The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has wrapped up a successful year for women’s football in Ghana, with the last leg of the implementation of the Raising Awareness Campaign.
The well-attended women's football festival took place at Akyem Akooko in the Eastern Region as part of the GFA’s Women’s Football Strategy, seeking to raise awareness about women’s football and educate the girls about the dangers of teenage pregnancy in the community, and the benefits of staying in school. It was held at the Akyem Akooko Town Park on Sunday, December 17, 2023.
The event was graced by a delegation from the GFA’s Technical Directorate, which included the Acting Technical Director of the GFA, Prof. Joseph Mintah, the Head of Women's Football Desk, Ama Brobey-Williams, Exco Rep for Women, Gifty Oware Mensah, who also represented the GFA President.
Others included Francisca Atuluk from the Ministry of Youth & Sports, representatives from the Eastern Regional Football Association led by Linford Asamoah, as well as chiefs and other dignitaries from the locality.
The targeted participants included U-11 and U-13 girls drawn from the Okyeman Girls Football and Cultural Group based in Akyem Akooko. It involved a series of activities which included football drills, fitness exercises, talent identification, mentoring sessions.
The GFA delegation engaged in dialogues with community leaders, chiefs, and parents to garner support for encouraging grassroots participation by the girl child.
The primary goal was to leverage the engagement with the Okyeman Girls Football and Cultural Group as a model to encourage other communities to follow suit.
The Eastern Regional Women's Exco Rep Louisa Amanor who was tasked with the follow-ups and continuation of the campaign in Akyem Akooko, was introduced to the community.
The Raising Awareness campaign is part of the implementation of the Women's Football Strategy 2023-2026, a document that outlines the vision, mission, objectives, and action plan of the GFA to develop and promote women’s football in Ghana.
The strategy aims to increase the participation, performance, and popularity of women’s football in the country, as well as to create opportunities for the empowerment and development of women and girls through the sport.
The campaign also aligned with the GFA’s social responsibility agenda, which seeks to use football as a tool for positive social change and impact.
The event ended with the presentation of items to the participants, including water, branded T-shirts, footballs, and the GFA's Talent Identification manual.
The items were meant to motivate and equip the girls for their future endeavours in football and education.
The next phase of the GFA’s implementation of the Women’s Football Strategy 2023-2026 continues next year.