By Michael Okuley
President of the Ghana Cricket Association (GCA), Mr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah Asare has been honoured by the International Cricket Council (ICC) at the Annual General Meeting of the Council in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Mr Asare was honoured with the Long Service Award for his dedication to the promotion and development of the sport in Ghana and the continent.
His trophy was presented to him by Mr. Lmram Khwaja, ICC Associate Nations Chair and Vice Chairman of ICC Board who acknowledged the efforts made by Mr Asare to grow the sport in Ghana.
Mr. Emmanuel Asare ‘s selfless dedication and commitment to the game of cricket in Ghana and Africa spans well over 20years and during this period he has served the game in various capacities.
Speaking to media after this recognition, an elated Emmanuel thanked his Board Members for the unflinching support and dedication saying “I would not have received this recognition without the support of my board and staff of the GCA. They have really been a pillar for the successes we have chalked.”
He started his association with the Ghana Cricket in 1976 as a national team player and moved on to become a national umpire and then Team Manager of the national team. He then rose to become the Vice President and of the GCA and subsequently elected President of the Association.
Within these periods, he acted as Chairperson for the Africa Cricket Association (ACA), NVAM Africa Representative. Member, Drafting of Legislative Instrument for the National Sports Authority (Act 934 of 2016) and a Member, Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC)
As the Head of P.E Department in Achimota School, his initiative to include females in the Annual Inter-House Cricket Competition in 1989 provided the foundation for female cricket development in Ghana.
Under his leadership, GCA in collaboration with ICC brought the Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour to Ghana in 2022, for the first time in the history of the sport.
The GCA followed up with cricket becoming a sports code for the first time since 1965 in the 13th African Games which successfully took place in Ghana in March 2024.
Additionally, GCA has constructed turf wickets for the use in Ghana (2023). This is a remarkable achievement considering cricket has been played in Ghana since colonial times on artificial wickets
Again, the GCA has improved the infrastructure to enhance the promotion and development of the Game in the country and successfully lobbied for the inclusion of Cricket in the Ghana Education Services curriculum of Colleges of Education for teacher preparation.
