FIFA President, Gianni Infantino (R) with Kurt Okraku
As he marks ten years as FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has singled out Ghana as one of the Member Associations that has effectively utilised FIFA support to advance football development and competitive success.
In remarks highlighting Ghana’s progress, Infantino praised the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for maximising the FIFA Forward programme and other development initiatives.
A key example, he noted, is the transformation of the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram. The national technical centre now boasts new floodlights, a 30-bed accommodation facility for teams, and both artificial and natural turf pitches.
Beyond the south, a new technical centre has been inaugurated in Winkogo in northern Ghana, broadening access to elite training infrastructure and decentralising football development.
Infantino commended GFA President Kurt Okraku for prioritising participation growth, particularly in women’s football, with backing from FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme.
FIFA’s support for the National Women’s League has helped strengthen the domestic structure and talent pipeline. That investment, Infantino said, contributed to the Black Queens’ qualification for the 2024 and 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
On the international stage, he highlighted Ghana’s back-to-back FIFA World Cup appearances — in Qatar 2022 and the upcoming 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States — as further proof of sustained progress.
Infantino’s comments position Ghana as an African example of how strategic investment in infrastructure, grassroots programmes and women’s football can translate into measurable development and competitive achievement.