FIFA President Gianni Infantino has commended the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for its outstanding utilization of the FIFA Forward program during a meeting with GFA President Kurt Okraku in Paris on Thursday.
The FIFA Forward program offers customized support for the advancement of football within each member association and the six confederations.
From 2016 to 2022, FIFA distributed $2.79 billion to member associations and confederations for football development, with Ghana receiving significant benefits.
“I congratulated him on the Ghana Football Association making excellent use of the FIFA Forward programme, such as the recent upgrade to the Ghana Soccer Centre of Excellence,” Infantino said after the meeting.
Recent upgrades at the Ghana Soccer Centre of Excellence, the GFA’s training hub for national teams in Prampram, feature newly installed floodlights that were activated in April 2024.
A new 40-bed accommodation facility for the national teams is also nearing its final stages of construction, alongside an additional artificial playing surface.
Ghana has also become part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) and hosted a TDS workshop in June 2024, which welcomed representatives from 10 African member associations.
Ghana has signed on to the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) and held a TDS workshop in June 2024, which included participation from 10 African member associations.
“President Okraku also explained how Ghana was benefitting from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, giving anyone who wants to play football in Ghana a chance to shine. He also provided me with an update on the work being done to encourage greater female participation in our sport,” Infantino said.
Infantino added, “Ghana certainly is a football nation, as I saw for myself during a visit a few years ago, and the GFA is working incredibly hard to ensure more young people in the country can play our wonderful sport. I look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration and to seeing Ghana participate in FIFA tournaments in the future.”
Okraku, who has been at the helm of Ghana football since 2019, praised Gianni Infantino’s support for African football.
“FIFA, led by the President, has been at the forefront of support for the development of football, especially in Africa. It was always important for us to engage and to know how far we are going, how well we are doing, and what we have to do to make it much, much, much better,” Okraku said.