Bumper $200,000 Bonus for Black Stars B
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the state to pay a bonus of USD$100,000 to the Black Stars B team that won the West African Union (WAFU) Cup of Nations in Cape Coast.
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The President said the team had not only brought joy to the Presidency, but also made the nation happy and proud.
The package announced yesterday adds up to the prize money of $100,000 which the Ghana Football Association (GFA) had said would be shared by the team.
The President said he was encouraged to hear that the Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, had previously told the team they were not going to be paid any bonus but were going to play for the country which the team “agreed to do so.”
He said rather humorously that, having won the WAFU Cup and a prize money of $100,000, he felt to sense of obligation also give you a bonus”, having been re-assured by the Vice President (Dr Mahamudu Bawumia) — whom he described as the one who looks after the nation’s money — and the Senior Minister (Yaw Osafo-Maafo) who together were in charge of the Government Economic Management Team.
Drawing a hefty applause from the Black Stars B players, officials and an accompanying supporters group, the President went ahead to disclose the reward to the team.
“So the token of the nation’s appreciation for this excellent feat and this excellent result, I am also going to add a $100,000 for the whole team so that the bonus that you were not promised before, you would have after the achievement,” said President Akufo-Addo when the team presented the WAFU Cup to him at the Flagstaff House yesterday.
The Stars were accompanied by the Sports Minister, Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, and other officials.
Also present were Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo and other ministers of state.
The president said after Ghana lost to Nigeria at the group stage, a friend told him that Ghanaian football was on the decline, but their victory last Sunday had restored his faith in the national team.
“I said that, it cannot be [true] that the country that produced James Adjei, Baba Yara, Osei Kofi, Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah, Asamoah Gyan would be running out of great footballers. Lo and behold, came the news that you had won this competition in this excellent style. Congratulations!.
“You have done a good work and I think that it was achieved on the standard principles of teamwork and hard work and everybody fighting for each other. That’s the way football teams succeed and that’s the way we want the nation of Ghana to succeed.”