Ghana Football Association (GFA) plans to inaugurate two additional football academies in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions as part of its strategy to identify and cultivate young football prospects nationwide.
Professor Isaac Kwame Mintah, Technical Director of the GFA, indicated that these new facilities will extend the GFA Elite Football Academies initiative, following the successful establishment of a similar academy in Winkogo, Upper East Region, earlier this year.
Addressing the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) Knowledge Exchange Seminar in Accra last Thursday, Prof. Mintah emphasized the long-term goal of these endeavors: to nurture promising young players for the national youth teams, with the ultimate aim of bolstering the senior national team.
“Even as we speak today, we have already started the process to establish a second academy in the Ashanti region, specifically in Kumasi, which will serve students from the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions,” Prof. Mintah explained. “Additionally, we are planning to open another academy in the Greater Accra region this year, hopefully in Prampram.”
The GFA’s strategy includes establishing Elite Football Academies in all ten footballing regions of Ghana within the next seven years.
“The goal is to have one academy per region, ensuring a continuous supply of talent for our youth national teams, which will eventually feed into the senior national team,” Prof. Mintah added.
“Our aim is to maintain a robust talent pipeline, positioning Ghana to excel in the World Cup and potentially conquer the world stage.”
Former Ghana international and FIFA High Performance Expert, Tony Baffoe, praised the initiative, noting its potential to strengthen the country’s football foundation.
“The more regional centres we have where players can train, the better it is for the country. This approach will help develop future stars like Dede Ayew and Kudus,” Baffoe said.
The Head of the FIFA TDS, Ulf Schott, mentioned the scheme’s objective to support national teams in reaching their full potential, particularly as FIFA expands the World Cup to 48 teams.
“FIFA has allocated $200 million for the Talent Development Scheme over the next four years, aiming to ensure that every talented player has the opportunity to be selected and developed,” Schott stated.
The TDS emphasizes funding, expertise, training, education, and knowledge exchange. Currently, a Knowledge Exchange Workshop is taking place in Ghana, involving ten Member Associations: Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia.
With the Academies Programme, FIFA aims to establish a high-performance academy or centre of excellence in at least 75 member associations by 2027.
