Kofi Iddie Adams, the Minister for Sports and Recreation has called for the deliberate implementation of the country’s youth football development agenda, stressing the need for a structured player development pathway rather than a system driven by selection alone.

Speaking at the Ghana Football Association’s 32nd Ordinary Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, the Minister said rebuilding Ghana football required a collective effort involving administrators, clubs, coaches, players and the media.

“We need a deliberate rebuild, and that rebuild should not be left to management alone but all of us, including the media,” Mr Adams said.

He noted that Ghana once had a clear system that nurtured and produced generations of talented footballers who progressed through various national teams before reaching the Black Stars and senior women’s teams.

“There was a time when Ghana not only produced individual talents but generational talents. Players progressed from the Starlets, Satellites and Meteors to the Black Stars, and the same applied to the women’s teams,” he said.

“We could follow their progression, but today we cannot say the same. We need a development pathway and not a selection exercise.”

The Minister said modern football success depended on deliberate planning and investment in talent identification, coaching, sports science, competition exposure, player data and seamless transitions between age-group teams.

“The world has changed. Talent identification is deliberate, coaching is deliberate, sports science, competition exposure, player data and transitions are all deliberate. We cannot leave anything to chance. We cannot compete with other deliberate systems through hope,” he said.

Mr Adams urged the football fraternity to focus on rebuilding the sport’s foundations through a clear structure that supports player identification, development, progression, elite transition and professionalism.

He further stressed that stronger domestic competitions would translate into improved performances by Ghana’s national teams.

“Yes, we should celebrate every Ghanaian excelling abroad, but we should not allow foreign-based talent to become an excuse for a weak local ecosystem,” he said.