Former Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) chairman Kudjoe Fianoo has called for long-term planning in Ghana football, insisting that a clear development strategy is key to achieving sustainable success.

Speaking in an interview, Fianoo cited the five-year development plan introduced by the late Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Ben Koufie as an example of how strategic planning can improve the fortunes of the national team.

He believes the plan played a significant role in Ghana qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2006, when the Black Stars secured a place at the tournament in Germany.

“The late Ben Koufie, may his soul rest in peace, when he came, he drew a five-year development plan. And that helped in our qualification for the first time,” Fianoo told Sporty FM.

The former football administrator also pointed to his experience at AshantiGold as evidence of the importance of having a structured development strategy.

During his tenure as chief executive officer of the Obuasi-based club, Fianoo said he engaged an expert to draw up a four-year development plan aimed at guiding the team towards winning the Ghana Premier League.

According to him, the expert assured him that adhering to the strategy would put the club in a strong position to win the league.

Fianoo said AshantiGold’s eventual triumph in the fourth year demonstrated the value of patience, consistency and commitment to a clearly defined plan.

“In that plan, I was told that if I should follow the plan, I’ll win the league. In the fourth year, we topped the league the second week. We never dropped until the league ended,” he said.

He added that AshantiGold finished the campaign six points clear of their rivals, further reinforcing his belief that careful planning is essential to achieving success in football.

“When the league ended, we had about six points to spare. It’s all about planning. Let’s plan,” he added.

Fianoo’s comments come at a challenging time for Ghana football, with the Black Stars seeking to rebuild following recent disappointments and the Ghana Football Association working on measures to strengthen the national team’s technical direction and long-term development.

The GFA has confirmed that an interim technical team will oversee the Black Stars for their two-legged 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Somalia in November.

Kim Lars Björkegren, Godwin Attram and Ibrahim Tanko are among the names expected to form the interim coaching setup, although the appointments have yet to be officially confirmed.

Ghana will be hoping to use the November fixtures to revive their qualification campaign as the search for a substantive head coach continues.