There’s work to be done for Tottenham; their late collapse was evidence of that.

Indeed, it should concern Frank that his team wilted at the first sign of pressure against a side who have had just two pre-season training sessions in the bag.

But for the vast majority of this Uefa Super Cup meeting that ultimately ended in penalty heartache, there were enough signs to suggest Frank has the basis of a system and approach that can be built on.

His 3-5-2 formation was certainly a move away from last season’s set up but you get the feeling Frank will be flexible depending on the challenge in the coming months, something his predecessor was often accused of not being.

Inside the opening 10 minutes, the approach was entirely noticeable. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario kicked long five times as Tottenham opted to keep their shape higher up the pitch rather than collect the ball deep inside their own half and pass their way up the field.

Ange Postecoglou’s high-risk approach was easy on the eye but the final 18 months of his reign at Tottenham – despite that euphoric Europa League win in Bilbao last May – told us the Australian’s methods weren’t working.

This was a Tottenham performance less to do with capturing the imagination than capturing the victory.

For example, Postecoglou was maligned for a perceived lack of attention to detail in regard to preparing for set-pieces.

It was significant, then, that both of Tottenham’s goals arrived via dead balls.

Expect Frank’s Tottenham to excel at set-pieces in their own penalty box, too.

His Brentford side conceded only three Premier League goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) last season – three fewer than any other team in the division.

Offensively, Brentford were also one of the strongest. Only four teams – Arsenal (14), Crystal Palace, Aston Villa (both 16) and Nottingham Forest (17) – scored from more Premier League set-pieces last season.

Here in Udine, there were clear indicators that Spurs will develop such strength in the coming months.

This was an effective Tottenham display rather than an enchanting one.

Frank said: “I knew we had to do something different against PSG. It was a special operation. And 2-2 against PSG, I think you take that – that single result is good.

“In spells, we went more direct as we knew we could hurt them. There was focus on set-pieces, but there will always be a focus on set-pieces.

“High pressure is a non-negotiable. We went man for man in some aspects.”

There was a time when the style of play mattered to Tottenham fans. Ask Jose Mourinho. Ask Antonio Conte.

Both received criticism from supporters for their pragmatic styles. Tottenham’s traditions for producing attacking teams still carries weight to this day. It will be interesting to see if supporters get on Frank’s back for his tactical approach if things start to falter.

But winning football matches, regardless of style, will be his priority, as it will be for the chairman Daniel Levy.

Multiple businesses at Nogora Junction, adjacent to Ho Technical University, were destroyed in a fast-spreading fire on the evening of August 13.

The blaze erupted around 6 p.m., engulfing the popular Nogora pub, two boutiques, and neighboring shops, causing losses exceeding GHS1 million.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing flames erupt without warning. “We grabbed fire extinguishers, but it was too intense,” one pub worker told media, suspecting an electrical fault due to recurring power fluctuations in the area. A shop owner echoed this, noting lights had “flickered all day.”

Ghana National Fire Service crews took over two hours to control the inferno. Ho Municipal Commander Sedem Tay confirmed investigations into the cause are ongoing, dismissing early speculation. “No origin has been established yet,” he stated.

The solemn Islamic ceremony was attended by the president, the minister and friends

The Minister of Energy and Green Transitions, John Abdulai Jinapor, on Tuesday August 12, 2025, joined President John Dramani Mahama to observe the third-day Adua rites for the late Sandapewura Alhaji Limuna Muniru at his residence in Accra.

The solemn Islamic ceremony was attended by family members, friends, political figures, and well-wishers, who gathered to pay their respects to the late statesman.

Describing Alhaji Limuna as “a man of unwavering integrity, compassion and dedication,” Jinapor said his service to Ghana remained an inspiration to all. “May Allah grant him eternal rest,” he added.

Alhaji Limuna Muniru, a respected traditional leader and public servant, is fondly remembered for his contributions to national development and his commitment to community welfare.

The August 6, 2025, military helicopter crash claimed the lives of Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence, Dr Alhaji Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Samuel Sarpong, Samuel Aboagye, Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Mensah Addo Ernest.

Afua Asantewaa O. Aduonum

Celebrated Guinness World Records (GWR) contender, longest singing marathon (Singathon) by an individual, Afua Asantewaa O. Aduonum is set to thrill patrons in this year’s Erkoso BBQ scheduled for the Royal King Event Centre, Etobicoke, Canada this Saturday.

To the musical diva, who sang for five consecutive days in 2023, in Ghana, she has invested in preparations to ensure she leaves indelible marks in the minds of the many expected patrons at the event.

She said in a telephone interview “I am ready for the forthcoming event, I have done my bit by way of preparation, come let’s have fun. It is Summer and staying home is not an option.”

She added ” I am in touch with the organizers, they are up to the task ahead, come out let’s network and strike new acquaintances for a cool $50, I will be doing a couple of Lumba songs and other popular Ghanaian songs. ”

The prestigious event (Erkoso BBQ 25) which is expected to start from 2pm to 10 pm, to be followed by an after party at the same event has received support from Erkoso Boys, Erkoso Foundation, Krix Rox Visuals, Alive Photography, Reckless Productions, Bar X Bottle Service and Kairo Knocktailz.

Erkoso Foundation, aims to unite the Black community through the power of entertainment while celebrating the richness of Ghanaian culture. Our commitment extends beyond just cultural promotion—we are dedicated to giving back to the underprivileged in the Black community, empowering them with the resources they need to thrive.

Samuel Tetteh, Ghana’s 2023 Metro Best Fisherman, has issued a stark warning that pollution and toxic fishing practices are pushing the nation’s fisheries toward collapse.

Speaking on Connect FM’s Orokodo News, he accused irresponsible fishers of using dynamite, DDT, and carbide—substances poisoning marine life and slashing annual catches far below Ghana’s 400-metric-ton potential.

“Human waste dumped into the sea and these deadly chemicals are killing our future,” Tetteh declared. He dismissed officials’ focus on light fishing as misguided, stressing that chemical toxins and offshore oil operations are the primary threats. Warming oceans, he added, compound the crisis.

Tetteh challenged the government’s neglect of artisanal fishers compared to cocoa farmers. “Cocoa farmers get price adjustments—what do we get? Who speaks for us?” he lamented, noting minimal budget support forces fishers to self-fund livelihoods.

His demands were urgent: The Fisheries Commission must lead ocean clean-ups and deploy toxin-detection tech to halt contaminated catches. “Identifying poisonous fish is a health priority,” he insisted, urging the Fisheries Minister to engage directly with fishers for effective solutions. “Without intervention, Ghana loses protein and jobs.”

Dr Zakari Mumuni is the First Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is currently using gold as a central tool to rebuild reserves, stabilise the currency, and restore investor confidence after losing access to international capital markets during the country’s recent debt crisis.

First Deputy Governor Dr. Zakari Mumuni made this known at CNVERGE’25 hosted by the Ghana International Bank (GHIB), adding that the central bank’s strategy of leveraging domestic gold resources has become critical for hedging sovereign risk and insulating the economy from external shocks.

It is recalled that the nation’s macroeconomic troubles escalated in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, which deepened fiscal and debt vulnerabilities. This downturn triggered sovereign credit downgrades and shut the country out of global debt markets, blocking a key source of foreign exchange inflows.

With investor confidence weakened and external funding curtailed, government finances deteriorated and reliance on central bank financing added to inflationary pressures.

“These events exposed structural vulnerabilities in our fiscal and debt frameworks,” Dr. Mumuni said, noting that the crisis forced a rethink of the country’s reserve management strategy to build greater resilience against future shocks.

The policy response’s centrepiece was the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP), launched in June 2021 to double the central bank’s gold reserves within five years from a starting point of 8.74 tonnes.

The programme aimed to diversify the foreign exchange reserve portfolio, use gold holdings to secure cheaper collateralised financing, and strengthen market confidence through more robust reserve buffers.

Before the DGPP, Ghana exported nearly all its gold output despite being Africa’s top producer in 2019 and the world’s seventh-largest. Gold accounted for more than half of export earnings but featured little in reserve assets, with the country relying heavily on cocoa syndicated loans and Eurobond proceeds.

Dr. Mumuni noted the gold-backed measures had contributed to exchange rate stability, eased inflationary pressures, and supported Ghana’s credit rating upgrade to B- with a stable outlook in June 2025.

The bank also introduced its Ghana Gold Coin, a high-purity investment product intended as a store of value, inflation hedge, and alternative asset class. It can also be used as a monetary policy tool to manage excess liquidity.

Over the past year, global gold prices have surged to record highs, with bullion climbing from around US$2,100 per ounce in early 2024 to between US$3,500 and US$3,534 in recent months.

Meanwhile, watch the trailer to GhanaWeb’s yet-to-air documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below:

Associate Professor of Aviation and Aerospace Services, Kwasi Agyekum, has urged the public to remain patient as investigations continue into the August 6 helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofoum in the Ashanti Region.

Speaking on The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV on Wednesday, August 13, Prof. Agyekum emphasised that aviation accidents are complex and rarely caused by a single factor, making thorough investigation essential.

“Just to let the audience know, there’s no single cause for an aviation accident. Let’s get that truth. It’s a very lengthy process; a detailed process. People should just relax because we want to get it right. No rush to come out with an accident investigative report when you know you have not done enough due diligence,” he said.

Prof. Agyekum, an aviation accident investigator, suggested that third parties might be invited to join the inquiry committee to enhance its credibility.

“Even though it is within the ambit of the military to do the investigation, in this case, I will not be surprised if third parties are being invited because of the high prominence,” he noted.

He explained that had the aircraft been civil-registered, the probe would have followed the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) standard recommended practices, which typically require preliminary findings within 30 days. However, no such timeline applies here.

“If this were a civil registered aircraft, then a lot of times, the organisation and management of the investigative process will be under the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standard recommended practice. Normally, they are supposed to come out with preliminary results within 30 days.

“For us, that time bar is not applicable; it will be up to the inquiry committee as to when they will give updates. That update may not necessarily come to the public,” he explained.

The crash claimed the lives of eight people, including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye; National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong; and Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed.

The crew members who perished were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

A state funeral for the victims is scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Black Star Square in Accra.

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A 30-day halt in petroleum product imports can cripple Africa’s economies, grounding planes, immobilising trucks, plunging hospitals into darkness, and disrupting supply chains, the African Refiners and Distributors Association has warned.

Despite producing more than five million barrels of crude oil daily, the continent imports over 70 per cent of its refined petroleum products, leaving it highly vulnerable to global supply shocks.

“If imports were to stop, the collapse wouldn’t just be technical, it would be systemic,” Anibor Kragha, the Executive Secretary, African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA), said in an interview during the ARDA Week 2025 conference in Cape Town.

“Today, Africa is deeply reliant on fuel imports, leaving it exposed to shocks with immediate and far-reaching consequences.”

A prolonged disruption in fuel imports, ARDA said, would have severe implications for aviation, transport, mining, construction, and essential services.

Jet fuel shortages would effectively isolate countries, while millions of tonnes of goods, medicines, and food would remain stranded in ports and warehouses, it said.

Diesel-powered generators, critical for hospitals, telecom towers, water systems, and banks, would fall silent, threatening health services and urban water supplies.

Rural clinics would lose power, and major cities could experience water pressure collapse.

Mining operations in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia would halt, affecting exports of copper, cobalt, and gold and resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue within days.

Although Africa hosts more than 40 refineries, many are outdated, underutilised, or idle.

Nigeria, the continent’s largest crude oil producer, has a nominal refining capacity of 1.1 million barrels per day – including the new 650,000 bpd Dangote Refinery – but still imports more than half of its fuel.

In Congo, plans are underway to double crude output to 500,000 bpd, yet the Pointe Noire refinery processes only 24,000 bpd, with a planned increase to 40,000 bpd, far below domestic and regional demand.

ARDA notes that Africa’s rising population, projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, will drive energy demand to double in the coming decades, further widening the gap unless refining capacity is expanded.

The Association has outlined a strategy to enhance energy security on the theme: “Africa First.”

This includes upgrading and scaling refining capacity, harmonising fuel specifications and regulations to promote intra-African trade.

This would attract investment through transparency and risk mitigation, developing pipelines, depots, storage terminals, LPG plants, and logistics networks, building skills in regulation, engineering, finance, and operations.

Expanding access to clean liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is also a priority, with the potential to create millions of jobs and reduce dependence on biomass.

ARDA is urging governments to streamline approvals for refining and distribution projects, address infrastructure bottlenecks, and mobilise domestic capital, including over $4 trillion in African pension funds, insurance pools, and sovereign wealth funds for energy investments.

The association called for the creation of national and regional strategic fuel reserves, noting that many African countries held only a few days’ supply.

“Energy security is not a luxury, it is a lifeline. Without energy sovereignty, there is no sustainable development. This is about more than infrastructure , it is about Africa’s future,” Kragha said.

He added that strong political will and a unified continental approach were essential to reducing dependence on imports and ensuring long-term resilience.

The Bank of Ghana has announced a new set of regulatory measures to check high Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) in banks and other financial institutions in the country.

The Central Bank, in a statement, said this action is in response to dealing with increasing risks to the industry’s profitability, liquidity, and solvency, as well as threats to the stability of the financial system.

The Bank of Ghana, in a notice, added that this action is to re-emphasise existing prudential guidance and highlight additional measures in line with international best practices for managing credit risks.

Maintaining a Robust Credit Risk Management Framework

The Bank of Ghana said this measure will ensure that the banks and other financial institutions will maintain credit risk management requirements and demonstrate the robustness to the regulator.

Observing of Prudential limit on Non-Performing Loans

The Central Bank said this measure will ensure that the levels of Non-Performing Loans to gross loan ratio do not exceed 10% or such levels as may be prescribed by the regulator.

It, however, said microfinance Institutions are required to comply with their existing prudential limit on non-performing loans.

Write off all Fully Provisioned Loans and Loans with No Realistic

It said this action will ensure that all the regulated financial institution, with prior written approval from the Bank of Ghana shall immediately write off NPLs in the loss category, as per the BoG prudential loan classification and provisioning norms, as well as those in the substandard and doubtful categories where there is no reasonable expectation of recovering contractual cashflows promptly.

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