The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana, Dr. Kofi Amoah says the country must look beyond merely hosting the rest of the continent.

Dr. Amoah who was speaking on Joy FM’s Sports Link programme at the weekend, said winning the tournament in addition to hosting a ‘fabulous tournament’ should be the objective and prayer of all.

Describing himself as the ‘future cheerleader of the Black Stars,’ Dr. Amoah said the Black Stars current 19th ranking by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) is no fluke and with proper support, the team should be able to conquer the continent and march on the world come South Africa 2010.

“We are now number 19 in the world, the fortunes of the Black Stars are stellar, we have global level players, everybody is looking forward to cheering the Black Stars, even my friend Issa Hayatou the President of CAF thinks that the Black Stars should win the World Cup in 2010,” he told programme host Elloeny Amande.

Dr. Amoah said the nation is on course to provide required facilities for the hosting of the tournament explaining that the Tamale Stadium under construction is 90 percent completed, same as the Sekondi Stadium, while the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi is 80 percent fulfilled.

He said Accra is also almost completed and there is no way the nation will disappoint, stressing that a lot of care had to go into the construction of the huge edifices.

Dr. Amoah who said the cost of constructing the stadia, (about $50 million each) ‘is not cheap,’ expressed the hope that when the tournament is over, the facilities would be run as business entities to ensure they are maintained properly.

He said the basic approach of the LOC has been to create the incentive for businesses in Ghana to appreciate the enormity of the opportunities that are coming with the hosting of the tournament and get themselves prepared.

He assured that an elaborate plan would be rolled out to provide accommodation for travelling fans.

Earlier in the year, national coach, Claude Le Roy was confident that the anything short of the Black Stars winning the CAN 2008 would be a disappointment and a personal failure for him.