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The sounds of football whistles, youthful chants, and community cheer filled the air across Krachi West Municipality in recent days as the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project rolled out a series of inter-community cluster football games.
As part of Subcomponent 1.3—Youth Engagement and Social Cohesion—under the Project’s Component 1, these sporting activities are being introduced as strategic tools to foster peacebuilding, inclusion, and local collaboration.
The SOCO Project, implemented by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and funded by the World Bank, aims to address drivers of fragility, conflict, and vulnerability in Ghana’s northern border-zone communities through a people-centered approach to development. From 22nd to 24th April 2025 the municipal playing fields came alive with spirited displays of talent, teamwork, and togetherness. Hosted within project beneficiary clusters, the games saw participation from communities including Gambo 1, Nkyenekyene, Odmakoma, and Kete.
Each matchday brought together young athletes who represented their communities with pride and passion. On 22nd April, Gambo 1 hosted the Kpollo Cluster tournament where teams such as Kpollo Man in War, Sabaja FC, Mpiledo Stars, and Chakosi FC competed in back-to-back games.
After series of charged encounters, Chakosi FC triumphed over Kpollo Man in the War in the final.The following day; 23rd April, the Nkyenekyene Cluster held its games featuring teams from Nkyenekyene No.1 and No.2, Amoyie Korpe and Adonteng Cement—once again drawing large crowds and uniting neighbouring communities around a shared love for sport.
Odmakoma Cluster and Kete Cluster also hosted their games at local parks including the Kadentwe Community Park where teams from Kadentwe, Adankpa, Forman Akura, and Kantakofore rallied behind youth-led representation and fair play.These games were not isolated events—they represented a growing movement within the SOCO Project to harness the energy and influence of young people for community transformation.
Alongside the football galas, the SOCO Project has been supporting a range of youth engagement activities including intercultural festivals, youth dialogues, and the formation of Youth Parliaments. As of the first cycle of project implementation, two Youth Parliaments have been established in West Mamprusi and Nabdam Districts with 14 more expected to be inaugurated in the second cycle. The Project funded 11 Parliamentary sessions in its first year offering youth a structured and impactful platform to discuss development priorities and strengthen civic leadership.
One such session, the first sitting of the second session of the Youth Parliament in West Mamprusi, held on 17th April 2025, brought together energetic young minds to debate “The Role of the Youth in Community Development”. In that session, youth from various communities passionately discussed their contributions to building inclusive and resilient societies.
This demonstrates how the SOCO Project is not only creating space for dialogue but cultivating a culture of responsibility and self-driven development among young people.
The Project’s commitment to social cohesion is further evident in the 10 inter-community dialogue sessions hosted across the regions. These gatherings have provided critical fora for resolving tensions, deepening mutual understanding and building trust amongst different social and ethnic groups. In areas where resources are stretched and histories are complex, such platforms are vital for building peaceful coexistence.
Additionally, the SOCO Project has facilitated 20 “SOCO Games” and 15 cultural festivals across selected project regions. These activities have directly engaged over 8,000 community members offering opportunities to connect, celebrate diversity, and participate in structured, peaceful engagements that reinforce collective identity and harmony.
In all these efforts, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs continues to center the voices of youth ensuring that they are not only beneficiaries but co-architects of the change they wish to see. The football games and related engagements serve as symbols of the wider SOCO vision: that development is not just about infrastructure but about people—how they interact, lead, and sustain the peace within their communities.
Through sports, dialogue, culture, and civic participation, the youth of northern Ghana are showing that social cohesion is not an abstract ideal; it is a goal within reach, one match, one dialogue, and one gathering at a time.
Source: GNA
