Mensah celebrated his birthday on 26 December, climaxing in a year when Ghana Rugby achieved a string of accolades that included Full Membership of World Rugby, hosting and winning the Rugby Africa Regional Challenge – West 1, getting ranked on the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens table for the first time and getting promoted to host the Rugby Africa Bronze Cup.

[contextly_sidebar id=”f0Emz7B9RKR4QyG6A2DGmRqN9XCFewyD”]Herbert Mensah took over Ghana Rugby on 5th June 2014 when he was elected unopposed as President of the Union at its Electoral Congress in Accra, Ghana.

As an astute businessman and sports administrator, he ordered an in-depth audit of the state of Rugby in Ghana and concluded that most of the fundamental requirements to be considered for Full Membership of World Rugby were not in place.

Between 2014 and 2017 Mensah brought  in a series of changes that included the development of governing strategies and plans, the establishment of a Ghana Rugby Secretariat, the introduction of a rugby management system (scrumIT), the institution of a financial management system (Sage One), the reconstitution of the Regional Associations and Clubs, the introduction of a ten team domestic competition, the initiation of the World Rugby youth development programme (“Get Into Rugby”) and the resuscitation of women’s rugby.

Besides for the abovementioned achievements of 2017, the year also saw the introduction for the first time of a Women’s Sevens division to the annual domestic league, the Ghana Rugby Club Championship, a development area that was close to the President’s heart from the word go.

Mensah also narrowed the gender gap through the appointment of women to both the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Board and the boards of its Regional Associations.

Mensah’s ultimate mission is to lead Ghana’s national teams, the Ghana Eagles, to participate in World Rugby and other global competitions such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Even though Ghana Rugby has achieved much in a short space of time with a lot to look forward to, Mensah’s biggest challenge will undoubtedly be to put the Union on a sound and sustainable financial footing, something that is currently absent from the sports management recipe.

Mr Adama Bakhoum, Rugby Africa Training Manager, warned the Ghana Rugby family as far back as 2016 that the funding of the GRFU by the President alone is not sustainable and that the neglect by the management of the Union to do something about the situation will place Ghana Rugby at serious risk.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In the announcement letter to the President and Board Chairman of Ghana Rugby, Herbert Mensah,  the President of Rugby Afrique, Abdelaziz Bougja, stated that, the request for promotion by the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) had been positively received.

[contextly_sidebar id=”S8YHvjn4nESQS1gIvDqVqiYegg03f5ac”]Bougja said the promotion came as a result of the good performance of Ghana Rugby in the Regional Challenge 2017, and the new status of Ghana Rugby Union as a full member of World Rugby.

He also revealed that, the contributing factors for the promotion were the suspensions of both the Cameroon and Nigeria Rugby Unions, and the unlikelihood of a final of the Regional Challenge between Lesotho and Ghana Rugby Africa.

In a statement from Mensah in London, he said that he was grateful to the Exco of Rugby Afrique for recognizing the achievements and efforts of Ghana Rugby to help with the development of the game in Ghana, and indeed in the rest of Africa and the World.

In April-May 2017, Ghana successfully hosted and won the Rugby Afrique Regional Challenge West 1 between Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo, in what was a memorable year for the country in the sport.

Immediately after the tournament, World Rugby awarded Ghana Rugby Full Membership that meant that the Union could for the first time apply for investment funds for development, and more importantly, be considered for tournaments that will lead to eventual qualifiers for World Rugby and other global competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

In October 2017, Ghana was drawn to compete in the 2017 Africa Men’s Sevens Tournament in Kampala, and managed to get ranked for the first time on Rugby Afrique’s log.

The promotion to the Rugby Afrique Bronze Cup came on the eve of the opening matches of the 2017/18 Ghana Rugby Club Championship (GRCC), in October 2017 in Cape Coast.

Mensah also expressed his appreciation to everybody who played a vital role in the memorable achievements of 2017.

“It is always a difficult task to say, thank you. Everybody who took part in Rugby in Ghana must be acknowledged and congratulated. First of all, my appreciation goes to the players, coaches, match officials and administrators who all sacrificed in many ways to make the last three years memorable.”

Mensah also acknowledged that the many volunteers and supporters who made contributions in kind or otherwise, are vital cogs in the machinery of Ghana Rugby. He also invited them to get even more involved in the years to come.

He said, “particular word of thanks must go to our sponsors who have made contributions in the spirit of unwavering faith that Ghana Rugby will make them and the country proud.”

“There are too many to mention, but I will neglect my duty if I don’t mention the following companies and individuals: World Rugby and Rugby Afrique, Olympic Solidarity and the Ghana Olympic Committee, Hayssam Fakhry of Interplast and Inesfly, Tim Callaghan of the Panafrican Group, Paul Kavanagh of the Golden Tulip Accra Hotel, the Gino Brands, eVerpure, Accra Breweries Limited, Paloma Hotel, our many media partners, and the individuals who made contributions from scarce resources in our many fundraising challenges.”

Mensah said that the memorable achievements would require even more support and more resources as Ghana Rugby intends to put in bids to host the continental 15s and 7s tournaments in 2018.

“Ghana Rugby’s achievements on international levels are Ghana’s achievements. We are representing the country, and we hope and pray that our governing bodies will also come forward and meet its commitments and promises to support us, and indeed other minority sports in 2018.”

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This is part of the qualification for the sevens rugby world cup 2018, the commonwealth games, and the World Series Repechage tournament in Hong Kong.

As the only unranked team to qualify for the tournament in Kampala, the Ghana Eagles are poised to prove themselves on the Africa Rugby stage with giants like Uganda, Namibia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Botswana participating in the tournament to take place in Kampala, Uganda between 6-7 October 2017.

The Ghana Eagles qualification came on the back of Ghana rugby’s qualification as a full member of world rugby in a record time of fewer than three years, under the leadership of Herbert Mensah as President.

The Golden Tulip Hotel has consistently supported the Ghana Rugby football team in diverse ways as a lesser known sport in Ghana.

The National sevens team took the opportunity to visit the hotel prior to their departure to show appreciation to one of Ghana’s best hotels for their continuous support and world-class hospitality.

In an exciting and serene atmosphere, the national rugby team, led by President of Ghana Rugby football union, Mr. Herbert Mensah, did a photo shoot with managers of the hotel whiles players did some on-the -pitch war cry to demonstrate their preparedness for the tournament.

Mr. Herbert Mensah thanked Golden Tulip Accra hotel management for hosting the national rugby team and for their continuous support, and encouraged the Ghana Eagles to make an impact in Kampala and raise the Flag of Ghana high.

He also called on corporate Ghana to join key sponsor, PAN AFRICAN GROUP, KOMATSU in supporting the Ghana Eagles in their quest to take Ghana Rugby to the global stage.

In a related development, the Ghana Eagles also briefly spent time at ESCAPADES CAFE to show appreciation to the management for their support to the team during their preparations towards the Kampala tournament.

The Ghana Eagles are expected back in Accra on Sunday October 8 2017.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mr. Mensah was re-elected in late September after his immense contributions to rugby in the country within a short period at the helm of affairs got the marginalized sports to be loved by many in Ghana, gaining international recognition.

His stewardship opened the doors to Ghana Rugby to take part in qualifiers for World Rugby, Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and Hong Kong Sevens tournaments.

Due to his leadership prowess and influence, Mr. Mensah was again appointed Board Chairman of the GRFU following his election onto the board in September 2017.

The World Rugby on Monday October 2, 2017, sent a congratulatory message to the GRFU president.

The statement jointly signed by Bill Beaumont and Brett Gosper, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of World Rugby, indicated the willingness of the world rugby union to continue to work with Mr. Mensah and his board.

“On behalf of World Rugby, I wish to congratulate you on your re-election as President of the Ghana Rugby Football Union and further congratulate the new Ghana Rugby Football Union Board on its election at the recent Ghana Rugby Football Union Annual General Meeting. We look forward to continuing to work with you and the Board going forward. Congratulations Herbert Mensah” the statement said.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to M. Mensah, it was yet another tragedy that should not have claimed the lives of more than 150 victims on that day.

“Many have described the disaster as force majeure or an act of God, but if one carefully looks at all the circumstances surrounding the disaster of 3rd June 2015, many questions can be asked about what should have been done from a governance perspective to minimise potential fatalities,” Mensah said.

The disaster of that fatal day was as a result of hours of downpour compounded by an explosion from a fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah circle.

It is believed that improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters and a few other human factors contributed to the flooding of the capital city.

“The biggest cause of the disaster was the explosion of the petrol station and the question of whether the station was complying with regulations, and in fact if the government had ensured that there was indeed compliance through inspections should be asked,” Mensah pointed out.

Herbert Mensah is well known for his annual remembrance of the 9th May 2001 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster that claimed the lives of 126 football fans.

At the time of that disaster, Mr. Mensah was the Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko football club, who were playing their rival, Accra Hearts of Oak.

“The annual ‘May 9th Remembered’ events was initiated by a group of concerned people, and it is supported regularly by some organisations such as Interplast, the Gino Brands, Melcom, Sunda International, Golden Tulip and others.

That remembrance is in fact symbolic of remembering all such disasters in Ghana,” Mr. Mensah said.

Mr. Mensah has appealed to the government that May 9th should be declared a national day of observance in memory of the victims of all disasters in Ghana.

“Such a day of observance will not only ensure that we remember the fallen victims of disasters such as May 9 and June 3, but that all in Ghana can reflect on the critical issue of responsible behaviour and governance. Irresponsibilities such as those exhibited by our authorities on both occasions cost lives; and even the death of one person due to that is totally unacceptable,” Mensah said.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Having worked with Christopher Opoku on different levels, he recalled how the two on several occasions disagreed and agreed on a number of issues.

Mr. Mensah who was once the Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC, reckoned that Chris’ death “is something really terrible” for the sporting fraternity.

“Chris and I both share the sense of taking on what is wrong, because what is wrong is wrong and what is right is right…I charged him to come forward and find people like him to help change the face of sports and indeed even politics in the country,” Herbert Mensah stated.

He recalled meeting Chris and the wife about eight months ago where they discussed the future and “inevitability of now and I tried to provide comfort for him because he was a great person.”

Pointing to the “massive respect” that existed between them, Mr. Mensah recounted that “there is so much going wrong that Chris was passionate about…he was one of the unsung heroes for those outside sporting world.”

He called on all to support the ace broadcaster’s family at this difficult moment.

“I know that the good Lord will bless and protect his soul, and we must pray for his family and beautiful daughters so that they can also survive knowing that their father was truly a great man.”

Christopher Opoku died on Wednesday, May 10, at a London Hospital, after a long battle with cancer of the rectum for which he underwent a medical operation on September 24, 2012.

The heart-breaking news was confirmed to Citi News by his father, K. O. Opoku, who revealed that Chris’ health had deteriorated over the past four weeks.

“Christopher has not been well for some time now. He went abroad about 3 months ago and we’ve been communicating with him. But for the past 4 weeks, I’ve not been able to speak to him. So it was just on [Wednesday] evening at about 8:00pm that I was informed by the mother of Christopher’s wife that they had informed her to inform me that Christopher has passed. My mother in-law confirmed that Christopher had passed,” Mr. Opoku said.

About Christopher Opoku

Opoku, affectionately known as Columbus, died of cancer on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Christopher Opoku, who until his trip abroad for treatment, was news editor at Citi FM, has worked in the media for more than fifteen years.

The management and staff of Citi FM are profoundly broken-hearted at Chris’ passing. We will miss his intelligent contributions in the newsroom and his gentle digs at team members.

He started as the host of a gospel show on Luv FM, a station based in Kumasi where he was student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Chris then evolved to become one of Ghana’s known sports journalists.

He worked with Asempa FM and Power FM before it was re-branded Starr FM.

On both stations, he hosted their morning sports shows. For several years he worked with Accra-based Metro TV before joining Citi FM for a brief period.

In 2013, he was appointed General Manager of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), and he worked with the entity until 2014 when he resigned. He was named Best Football Commentator and Best Football Journalist (PLB) in 2008 and 2009.

Aside his work as a sports broadcaster, he had a strong passion for music, and he was heavily involved in running the music department of his church.

He will be remembered as a dedicated, passionate and very lively person and he will be missed by all who knew him. Christopher Opoku is survived by a wife and three children.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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May 9 disaster occurred during a match between Ghana’s two most successful football teams, Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
Trouble had been anticipated, and extra security measures had been taken. The home side scored two late goals to defeat Kotoko 2–1, which led to disappointed Kotoko fans throwing plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch.

The response to this crowd disturbance from the police was to fire tear gas into the crowd. Panic ensued, resulting in a stampede that led to the deaths from compressive asphyxia of 126 people.

Since that tragic day in 2001, a group of philanthropists under the leadership of Herbert Mensah, supported by various individuals and companies in Ghana, and religiously remembered the day with a series of events.

According to Mensah, “the message of May 9th is both a call for responsibility and a call to make the most of every day that God has given you.”

The 2017 theme of “Embrace the Day” was conceived from the stark reality of that dark and tragic day of 9 May 2001 when 126 young football fans did not plan to die that day. “We can’t predict the future and do not know what tomorrow holds for us. May 9th Remembered is a call for responsibility to all, but it is also a call to embrace every day and use the talents God has given us to create a better future for the generations that will follow us,” Mensah said.

The May 9th Remembered programme annually include visits to families of the victims of the disaster to enquire about their well-being, and to provide them with a token of goodwill through the donation of foodstuff sponsored by corporate Ghana.

In one of the highlights of the 2017 May 9th Remembered activities, Mr. Mensah and a section of the families of the victims of May 9th were invited to the Manhyia Palace by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as part of his birthday celebrations.

In his remarks at the Manhyia Palace, Mr. Mensah lauded the Asantehene for his key roles in the transformation of sports in the country.

Mr. Mensah commended Otumfuo for his wise counsel to him (Herbert) on the day that the May 9 stadium disaster occurred. “I remember that day, Otumfuo was the first person that I called and he told me to be courageous”, the ex-Kotoko chairman told the gathering.

The 2017 May 9th Remembered events also included a visit to the Central Mosque in Kumasi where the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haruun, led prayers that also asked Allah to bless and protect Mensah and all those who selflessly and regularly, without fail, remember and celebrate that tragic day 16 years ago.

During the visit to the Central Mosque, Mensah and his delegation also contributed foodstuff to be used for the needy.

The main activity of the annual May 9th Remembered events has always been a street walk through the main streets of Kumasi that was joined by thousands of people.
The 2017 Kumasi Street Walk again saw excitement when thousands joined Mensah and his delegation to “Embrace the Day.”

In an address to the media, Mr. Mensah said that the annual May 9th events will always be part of his agenda and that it would not have been possible without the support of other philanthropists and especially corporate bodies in Ghana who never fail to extend a helping hand.

“I will neglect my duty if I do not mention and thank the likes of Interplast, Inesfly, Golden Tulip, Sunda International, the Gina and Pomo brands, Melcom, and many others who have made this important remembrance possible year after year,” Mensah said.

May 9th Cup

Mensah also introduced an annual football competition dubbed the “May 9th Cup” in 2016, and the final match, that was enjoyed by thousands, took place in Kumasi on Saturday 6 May 2017.

Sixteen teams participated in the competition and the 2017 “May 9th Cup” was won by Aboabo Number One who beat Kantudu 2 to 0.

Both teams received gold and silver medals while Aboabo Number One lifted the Cup to great excitement by the team and spectators.

The Baribari Chief presented the winner’s trophy while the runner-up trophy was presented by the Kantoshi Chief. Also present was the Asawasi District Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The 2017 May 9th Remembered programme will be continued on May 9th in Accra with the presentation of foodstuff in Accra to families of the deceased from both Accra and Kumasi.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Black Eagles of Ghana recorded an emphatic 46-5 victory over Benin in the ongoing Rugby Africa Regional Challenge at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Mr Mensah told the press after the game that, Ghana’s rugby is steadily progressing and it can only get better in the few years to come.

“Ghana rugby is moving in the right direction, after the Rugby Africa Regional Challenge tournament, we would start preparing for the commonwealth games.

“We have made an impressive progress in the last 18 months, now we have the physical players that we didn’t have before, we have players who are over 150kilos, and we do have players who are over 6.5 feet in height.

“Now we are teaching them how to play the game of rugby and mentally they are beginning to think like rugby players and not footballers, which means, they are working and dying for each other and not worried about material things.

“The players now understand that it’s about teamwork, fighting on the pitch and not leaving any energy behind until the end of the 80 minutes.

“We are not perfect, we still have a long way to go, we are learning all the time to improve, and we can only imagine where we are going to get to by next year.

“We are going to set a high standard and make the nation proud, we cannot feel any pain and there is nothing like closing time. We would fight to the very end. Ghana Rugby is slowly getting there,” Herbert Mensah said.

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Source: GNA

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The Sub-Committee will be chaired by Herbert Mensah, an Executive Board Member who is also the President of the Ghana Rugby Football Union.

[contextly_sidebar id=”95DiqlBtZP72QnKfkLfeYikgPhEZNXGS”]Renowned broadcast journalist, Charles Osei-Asibey, who also doubles as the President of the Ghana Arm Wrestling Federation, has also been appointed as the Communication Director of the GOC, with Sports Writer, Kenneth Odeng Adade as the Press Officer.

The composition of the Media Relations sub-committee is made up of professional sports journalists from recognised media institutions in the country,

The GOC in the coming days will also release the list of members of the other eight sub-committees.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Musician Edem, over the weekend, got married to his girlfriend Stacey.

Denning Edem Agbeviadey and Stacey Osekere’s private wedding ceremony came off at Teshie, a suburb of Accra, and was attended by close family relations and friends.

In February 2011, Stacey delivered Edem’s first child. According to close friends, the marriage is just the icing on the cake since the two are very fond of each other and have been committed since they started dating over two years ago.

Congratulations to Edem and Stacey.

The post Rapper Edem marries sweetheart Stacey appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.