-backed troops, which expired at 16:00 GMT on Friday.

The deadline was set by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a regional grouping backed by the United Nations.

The first signs of a breakthrough came on Friday when a senior aide to the new president told the BBC’s Umaru Fofana that Mr Jammeh had agreed to step down.

Mr Jammeh had at first accepted defeat in the election but then reversed his position.

He declared a 90-day state of emergency, blaming irregularities in the electoral process.

–

Source: BBC

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Mr. Jammeh, who was defeated in the Dece,ber 206 election in that country, has refused to step down despite the swearing-in of opposition leader, Adama Barrow in The Gambia Embassy in Senegal.

He was expected to relinquish power by midday today [Friday], or be forcefully removed by UN-backed regional forces who have already entered The Gambia.

Mr. Jammeh has however asked for an extension of the deadline to 4:00pm.

But Mr. Quartey indicated that, Rawlings is the best person to convince Mr. Jammeh to step down because the latter reveres the former.

“I am told that one of President Jammeh’s admirers is President Rawlings. President Rawlings has a lot of moral authority and I think ECOWAS should do well to tap into his standard of moral authority and probably use him to talk Yahyeh Jammeh out of his lack of democratic behavior because President Rawlings has such moral authority in Africa; it is unbelievable and they can use it.”

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr Quartey further noted that, Ambassador Quartey might change his mind at the eleventh hour.

“I believe ECOWAS is on sure ground; but I think just the threat of the use of force will not make Yahyeh Jammeh yield to pressure. Yahyeh Jammeh sounds like a rebel; but at the root of it all, he knows his survival is at stake if he is able to yield power gracefully, he could even be the leader of opposition with the possibility of coming back to power and thereby entrenching democracy in The Gambia.”

Background

Mr. Jammeh had said there were irregularities in the election held on December 1 2016, and that some of his supporters were turned away from polling stations. He also complained about some errors made by the Electoral Commission.

The Commission accepted that, some of the results it initially published contained errors, but said Mr. Barrow had still won.

Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until new elections are held.

He had The Gambian Parliament extend his tenure by 90 days and further declared a state of emergency. ECOWAS however sent troops to the country to enforce rule of law in The Gambia.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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Mr. Barrow was sworn in today [Thursday], at The Gambia’s Embassy in Senegal Dakar, where he took the oath of office.

The ceremony was administered by Sheriff Tambadou, president of the Gambian Bar Association.

Mr. Barrow commended the ECOWAS, AU and other international bodies for their support in protecting the will of the Gambian people.

Mr. Barrow in his inaugural speech also instructed the heads of the military in The Gambia to recognise him as the new President, or risk being considered as renegades.

“My right as the winner to be sworn in and assume the office President is constitutionally guaranteed and irreversible. I hereby make a special appeal to ECOWAS, AU and the UN, particularly the Security Council to support the government and the people of The Gambia in enforcing their will and restore their sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy.”

He also called on Yahaya Jammeh to remain loyal to the constitution of The Gambia, and promised to be a President for all Gambians.

“This is a victory for the Gambian nation. Power belongs to the people in The Gambia. This is a day no Gambian will ever forget; first time since The Gambia became independent that it’s changed a government through the ballot box,” Barrow said.

“The capacity to effect change through the ballot box has proven power belongs to the people in The Gambia. Violent change is banished forever from the political life of this country. All Gambians are therefore winners. There is no loser in this election.”

The small West African state now has two men claiming to be president.

Its parliament voted earlier this week to extend Yahya Jammeh’s rule by 90 days, while he challenges his election defeat at the hands of Mr Barrow, a former estate agent, in the courts.

Regional forces, led by Senegal, have threatened to enter the country to oust Mr Jammeh.

The Gambia, popular with European tourists because of its beaches, has never had a smooth transfer of power since independence from Britain in 1965.

Whiles the swearing-in was taking place, the AFP News Agency reported that, Nigeria’s air force was flying over The Gambia, as regional troops prepare to force Yahya Jammeh to quit after his December election defeat.
–
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/Ghana/with flies from BBC

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Mr. Barrow has been living in Senegal for the past few days following political crisis in The Gambia, because Yahya Jammeh who lost in the country’s election to Barrow on December 1, 2016, has refused to step down despite conceding defeat.

Mr. Barrow in his inaugural speech said, “This is a victory for the Gambian nation. Power belongs to the people in The Gambia. This is a day no Gambian will ever forget; first time since The Gambia became independent that it’s changed a government through the ballot box,” Barrow said.

He thus called on the international community to help force out Mr. Jammeh.

“My right as the winner to be sworn in and assume the office President is constitutionally guaranteed and irreversible. I hereby make a special appeal to ECOWAS, AU and the UN, particularly the Security Council to support the government and the people of The Gambia in enforcing their will and restore their sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy.”

Several efforts by ECOWAS leaders to have Mr. Jammeh step down have been fruitless.

[contextly_sidebar id=”CNBa0WB1h9mdRzSDdvJGi8GHxGPzgNrj”]Meanwhile, Mr. Barrow was sworn into office by the head of the Gambian Bar Association.

Several dignitaries from ECOWAS and AU were at the function.

Background

Mr. Jammeh had said there were irregularities in the election held on December  1 2016, and that some of his supporters were turned away from polling stations.

He also complained about some errors made by the Electoral Commission.

The Commission accepted that, some of the results it initially published contained errors, but said Mr. Barrow had still won. Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until new elections are held.

He had The Gambian Parliament extend his tenure by 90 days and further declared a state of emergency.

ECOWAS however sent troops to the country to enforce rule of law in The Gambia.

Barrow will struggle if military ousts Jammeh – MFWA

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) had earlier observed that The Gambia’s president-elect Adama Barrow will struggle to govern, if embattled President Yahya Jammeh is forcefully ejected by military assembled by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to the foundation, a lot of lives might also be lost.

Mr. Jammeh, whose mandate per the Gambia’s constitution should have ended at midnight on Wednesday, had that mandate extended by Parliament by 90 days.

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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