The Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, has presented the 2025 Democracy Cup trophy to the Ghana Armed Forces, marking the start of a series of ceremonial visits ahead of the annual football match.
The presentation took place in Accra on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, with the trophy received on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, by Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing and other senior officers.
The Democracy Cup, first launched in 2024, forms part of a broader initiative to use football as a tool for civic education and national unity.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin championed the idea, leveraging the sport’s popularity to deepen understanding of Ghana’s democratic system.
In the build-up to this year’s edition on September 5 at the University of Ghana Stadium, Members of Parliament on Wednesday, August 27, made a stop at Burma Camp to further whip up interest for the initiative.
The trophy was received on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, by Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, together with other senior officers.
Clerk of Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, stressed that the Democracy Cup has now become a regular fixture on the national calendar, enjoying the support of the President, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chief Justice.
“The Democracy Cup has been accepted as one of the national events which will be observed. So on our national calendar, the Democracy Cup is a critical item which we would have to relate it to as a nation every year,” he stated.
He described the tournament as a symbol of unity and national development.
“We see a concept of unity of purpose characterising that process. Unity of purpose which is so essential, important for purposes of developing, for purposes of building, for purposes of achieving excellence.”
Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, speaking on behalf of the military, welcomed the initiative and highlighted its importance in fostering national unity.
“As neutral players in our democratic dispensation, and that is the armed forces, we actually welcome this agenda which has been set up by our legislative arm of government, spearheaded by the Right Honourable Speaker, and we assure you that come September 5th, we will mobilise our personnel in their numbers to come and grace this important occasion.”
He observed that football has long been a unifying force, even in areas experiencing conflict.
“Ghana is a football nation… sports or football is sometimes used as a means of a unifier between or amongst feuding people,” he said.
