The General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Prosper Harrison Addo, has called for collaboration and knowledge sharing among African football associations to revolutionize the game on the continent.
In his closing remarks at the CAF Regional Club Licensing Workshop in Accra, Addo emphasized the importance of working together to improve the game in Africa. He encouraged participants to draw from the experiences of Club Licensing Managers across the continent to enhance their work.
“Club Licensing is the single most important tool that can change the game,” Addo said. “However, it is not an event! It is a process, so I will urge that we pursue its implementation on a continuing basis; continuous improvement year in and year out, and together we’ll build the professional game in Africa.”
Addo expressed his gratitude to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the opportunity to host the final leg of the workshop in Ghana.
He also praised Sidat Mohammed, the man in charge of Professional Football at CAF, for his commitment to the Club Licensing regime.
The three-day workshop, which was attended by 15 Member Associations (MA’s) of CAF, delved into the Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP), which is set to become operational in the 2024/2025 Season.
The platform aims to enhance the club licensing process and improve the overall standard of football in Africa, starting from the 2024/2025 football season.
Addo urged participants to remain steadfast in their pursuit of excellence and to build a network of contacts to rely on when challenges arise. “Let’s tap into the human resources available to us to solve problems. Let’s improve on networking so we can share knowledge and together, we can build the African game,” he said.
The workshop in Ghana was the final lap of the CAF Regional Club Licensing Workshops, following successful events in Mauritania, Algeria, and Ethiopia.
The general objectives of the workshop were to train users for the Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP), present the CAF Club Licensing regulatory framework (2022 edition) for men and women, and discuss the mandatory criteria for domestic and continental competitions.
By working together and sharing knowledge, African football associations can build a stronger, more professional game that competes with the best in the world. As Addo said, “Together, we can build the African game.”