The former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Abdul Nasiru Issahaku, recently announced a take over of Division One club Guan United which he subsequently renamed Tamale City Football Club (FC).
Dr Issahaku acquired a 50% stake in the team with owner of renamed Guan United Lepowura Alhaji M.N.D Jawula retaining a 10% stake in the team with Jones Alhassan-Abu receiving a 5% stake and the remaining 35% being split among Engineers and Planners CEO, Ibrahim Mahama and Group CEO of Groupe Ideal, Dr Nii Kotei Dzani.
Graphic Online understands that the club is hoping to adopt the successful model of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Kwame Nkrumah's Real Republicans to achieve their goals.
The owners of Tamale City FC hope to leverage on their substantial financial resources to qualify for the Ghana Premier League in a season and have already signalled their intent by signing FIFA U-20 World Cup winning coach Sellas Tetteh as head coach.
Tamale City FC also has designs on becoming the third force of Ghanaian football behind Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak by recruiting the best players in the country.
Meet the owners of the Tamale City FC below;
Profile of Dr Issahaku
Dr Issahaku is an International Development Economist with several years of experience in economic policy management and development, having worked with reputable international and local institutions including the World Bank as a Senior Public Sector Specialist; the African Development Bank as a Principal Governance Expert; the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa as a Development Management Officer; the Canadian International Development Agency as a Socio-Economic Advisor and Project Coordinator; and the National Development Planning Commission, Ghana as a Senior Planning Analyst.
Before his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Ghana, he was the Second Deputy Governor and Executive Board member with oversight responsibilities of nine departments including Economics, Statistics, Finance, Legal, Banking Supervision and Financial Stability.
He was Chairman of the Investment Management Committee of the Bank and a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee.
Dr Issahaku was a member of Ghana’s Economic Management Team. He chaired the Finance and Administration (F&A) Committee of the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Company and he was the Commissioner and Chairman of the F&A Committee of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Export Development and Agriculture Investment Fund, which he restructured and helped restore to operational effectiveness before his appointment to the central bank in 2013.
Profile of Dr Nii Kotei Dzani
Dr Dzani is a distinguished Entrepreneur and Businessman with extensive business experience as an Economist and accomplished Business Owner.
He is also the Greater Accra member of Council of state.
He has considerable years of experience in managing Micro & SME financing operations in Ghana.
His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; and an Honorary Doctorate from the Oral Roberts University, Oklahoma, USA.
He also holds an MBA in Corporate Governance & Finance from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. He is currently pursuing a professional Law Degree.
Groupe Ideal’s portfolio comprises Ideal Finance, First Trust Savings, and Loans, Ideal Capital partners, Ideal Asset Solutions, Ideal Trade, TV Africa, Ideal Pension Trust, Ideal Insurance brokers, Tsaste Foundation, a CSR wing of the Groupe Ideal Financial Holdings, Force 64 Security, and Westfield Offshore Consult.
Groupe Ideal currently operates in the areas of Investment Banking, Business Finance, Trade, Asset Management, Mining and Offshore Consultancy Services, Media and Security Services.
Profile of Ibrahim Mahama
Ibrahim Mahama is among the successful businessmen in Ghana. He is also notable for being the brother of the former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama.
The 47-year-old was born in the month of January in 1971 to Emmanuel Adama Mahama and Joyce Tamakloe.
He is the owner of construction firm Engineers and Planners, which is among the largest West Africa with subsidiaries in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Congo Brazzaville.
He also reportedly has interests in Arcelor Mittal African assets, Asutsuare Poultry Farms which produces about 150,000 eggs a day and 10,000 live chicks. and MBG Limited, dealers in the sale and rental of heavy-duty vehicles and spare parts.
Profile of Alhaji Jawula
Lepowura Alhaji Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula, is the Lepowura of the Kujolobito Gate of Lepo-Kpembe in the Northern Region.
As the 20th Chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), he distinguished himself so well that today, the continental football governing body, CAF, has appointed him to its Inter-Club Committee.
He has served as the Chairman of the Real Tamale United Football Club and owns women's football club Lepo Ladies.
Alhaji Jawula has explained that he had to sell off Guan United because he did not have the financial resources to continue running it single-handedly.
In the past, Alhaji Jawula served as the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health. He is a long-standing member of the governing New Patriotic Party.
Source: Graphic Online