Ghana taekwondo chief unveils biggest-ever kids development plan

Ghana Taekwondo Federation president Frederick Lartey Otu has announced plans for the country’s biggest children’s taekwondo development project. The initiative is intended to expand the sport beyond its established centres and bring it to communities that have had limited access to taekwondo.

Otu presented the plan during a meeting with National Sports Authority Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah. He led a GTF delegation to the engagement in Greater Accra during the federation’s leadership retreat, held from April 10 to 11 at the Plus 33 Hotel in Sakumono.

The retreat brought together GTF executive board members, chairpersons of regional associations and other stakeholders. Discussions covered the federation’s responsibilities, its relationship with the NSA and how Ghana Taekwondo can align its work with the Ghana Olympic Committee’s four-year development plan.

The grassroots expansion is being supported by a National Licence Coaching Course already under way. The programme is training 40 coaches from the federation’s 10 regional associations, with the expectation that they will pass their knowledge on to clubs and younger athletes. The wider campaign is also designed to increase awareness of taekwondo across the country.

The federation has outlined several other activities for 2026, including a national coach licensing course, a World Taekwondo international coach licensing course and a national referee course. A major national competition and a major international tournament are also planned to provide opportunities for Ghana’s leading athletes and raise the sport’s profile.

Otu also said the GTF would hold executive board elections at its 2026 congress. He called for a fair and united process focused on the long-term development of taekwondo rather than individual ambitions. He described 2025 as an important year for the federation, highlighting a scholarship awarded to promising female athlete Henrietta Ayeley Amarh.

Ghana Olympic Committee president Richard Akpokavie welcomed the retreat and urged administrators to keep athletes’ welfare central to their decisions. The engagement between the GTF and NSA is expected to support cooperation on athlete development, technical progress, grassroots programmes and preparations for major international competitions.