Right to Dream Academy has officially launched the first residential Girls’ Academy in Africa at a ceremony on the School campus at Old Akrade in the Eastern Region. Nine girls between the ages of 10 to 13 were handed 5-year Scholarships following the completion of the final phase of recruitment to find the first generation of students into the famed Academy. Right to Dream’s scouting network screened over 1000 girls in Ghana and Ivory Coast to select the best female talents available for the ambitious project over the last months, before the selected students were given a six-week residential trial. Speaking at the ceremony, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Right to Dream, Tom Vernon said that Girl’s Academy is a very significant project for Africa. “It’s a landmark event in African football. The whole world is behind in developing the girls’ game and maybe lagging at the back of that as well. So I think it’s a significant step. We have been trendsetters in other areas of youth football in Ghana and we hopefully can be trendsetters in this area as well.” “Now it’s a dual Academy and we have boys’ and girls’ here. That is the way it is going to be in the future even if we develop other sports.” In their acceptance speeches at the ceremony, the Girls expressed their appreciation to Tom Vernon and RtD for giving them the scholarships and promised to work hard to fulfill their true potential. The RtD Girls Academy is a unique programme, built on a trusted model that will provide the students with first class education, character and leadership development and world class football development. The students will not only be given the chance to develop their football skills, but their academic and leadership skills in order to reach their true potential, and build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities in the future. The graduates are expected to lead social change and become role models for others girls in the future, in a society that tends to give more opportunities to boys. The RtD Academy is well renowned for producing some of the best talents in Ghana, in the last decade. Graduates include current Black Stars players Abdul Majeed Waris and David Accam, King Osei Gyan and Mohammed Abu. Three scholars, Thomas Agyepong, Nana Fobi and Yaw Yeboah were part of the Black Starlets team that took part in the recent CAF U-17 Championship in Morocco. RtD currently has 32 graduates studying at leading private boarding schools, universities and colleges in the USA and UK. Fifteen others are playing professional football in Europe and in the USA. 15 players have played international football with the junior and senior national teams of Ghana. RtD’s Girls' Academy is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. The initiative will contribute to Ghana’s development agenda by creating female role models and promoting equal opportunities.