Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, the president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has arrived in Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region, to formally start his four-day working visit to the three football regions in Northern Ghana.

On Monday morning, the GFA President landed at the Wa Airport, initiating a series of high-level meetings intended to improve stakeholder ties and promote football development throughout the northern corridor.

Alhaji Sadugu Yahaya, the chairman of the Upper West Regional Football Association, and his executives greeted him upon his arrival.

President Simeon-Okraku will have strategic talks with the Upper West Regional Football Association’s chairman, Alhaji Daudi Sadugu Yahaya, when he is in Wa.

He is also scheduled to meet club owners and administrators from the various football divisions in the region, providing a platform to assess challenges, share ideas and explore opportunities for sustainable growth.

As part of the visit, the GFA President will pay a courtesy call on the Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, Esq, to deliberate on matters of mutual interest, including collaboration between government and football authorities in the development of the game at the regional level.

Beyond the scheduled stakeholder engagements, the President will also undertake inspection visits to ongoing GFA projects in the region, aimed at evaluating progress and ensuring they align with the Football Association’s long-term development vision. His itinerary includes stops at the Malik Jabir Stadium and the newly constructed B.K. Adama Park.

President Simeon-Okraku will round off his engagements in Wa with a traditional visit to the Wa-Naa and the Overlord of the Waala Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo VI, to pay homage and reaffirm the GFA’s respect for traditional leadership in community and youth development.

Following the Upper West leg of the tour, the GFA President and his entourage will make a stop in Tumu before proceeding to the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga, where similar stakeholder engagements with football administrators and club officials are scheduled.

The Northern tour will conclude in Tamale, with President Simeon-Okraku expected to complete the series of consultations with the Northern Regional Football Association and key football stakeholders, reinforcing the GFA’s commitment to inclusive engagement, grassroots development, and nationwide football progress.

Kurt Okraku, president of the Ghana Football Association, has urged the UK to keep using football as a strategic tool for development, especially in Africa.

During the opening of Arthur Wharton’s 160th anniversary festivities in Accra, Okraku urged Britain to see football’s potential as a social and economic force in addition to its entertainment appeal.

READ ALSO: Kurt Okraku welcomes Black Queens after WAFCON

“In terms of football governance, culture, and passion, the United Kingdom has long been a global leader,” he stated.

“But I stand here today with a petition and a challenge: it is time for the UK to fully awaken to football as a genuine development tool, especially across Africa. In a world shaped by economic divides and shifting diplomatic priorities, sports diplomacy is not just a fringe soft power; it is a core strategy.”

He emphasized football’s ability to bridge cultural divides, educate young people, generate employment, and heal communities, and he called on Britain to collaborate with Ghana on projects ranging from corporate partnerships and strategic investments to technical exchanges and collaborative cultural projects.

Speaking about Ghana’s own initiatives, Kurt Okraku presented a comprehensive national plan for women’s football, youth football, and infrastructure development. She also mentioned how the GFA’s top-tier academies and Prampram training camps are setting the groundwork for future international competition.

“Let today not be the end of a celebration, but the beginning of deliberate dialogue,” he concluded.

“Let us use this commemoration as a springboard to establish a formal roadmap between the GFA and the English FA, supported by the British High Commission, the diaspora, and UK businesses. As we honour Arthur Wharton today, let us pioneer new models of UK–Ghana football collaboration.”

Kurt Okraku, the head of GFA, is in court in a defamation lawsuit against Atta Poku and Sompa TV/FM.

Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, the president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), filed a defamation suit against Collins Atta Poku, a journalist, and Teraone Media Limited, the owners of Sompa TV/FM, on Monday, April 7, 2024.

The head of Ghanaian football filed a lawsuit for GHC 30 million, and the GFA boss showed up in court with his attorney, Godwin Mensah Sackey.

The defendants, who their attorneys accompanied, did not show up for court on Monday.

The parties will return to court on  Monday April 14, 2025.

President Kurt Okraku, who is an Executive Council member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has dragged the journalist and his media outfit to court for making defamatory and libelous statement against him.

In a statement of claim at the High Court, Okraku accused the defendants of publishing false accusations to defame his character and bring him into public odium.

The claims range from misappropriation to funds meant for Black Stars players, ill-treatment of defender Daniel Amartey, and buying of buses for Division One League clubs.