The 2025 Democracy Cup trophy was presented to the Ghana Armed Forces by Clerk to Parliament Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, initiating a sequence of ceremonial visits before to the yearly football tournament. Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing and other senior commanders accepted the trophy on behalf of Lieutenant General William Agyapong, the Chief of Defence Staff, during the ceremony on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, in Accra.
Launched in 2024, the Democracy Cup is a part of a larger effort to use football as a vehicle for national education and solidarity. The proposal was promoted by Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, who used the popularity of the sport to increase awareness of Ghana’s democratic system.
To further spark interest in the effort, members of parliament stopped by Burma Camp on Wednesday, August 27, in the lead-up to this year’s event, which will take place on September 5 at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Along with other senior commanders, Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing accepted the trophy on behalf of Lieutenant General William Agyapong, the Chief of Defence Staff.
With the backing of the President, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chief Justice, the Democracy Cup has now established itself as a regular event on the national calendar, according to Clerk of Parliament Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror.
“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 said.
He regarded the competition as a representation of national progress and solidarity.
“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.”
In his remarks, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing praised the initiative and emphasised its value in promoting national cohesion.
“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.”
Football, he noted, has historically served as a unifying factor, especially in conflict-ridden regions.
“Ghana is a football nation… sports or football is sometimes used as a means of a unifier between or amongst feuding people,” he mentioned.
