The Ghana Football Association (GFA) paid a courtesy call on President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, introducing their newly elected Executive Council and seeking his support in advancing Ghanaian football.
The delegation was led by GFA President Kurt Okraku, who secured a second term in October after running unopposed in the election and included other elected Executive Council members such as Vice President Mark Addo, Dr. Randy Abbey, Nana Sarfo Oduro, Dr. Gifty Oware-Mensah, Samuel Aboabire, Kingsley Osei Bonsu, former Ghana coach James Kwasi Appiah, Alhaji Abu Hassan, Gideon Fosu, and Eugene Nobel.
In his welcome address, President Akufo-Addo extended his congratulations to the new Executive Council and expressed his enthusiasm for working together to promote Ghanaian football. He acknowledged the challenges facing the sport, particularly the poor performance of the national teams in recent times, and stressed the need for a collective effort to turn things around.
President Simeon-Okraku then presented a detailed proposal to the President, highlighting key issues that require attention to develop football in Ghana.
The proposal focused on motivating corporate support, investing in grassroots development, renovating national stadiums, exempting taxes on imported equipment, and promoting collaboration between the GFA, MOYS, and beverage companies.
Additionally, the proposal suggested levying a 3% VAT on football clubs to boost their capacities, allocating 20% of taxes collected on winning purses to the GFA and supporting the acquisition of buses for national teams.
President Akufo-Addo assured the GFA that he would take action on the various points raised and expressed his commitment to supporting the development of Ghanaian football.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to collaborate towards revitalizing Ghanaian football and ensuring that the nation’s teams excel in future competitions, with President Akufo-Addo expressing his well wishes for Ghana’s success in the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast, which is scheduled to take place early next year.