Ghana FA foundation to launch Ghana Prisons Project

The Ghana FA through the GFA Foundation, will launch the groundbreaking Ghana Prisons Project on Friday, May 24, 2024.

This Football for Development initiative aims to harness the power of football to enhance the well-being, reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates in Ghana’s prisons.

The GFA Foundation will equip various prison facilities across the country with football gear, including jerseys, footballs, goalkeeper gloves, and sets of football hoses. Additional items such as whistles, caution cards, and movable goalposts will also be provided.

Crucially, the GFA Foundation will facilitate coaching, refereeing, and mentorship training programs for inmates and prison officers.

The Foundation will also conduct advocacy workshops to raise public awareness about the negative impacts of discrimination and stigmatization of prisons and prisoners, aligning with its objective of using football to promote behavioural and social change.

The GFA Foundation, the social investment and sustainability arm of the GFA, aims to improve the lives and livelihoods of people and football communities. This project is being undertaken in partnership with the Ghana Prisons Service, the state institution responsible for maintaining an efficient, humane, and safe reformatory penal system.

The project is expected to provide prisoners with regular physical activity, improve health, and foster a positive outlook on life, counteracting boredom, disillusionment, and loss of zest for life.

This initiative is the first of its kind to be undertaken by a Football Association globally, with previous efforts having been carried out by football clubs and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in other parts of the world.