President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, says significant progress has been made in Ghana football over the past six years despite inheriting the sport during one of its most difficult periods.
Ghana football was plunged into turmoil in 2018 following a major corruption scandal that rocked the administration of the game and led to the resignation of former GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi. The crisis brought domestic football to a standstill and forced sweeping reforms across the system.
In response, FIFA, together with the Government of Ghana, established a Normalisation Committee to manage the sport and restore governance structures ahead of fresh elections. The committee supervised restructuring efforts until 2019, when elections were held and Okraku was elected to lead the association as the country sought to rebuild trust in its football institutions.
“We took over the sport at a very challenging time. We had lost our president, there were misunderstandings, and we went through a very difficult election period. Just when we thought we would settle, we had COVID for over two years. So it was a very difficult period for the Ghanaian game,” Okraku said in an interview with GFA Media.
According to him, unity within the football fraternity has been central to the recovery process.
“As a football family, we have united, we have come together, and we have stayed together over time. The result is that we have successfully energised our football ecosystem and reignited passion in club owners, supporters and players,” he added.
Okraku pointed to the revival of grassroots competitions, structured Colts football, expanded academy development through partnerships with FIFA, and free coaching education for colts and female coaches as clear indicators of progress. He also cited increased support for Regional Football Associations and improved visibility of the Ghana Premier League as milestones achieved under his leadership.
While acknowledging that challenges remain, he expressed optimism about the future direction of the sport, insisting that sustained collaboration across the industry will continue to drive growth.
“This is not to say there are no challenges. But with the unity we have in the industry, our tomorrow will be better than our today,” he said.
