Sports and Recreation Minister for Ghana, Kofi Adams, has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to bring the country’s national youth teams under a more consolidated structure and create a clearer route for players to progress into the Black Stars.
The directive includes government involvement in the selection of development coaches for Ghana’s Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 national teams, according to Sporty FM.
It forms part of seven directives issued after Adams met GFA President Kurt Okraku and the association’s Executive Committee on Friday.
Under the proposed approach, Ghana’s youth national teams would operate as part of a more coordinated development system, with greater emphasis on ensuring that players who emerge through the junior sides have a defined route towards the senior national team.
The Sports Ministry would also have a role in choosing the development coaches responsible for the U15, U17 and U20 teams.
The proposed changes come amid wider concerns about Ghana’s youth development system and the number of young players who successfully progress through the national teams before establishing themselves with the Black Stars.
Youth development has become an increasingly important part of discussions surrounding Ghanaian football, particularly the transition from junior international football to the senior national side.
The latest directive comes after a difficult period for the Black Stars, as well as the departure of Carlos Queiroz from his position as head coach.
Queiroz’s exit has coincided with increased involvement by the Sports Ministry in matters concerning Ghana’s national teams. The youth development directive forms part of that broader push for greater participation in national-team management.
The ministry’s proposal is aimed at creating greater coordination between the different levels of Ghana’s national-team structure. Rather than the youth teams operating as separate stages, the planned approach would establish a more defined development pathway for players from the junior sides to the Black Stars.
Government involvement would extend to the process of selecting the coaches who oversee development at each of the three specified youth levels.
The directive covers the U15, U17 and U20 teams, although no names have been provided for the coaches who could be appointed under the proposed arrangement.
There has also been no indication of which government representatives would take part in the selection process.
The changes were outlined following Friday’s meeting between Adams, Okraku and the GFA Executive Committee, where seven directives were issued.
The proposed restructuring places youth development within the wider discussion about the future of Ghana’s national-team system.
A key objective is to establish a clearer link between the country’s junior national teams and the Black Stars, allowing promising players to progress through the different age groups as they develop.
The emphasis on a pathway to the senior team comes at a time when Ghana’s football authorities are dealing with challenges at senior level. The departure of Queiroz has added to the focus on how the country’s national teams are managed and developed.
Under the new directive, the Sports Ministry would not only have a role in broader national-team matters but would also participate in the selection of coaches responsible for developing players at youth level.
The exact structure of the proposed system, however, has not been fully detailed. The directive does not identify the coaches who will be appointed to the U15, U17 or U20 teams, nor does it name the government officials who would be involved in their selection.
For now, the GFA is expected to work within the framework set out by the Sports Ministry as Ghana seeks to strengthen its youth development system and establish a more clearly defined route from junior international football to the Black Stars.
