The Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB) have received the Democracy Cup trophy from the Speaker of Parliament’s delegation ahead of the main tournament scheduled for Friday, August 28 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The Speaker of Parliament’s delegation, led by Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, made its first stop at the Police Headquarters in Accra to engage POMAB on preparations for the tournament and to present the trophy to the IGP.
In his speech, IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno commended the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, for championing democracy through football to educate citizens on the need to uphold it.
“The Ghana Police Service expresses gratitude to the Speaker for our involvement in this upcoming match. This is the third edition. Inaugurating this democracy cup means the Speaker decided to remind us of the benefits we have enjoyed all these years. Thirty years in democracy is such a joy.
We have considered other options, and democracy is the best. That is what Ghana stands for. That is what we, the security services, are also giving support to Ghanaians to make sure that we uphold this democracy strongly for Mother Ghana, for this generation and generations yet to come. So we are ready to receive the cup,” he stated.
The IGP further indicated that he will ensure peace during and after the tournament, assuring that his men will be on the ground to enforce discipline.
Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, speaking on behalf of the Speaker, said: “Among all the options in governance, democracy appears to be the best. The Speaker subscribes to that and, having lived through 30 years of this journey, he conceived this idea of leveraging football to promote the values of democracy because football brings us together — friends and foes alike.
Football binds us together. So football appears to be a good vehicle through which the concept of democracy can be propagated, promoted, and sustained with unity of purpose. The Speaker launched the Democracy Cup three years ago, and we are reaping the fruits today.”
NCCE Visit
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has pledged its full support for the 2026 Democracy Cup, with Chairperson Kathleen Addy describing the initiative as a vital tool for reinforcing Ghana’s democratic gains.
The pledge came when a delegation from Parliament presented the Democracy Cup trophy to the NCCE at its headquarters in Accra on today, August 25, 2026, as part of a nationwide trophy tour.
Madam Addy commended the Speaker of Parliament for championing the initiative, noting that the Speaker did not have to organise the event but had chosen to do so at great cost to remind Ghanaians about the importance of democracy.
“As Ghanaians, it’s very easy to take democracy for granted because it has served us so well for so long. We’ve forgotten how to live outside of it, and we’ve forgotten how difficult it can be outside of democracy,” she said.
“Some way, somehow, we all know that without democracy, things will be much worse. That is fundamentally accepted across all the surveys. Ghanaians know we all want something better. It doesn’t mean that we don’t know that this is the best type of governance for us to have.”
She noted that football was the perfect vehicle to promote democratic values, describing it as “the heart of the nation.”
“All Ghanaians know that we love football. What other means but football to bring attention to all of this?” she asked.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke
