Former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, has disclosed that his care for the well-being of prisoners influenced his decision to launch the Prisons Football Project.
According to him, a visit to his friend, Alhaji Inusah, the first Chairman of Wa All Stars, who was jailed at Nsawam, prompted him to come up with an initiative to help such people stay fit through physical exercises and other sporting activities.
He indicated that it is vital for prominent people in society to invest in prisons and not abandon them, as has often been the case, to improve their lives.
“My friend is here. He is a former footballer of Upper West Heroes and the first chairman of Wa All Stars, Alhaji Inusah. He’s just around. So, he was jailed in Wa and transferred to Nsawam.
“Two weeks ago, I came and visited him, and that was the motivation for me to pay attention to the prisons. And I felt that if we paid more attention to the prisons, it would help society,” he told Joy Sports.
The former GFA boss also noted that he intends to expand the project to other prisons in the country as a long-term goal.
“We want to put in place a program, maybe once or twice a year, where something like this could happen. And then, in the long run, we could replicate it in all the prisons, because apart from the recreational aspects of it, it also contributes to the health of the prisoners, as their fitness, well-being, and good health are enhanced through these kinds of football matches,” he added.
Nyantakyi, together with some ex-footballers, organised sporting activities for persons at the Nsawam prisons to keep them fit and explore their sporting potential.
SB/EB
Watch Nyantakyi’s remarks below:
Former GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi says a visit to Wa All Stars’ first chairman at Nsawam moved him to launch the Prisons Football Project.#JoySports pic.twitter.com/OwtXfNYQWa
— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) June 4, 2025
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