Former Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye says Ghana should set aside hopes of immediate success at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and 2030 FIFA World Cup and concentrate on developing a strong national team over the next eight years.
The Black Stars have made a poor start to their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, losing their opening Group C matches against Ivory Coast and The Gambia.
Those defeats leave Ghana bottom of the group without a point. The difficult position has renewed concerns over their chances of reaching the tournament, particularly after they failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Vanderpuye believes Ghana’s football authorities need to adopt a longer-term strategy rather than focusing on short-term results in major international competitions.
“We should forget about the 2030 World Cup and the 2027 AFCON and focus on building a strong team for the next eight years,” he told Akoma FM.
His comments come as the Black Stars attempt to recover from their disappointing opening to the qualifying campaign and rebuild after a period of increasing scrutiny.
Ghana’s failure to reach the 2025 AFCON in Morocco has intensified criticism of the national side, as well as wider questions about the country’s approach to football development.
An interim technical team has been put in charge of the Black Stars for their next AFCON qualifiers against Somalia in November.
Kim Lars Bjorkegren will lead the temporary coaching set-up, working with assistants Ibrahim Tanko and Godwin Attram as Ghana attempt to revive their campaign and improve their qualification prospects.
The interim arrangement follows the departure of Carlos Queiroz after the team’s poor start to qualifying.
The Ghana Football Association is expected to appoint a permanent head coach in November. The new coach will be tasked with restoring confidence in the team and helping to put Ghana’s AFCON qualification campaign back on track.
