The rise of Fatawu Salifu from a local footballer in Bolgatanga to head coach of the Ghana national under-15 football team shows years of hard work and dedication to coaching and developing young players.
Salifu began his football journey playing for Bolga Juventus in the early 2000s and helped the club reach Division One in 2008.
While still playing, he started preparing for a career in coaching by completing an introductory coaching course in 2005.
His desire to learn helped him gain several coaching qualifications, including Licence C in 2010, Licence B in 2013 at Prampram, and Licence A in 2016 at Opoku Ware in Kumasi.
In February, Salifu was among four Ghanaian coaches sent to Wales to take part in the UEFA B Licence coaching course organised by the Football Association of Wales in partnership with the Ghana Football Association.
Over the years, he has coached a number of clubs including Bolga Juventus, Samba Stars, Noweapon FC, FC Tanga, Tamale Utrecht and Swedru All Blacks F.C.
Salifu has also worked with youth teams and senior high schools, helping to develop young footballers across the country.
Between 2019 and 2025, he served as assistant coach of the Ghana national under-20 football team. During that period the team won the WAFU U20 Cup of Nations and the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Now leading Ghana’s U15 side, Salifu continues to guide the next generation of footballers and hopes to help shape the future of the game in the country.
By: Pascal Amoah
