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Ex-Ghana international Michael Essien has hailed the Mansour Group’s decision to fund a new, world-class Right to Dream (RTD) Academy near Accra, calling it a landmark investment in Ghana’s next generation.
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Black Stars Management Committee Chairman Dr. Randy Abbey has expressed support for flying Ghanaian fans to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, provided it is done transparently and responsibly.
The Black Queens of Ghana have been paired against Egypt in the final qualifying round of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will once again be held in Morocco.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has showered praise on Benjamin Asare, whose rapid rise through the ranks has seen him become Ghana’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, ahead of several of the country’s more established names.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has provided early insight into his plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, highlighting loyalty, consistency, and trust as key factors in shaping his final squad for the global tournament.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has declared his ambition to lead Ghana beyond the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as he seeks to guide the four-time African champions to their best finish in over a decade.
The Mansour Group, the global business enterprise that owns Right to Dream, the community of football academies, football clubs and full-scholarship schools, has announced plans to construct a new Right to Dream Academy near Accra.
The new Academy will be a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar facility designed to deliver even better educational and athletic outcomes for RTD Ghana’s nearly 100 students, drawn from Ghana and the surrounding region.
The construction phase of the new facility is scheduled to begin in early 2026. While construction is ongoing, RTD will offer positions to all its existing 127 employees in Ghana and will honour all student-athlete scholarships at a temporary facility near Accra before the new Academy opens, potentially as soon as 2027.
The announcement of a new home for RTD Ghana marks a new chapter in the history of the storied Academy. Since Right to Dream was founded in Ghana in 1999, the organisation has created life-changing opportunities for young people in the country to pursue careers either in football or through international educational programs. The Academy also provides a professional home for the entire Right to Dream family, including world-class educators, coaches, administrators, and staff.
Mohammed Kudus and Abdul Mumin
The Academy will be part of the global RTD operation that includes four academies and three professional football clubs on three continents, backed by the Mansour Group, which has operations around the world.
The new facility in Ghana will be the third new RTD academy to be built since RTD was acquired by the Mansour Group’s investment arm, Man Capital LLP, from the then majority owner and founder, Tom Vernon, in a cash-and-stock transaction in 2021.
The Mansour Group has recently invested more than US$180m (GHC 2.23bn) in RTD, including €15m (GHC 217m) in Ghana alone, a new Academy and football club in the USA, infrastructure, staff, student-athlete scholarships and other investments.
Further announcements regarding the location and design of the new Academy will be coming soon. The existing facility in Old Akrade will continue to be owned by Tom Vernon’s foundation, but will not be part of the global RTD group.
The new facility in Ghana follows the construction of new RTD academies in Cairo, Egypt, which was completed in 2023, and San Diego, California, which received its official opening in September 2025. The new RTD academy in San Diego has been hailed by football industry leaders as first in class and one of the best in North America.
At the same time, the number of students, primarily West African, becoming professional footballers or receiving academic scholarships at some of the best schools in the USA, has reached a record high in recent years. And never before has Right to Dream seen so many graduated student-athletes representing their national teams at the highest level of the sport.
For the Mansour Group, chaired by Sir Mohamed Mansour, the distinguished Egyptian-British entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, the announcement marks an increase in its decades-long investment in Ghana and the Ghanaian people.
Over the last 10 years alone, it is estimated that the Mansour Group has invested and contributed around US$ 600m (GHC 7.23bn) in the country. Mantrac, the group’s Caterpillar machinery dealership, has operated in Ghana since 1997, employs nearly 800 staff across four branches in Ghana, and has trained more than 500 young mechanical engineers since establishing an educational program a decade ago. Mansour Autos and Spare Parts Ghana, the group’s automotive dealership founded in the country in 2014, is considered to be one of the leading companies in the Ghanaian automotive sector, employing more than 70 skilled people across a number of showrooms, workshops and other facilities in Ghana.
Sir Mohamed Mansour, Chairman of Right to Dream:
“Ghana, for decades, has been at the heart of the Mansour Group, and Ghana will always be at the heart of Right to Dream. This is where this opportunity-giving program and model was born, and it has always been our ambition to make sure the talented youth, and all our employees, in Ghana have the facilities and home to match their potential and our common vision.
“This is an investment in people and purpose, which will benefit all our students from all over Ghana, their families, their communities, and hopefully give them even bigger opportunities as role models, successful football players, academic scholars, and leaders who make their country proud.”
The announcement has been welcomed by Ghana’s Government.
Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, Minister for Sports and Recreation:
Kofi Adams
“This partnership builds on a powerful story that has already transformed lives. For years, Mansour Group, through the Right to Dream Academy, has shown what is possible when sport is used as a vehicle for human potential, combining football, education, and character development to shape the next generation of leaders.
“The decision to expand that mission here in Accra and reinforce Ghana’s place as Africa’s hub for football talent is more than an investment; it is a vote of confidence in our nation’s future. It is proof that when vision meets structure, and when passion is matched with purpose, sport becomes far more than a game; it becomes a driver of education, empowerment, and national transformation.
“Government stands ready to build the enabling environment for such partnerships to grow, ensuring that grassroots talent is discovered early, supported deliberately, and developed into a global export that carries Ghana’s name to the highest levels of the sport.”
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Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has stressed the need to evaluate the commitment level of players before they are invited to represent Ghana, insisting that passion and unity must remain the team’s guiding principles.
Following Ghana’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, conversations have intensified regarding the potential inclusion of foreign-born players to bolster the squad.
However, Addo cautioned that selection should not be based solely on talent or nationality, but rather on a player’s dedication to the national cause.
Speaking to 3Sports, the coach highlighted the importance of preserving team harmony ahead of the global tournament.
“I think Ghana should always have a certain pride. As a country, we need to check the commitment of each player, which is very crucial because we have very good unity, and we definitely don’t want to destroy it by bringing players who don’t have commitment,” he said.
In recent weeks, calls have grown for England-born duo Eddie Nketiah and Callum Hudson-Odoi to be considered for Ghana’s World Cup squad.
Yet, others have pushed back, arguing that players who did not feature in the qualifiers should not be granted World Cup spots ahead of those who helped secure qualification.
With the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico less than a year away, Addo’s comments underline his determination to build a team founded on loyalty, unity, and national pride.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has explained his decision to make Benjamin Asare Ghana’s first-choice goalkeeper, stating that the Hearts of Oak shot-stopper earned his position through hard work, consistency, and merit.
