Ghana football needs adoption of a long-term development plan – Kudjoe Fianoo

Former Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) chairman Kudjoe Fianoo has called for long-term planning in Ghana football, insisting that a clear development strategy is essential to achieving sustainable success.

Fianoo believes Ghana can improve its football fortunes by adopting a structured approach to development, citing the five-year plan introduced by the late Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Ben Koufie as an example of effective planning.

He credited Koufie’s strategy with helping Ghana qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2006, when the Black Stars secured a place at the tournament in Germany.

“The late Ben Koufie, may his soul rest in peace, when he came, he drew a five-year development plan. And that helped in our qualification for the first time,” Fianoo told Sporty FM.

The former GHALCA chairman also drew on his experience as chief executive officer of AshantiGold, where he said a structured development plan played a key role in the club’s league success.

Fianoo explained that he engaged an expert to develop a four-year strategy for the club and was assured that following the plan would put them in a strong position to win the league title.

He said AshantiGold’s performance during the fourth year demonstrated the value of remaining committed to a clearly defined vision.

“In that plan, I was told that if I should follow the plan, I'll win the league. In the fourth year, we topped the league the second week. We never dropped until the league ended,” he said.

According to Fianoo, AshantiGold eventually finished the campaign with a six-point advantage, reinforcing his belief that proper planning is fundamental to success in football.

“When the league ended, we had about six points to spare. It's all about planning. Let's plan,” he added.

Fianoo’s comments come at a challenging period for Ghana football, with the GFA working to determine the next steps for the senior national team following the departure of Carlos Queiroz.

The association has confirmed that an interim technical team will oversee the Black Stars for their two-legged 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Somalia in November.

Kim Lars Björkegren, Godwin Attram and Ibrahim Tanko are reportedly among the coaches expected to be appointed to the interim setup ahead of the matches.

Ghana will be looking to get their qualifying campaign back on track after suffering defeats against Ivory Coast and The Gambia in their opening two Group C fixtures.