Ghana and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is one of the Premiership stars who have lifted the international profile of African football

The countdown clock is ticking and excitement mounting as Ghana prepares to stage to the continent’s grandest sporting tournament, the African Cup of Nations (CAN 2008). A showcase for African football talent – and many of the indigenous stars that now ply their trade in the Premiership and other European leagues – the event promises to be the biggest and best yet, with 16 countries from across Africa vying for the title and an international audience watching.

Ghanaian flair, colour and culture will bring the much hyped and eagerly anticipated competition to life for supporters both on the terraces and on the TV screens, and provide a taster of what is to come in 2010 when South Africa opens its doors to the FIFA World Cup.

The tournament runs from January 20 to February 10. Matches will be staged in the capital, Accra, another coastal venue, Sekondi, the central city of Kumasi and the northern town of Tamale, as Ghana plays host to the event for the fourth time.

On the field, defending champions Egypt will face a tough test clinging on to their title, while for Ghana, it will be an opportunity to claim their first tournament win in more than 25 years. The Ghanaian team last took the championship back in 1982, though the country does hold the record for the highest number of appearances in the cup final – seven, winning on four separate occasions. The last two titles have been won by the host nation, an achievement Ghana will be hoping to replicate.

The opening day fixture on January 20 will pitch the host state against Guinea in Accra’s newly refurbished 40,000 all-seater Ohene Djan Stadium. As one of the tournament favourites, the Ghanaian national team will be strongly favoured to progress to the next stage, especially after reaching the last 16 at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Other seeded teams that Ghana may need to overcome include Nigeria and Tunisia, as well as Egypt.

Kofi Amoah Chairman of LOC

Staging an event as huge as the 26th MTN African Cup of Nations Ghana 2008 (Ghana CAN 2008) is a test for the nation not just on the field but off it as well. With the eyes of Africa and much of the world upon the black star state, local organisers have faced a tough task in getting everything ready in time, from the four key stadiums to accommodation for the participating teams, officials and the one million visitors the competition is expected to attract.

Ghana aims to host the event in style. Special Ghanaian villages are being created at the key tournament centres where Ghanaian food, music and artifacts will be on offer. Big carnivals will be held in the evenings.

Primary responsibility for putting the event together rests with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), a mix of Ghanaian institutions and officials, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). So far, all appears to have gone pretty smoothly, with preparations at each of the four venues, in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi and Tamale, on track. A series of road shows are also being staged to whip up interest both inside Ghana and across the neighbouring states and foster greater ownership of the event.

The LOC is headed by Chairman of the Board Kofi Amoah, who insists the event is not such a leap in the dark. After all, Ghana hosted the competition back in 1965 and 1978, and co-hosted it with Nigeria in 2000. Since then, however, African football has been transformed, with the media spotlight intensifying because of the high profile of European-based superstars such as Ghana and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien.

“These international sports fiestas have become a big deal,” says Dr Amoah. “Now they cut across society. The first time these events became profitable was in Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympics. Since then cities around the world have been using these events as a catalyst to make investments, and it will be the same for us.” What with merchandise and TV rights, the stakes are getting higher.

Central to the tournament is getting the right infrastructure in place, an area in which the Ghanaian private and public sectors have worked together closely. According to Dr Amoah, about $40 million has been spent on getting things right but this is a good investment in the country’s future.

He says: “The multiplier effect of this investment will create jobs and be a catalyst for economic development. We have also added revenue generators like hotels, restaurants and meeting rooms to each stadium. Therefore, post-games there will be revenue streams to pay for maintenance and necessary upgrades, to ensure that these magnificent stadia do not become white elephants.”

The main draw at the plush Accra International Conference Centre in October brought together the crème-de-la-crème of African football and afforded a glimpse of what is to come with a rich vein of Ghanaian culture and tradition on show. The draw was preceded by the naming of the official tournament mascot, Agorophene – meaning King of Sports.

For the first time in the history of the competition, sporting giant Adidas has created a special tournament ball, a move that perhaps reflects the growing commercial interest in the biennial event. The ball, featuring the colours of the Ghanaian flag, was presented at the draw ceremony by Adidas ambassador and former Liberian football superstar George Weah.

Dr Amoah promises that Ghana will put on a fantastic show. “We want to host a fabulous tournament,” he says. “We need to have world-class training pitches, world-class accommodation, restaurants and tourist attractions.”

CAN 2008 is significant in other ways, as the last major African soccer tournament ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Dr Amoah says it is crucial that Ghana puts on a good show in order to help South Africa shine two years down the line. “I do not think that South Africa has a choice but to succeed,” he says. “It is about Africans showcasing their organisational skills.”