The last time Ghana won gold in the female category of the African championships was in 1980 in Dakar, Senegal, when Esther Lamptey overcame her tough opponents and made Ghana proud.

41 long years after, gold has eluded the female Black Loopers.

However, in the male category, Ibrahim Gado Nuhu made Ghana proud by winning gold at the World Junior and Cadet Championships held in Accra in April 2019 at the Trust Sports Emporium.

The current crop of female players have done a yeoman’s job, and need to be commended for hoisting the flag of Ghana in many international tournaments.

The Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has plans of breaking the jinx in the female category and has therefore put in pragmatic efforts to ensure that more females are groomed to join the funnel of talents.
Key amongst these is the implementation of a scholarship scheme for talented female players who are disciplined and attend school. The first badge of four recipients has been announced with the second batch in the pipeline.

Furthermore, the inclusion of cadet players into the senior national team is also one of the key ideas of the ‘’Future in mind’’ concept of GTTA. Emmanuella Yaa Kyere and Blessing Labanti, arguably the brightest kids in the cadet category wore the national team jersey as they represented Ghana at the ITTF Africa Western region championships in Nigeria. The experience garnered by these girls is worth building upon.

Further to their first international tournament in Nigeria, Emmanuella Yaa Kyere, Blessing Labanti and in addition, Emerald Bortey have been given wildcards to play in the season’s finale, the Grandmasters championship, a tournament which is being revived after 41 years hiatus.

Although these young players would have a mountain to climb against seasoned players like Cynthia Kwabi, Eva Adom-Amankwaa and the likes of Bernice Borquaye, it re-assures us that the hey days of the legendary 3-time African Champion Ethel Jacks, the Akuetteh sisters, Esther Lamptey and many more are being revisited.

The trio of Emmanuella, Blessing and Emerald may not win against their seniors, but definitely, it is a step in the right direction.

Kudos to the Ghana Table Tennis Association for paving the way for the next generation to have a feel of play with the crème de la crème of table tennis.

Hopefully, in a decade, the tables will turn, and Ghana will win gold and thereby break the jinx.

On Thursday, 30th of December at the D.G Hathiramani hall of the Accra Sports Stadium, the Grandmasters Championships will be held to crown the king and queen of Ghana Table Tennis.

By: Nathaniel Kwesi Somuah
Ghana Table Tennis Association