Ten of Africa's FIFA Member Associations have taken part in a financial governance workshop in the Ghanaian capital Accra, saying that it has proved invaluable in helping them improve efficiency - a key part of growing and developing football around the world. Ghana legend Abedi Pelé summed up the importance of the workshop in a closing address. "As football associations, we owe it a duty to educate our clubs on best financial practices," said the CAF Africa Cup of Nations winner and three-time African Football of the Year. "Let’s spread the word and make good use of the lessons from this workshop to promote, develop and enhance the game."

Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe joined hosts Ghana for the event, held from 29 to 31 January. FIFA's commitment to developing football and making it truly global depends on sound financial management and similar workshops are taking place regularly around the world. They are designed to enhance financial governance and capacity development within the Member Associations and ensure they get value for money from the funds distributed through the FIFA Forward programme. Introduced in 2016, the FIFA Forward programme provides funding for tailor-made projects in each of the 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs). During the four-year cycle of FIFA Forward 3.0, from 2023 to 2026, each MA is entitled to USD 8 million - a seven-fold increase over the funding they received before 2016 - and is a direct consequence of the reinforced governance and financial situation of the new FIFA.

"It has truly been a productive and inspiring workshop that will aid us in serving our stakeholders in an even more efficient manner," said Prosper Harrison Addo, the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association. "The rich content, excellent resource persons, open dialogue, exchange of knowledge and real-life examples shared have deepened our understanding of financial governance, which is a cornerstone of integrity, accountability, and transparency in football. "We leave this workshop with our Member Associations fully resourced and refreshed with a commitment to raise the standards of football governance." The workshops are held under the banner of the newly established FIFA Campus, which serves as the central football learning hub for all FIFA capacity development and education initiatives for MAs.

“The workshop was an excellent opportunity for the invited ten Member Associations to learn best practises about financial management and financial governance on topics such as procurement, conflict of interests, supporting documents, accounting systems etc,” said Christoph Suppiger, FIFA Head of MA Finance Services. “This exchange among the Member Associations was crucial for the success of the workshop. The Ghana Football Association made a tremendous job of organising this event.” Starting with a presentation of the Financial Governance Guide, the workshop included discussion, group work and case sessions emphasising the importance of accountability, transparency and responsible financial management within the context of FIFA Forward. "The in-depth insights on procurement processes, effective management of goods and services, and the establishment of conflict of interest declarations and registers for Executive Committee members and staff are particularly valuable," said Mohamed Benson Bawoh, Acting General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association. "These measures will strengthen our governance framework and protect the integrity of the MA.

"Additionally, learning about risk management has highlighted the importance of safeguarding resources and managing funds judiciously to ensure sustainable development." He added: "This workshop has been a game changer – reaffirming what we are doing right while shedding light on areas for improvement. The knowledge gained here will help us build a more functional and efficient MA.”