The Ghana Football Association (GFA) joined the rest of the world in commemorating Nelson Mandela Day by engaging in community service and outreach initiatives. The celebration honored Mandela’s legacy of peace, unity, and social justice, with the GFA reaffirming its commitment to using football as a tool for positive change and social development in Ghana.
Every year, July 18 is celebrated globally as Nelson Mandela International Day which is used to highlight the Mandela Rules.
The Nelson Mandela Rules, formally known as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, are a set of guidelines aimed at ensuring humane treatment and upholding the human rights of individuals deprived of their liberty. These rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, cover various aspects of prison management and emphasize respect for prisoners’ inherent dignity and value as human beings.
This year, Ghana joins the world in celebrating 10 years of the Nelson Mandela Rules and 15 years of the Bangkok Rules—global standards for the humane treatment of all persons deprived of liberty.
The GFA joins voices from Government, the Ghana Prisons Service, civil society, UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and persons with lived prison experience to amplify the message that #PrisonersMatter
As a member of the Group of Friends of the Nelson Mandela Rules, Ghana continues to champion efforts to promote dignity, rehabilitation, and second chances.
It will be recalled that in May 2024, the GFA Foundation launched the GFA Foundation–Ghana Prisons Project, a football designed to harness the transformative power of football to support the wellbeing, welfare, reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates within Ghana’s prison system.
The Foundation has since supported 7 prison facilities with football items and logistics and also facilitated a CAF Licence D Coaching course for Female Inmates and officers at the Nsawam Female Prisons.
