The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has proposed a return to scouting and grooming football talents at the district level to develop and improve Ghana’s football scene.
The president, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday, February 27, bemoaned Ghana’s poor performance at the just-ended 2023 AFCON tournament in Cote d’Ivoire which he said has left the nation saddened.
According to the President, the recent AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire was probably the nadir of the performance of the Black Stars, and has left the nation saddened, however, he is quite certain that the young men and the technical handlers would, themselves, have wanted to make the nation proud, and he believe that the captain, Andre Dede Ayew, meant every word when he rendered heartfelt apologies on behalf of his team-mates to all Ghanaians for the team’s early exit.
President Akufo-Addo added that this is the second time Ghana in a row, was knocked out of the group stage of the prestigious continental tournament and he believes it is time for us to take a long-term, far-sighted approach to correct what has gone wrong. It is time to return to scouting, grooming, and developing talent at the district grassroots level under a Presidential Policy on Football that I intend to unveil.
President Akufo-Addo further stressed that the school sports department of the Ministry of Education will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration and synergy with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), to build district, regional and national juvenile teams for both boys and girls.
He said that he has no doubt that the Black Stars will rise up again and Ghana is ready to welcome sportsmen and women for the Africa Games, urging Ghanaians to make visitors feel welcome and patronize the game.
Story by Abduai Dasmani


