Democracy Cup Initiative Expands with FIFA-Certified Professional Training for P.E Teachers

Parliament has announced a nationwide initiative to provide FIFA-certified professional training for physical education teachers in senior high schools across all 276 constituencies of Ghana as part of its expanded Democracy Cup programme.

Speaker of Parliament, RT Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin revealed this during the presentation of the Democracy Cup to President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House today. 

The programme aims to equip PE teachers with advanced skills to identify, nurture and develop young football talents from the grassroots level.

“This intervention is not just symbolic, it is strategic. It is a deliberate effort to equip our physical education teachers with the skills and exposure needed to identify, nurture and develop young football talents from a grassroots. We are trying to catch them young,” the Speaker explained during the ceremony.

The training initiative forms a central component of the 2025 Democracy Cup edition, which Parliament designed as a civic platform to bring the institution closer to citizens by harnessing football’s unifying power to strengthen democratic institutions and rebuild public trust.

The Democracy Cup programme has evolved beyond a simple football tournament into a civic engagement tool. 

The initiative began last year under Parliament’s leadership, with corporate backing from sponsors including Remedial Media Limited and the Executive Chairman of KGL Group of Companies.

Parliament’s football team demonstrated the programme’s success by winning a trophy against a Washington-based team last year, while domestically, Ashanti Kotoko claimed the local championship. 

The initiative now plans to expand internationally to Germany and the United Kingdom throughout the year.

The symbolic journey of the Democracy Cup has taken it to key governance institutions across the country, including the palace of traditional rulers, the Armed Forces high command, the Electoral Commission, and the Chief Justice’s office before reaching its final destination at the Presidency.

“Each presentation was carefully designed not only to solicit support of this great initiative but also to highlight its deeper meaning, unity, peace and the shared responsibility for nurturing our democracy,” the Speaker noted.

The 2025 programme will culminate in a grand finale on September 5, 2025, at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium. The event will feature a curtain-raiser match between Parliament and the judiciary, symbolizing the healthy interplay of democratic powers, followed by a local derby between Accra Great Olympics and Accra Hearts of Oak.

He invited President Mahama to attend and potentially kick-start the match, emphasizing that presidential participation would send a powerful message that democracy extends beyond formal institutions into all aspects of national life.

Parliament seeks to speak a language every Ghanaian understands while strengthening bonds between government and citizens by connecting football culture with democratic education, particularly the youth.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD