Kurt Okraku vows to maintain Ghana’s youth policy across leagues

Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku has pledged to keep enforcing the association’s mandatory Youth Integration policy across the country’s domestic competitions. The programme is intended to give young Ghanaian footballers more regular opportunities to play competitive football.

Okraku made the commitment on Thursday at the GFA’s 32nd Ordinary Congress, held at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram. His remarks placed youth development among the association’s continuing priorities for the domestic game.

The policy covers the Ghana Premier League and the Women’s Premier League, as well as the Division One and Division Two leagues. It therefore applies across both men’s and women’s football and is not limited to the country’s leading division.

The GFA’s stated aim is to ensure that young players receive meaningful exposure and regular competitive experience at different levels. The association sees those opportunities as part of a route through which emerging footballers can develop within Ghana’s domestic system.

By extending the policy to the lower divisions, the framework gives youth integration a wider reach across the league structure. Players can gain experience in competitive matches while progressing through the domestic game, rather than having the development focus concentrated only in the top flight.

Okraku’s pledge means the GFA will continue applying the requirement across all four named competitions. The approach also links youth development in the men’s and women’s game under one national policy, with the association maintaining its focus on creating playing opportunities for young Ghanaian footballers.