THE SECOND phase of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) Talent Identification and Development (TID) Programme is in full swing, with the Greater Accra and Western Regions hosting the first sessions of this nationwide initiative aimed at unearthing the next generation of football stars.
The initiative now shifts to the Volta Region, where anticipation among schools and local football enthusiasts is already high. The programme is designed to feed into district competitions, from which the best talents will be selected for further development at the national level.
The Western Region recently concluded its event at Shama Senior High School from July 24 to 26, 2025, marking a major milestone in the Association’s mission to scout, nurture, and prepare young players for Elite Academies and future inclusion in national youth teams.
Each day, the Shama centre hosted 28 players—20 boys and 8 girls—primarily drawn from Junior High School Forms 2 and 3.
Participants underwent technical drills and basic tactical sessions designed to build the foundation for competitive football. At the end of the programme, 30 promising players were scouted from surrounding schools, showcasing exceptional talent and enthusiasm for the sport.
The Greater Accra Region was the first to launch phase two of the programme at the Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema New Town earlier in July.
Training sessions there run twice weekly—Fridays and Saturdays—and are coordinated by district coaches under the guidance of a technical team led by Head of Talent Identification Papa Nii Lartey, FIFA Talent Coach Stuart Maclaren, and Edward Gyamfi-Acheampong, Head of Video and Data Analysis. Physical Education Coordinators from the Ghana Education Service were also in attendance to support the process.
According to the GFA, the TID Programme is central to building a strong pipeline for Ghana’s Elite Academies and ultimately strengthening the national youth teams. After Volta, the team will head to the Eastern and Central Regions from August 7–9, 2025, before the Inter-District Competition scheduled for August 11–17, 2025.
BY Wletsu Ransford