The Ghana Football Association (GFA), through the GFA Foundation, has joined the global observance of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The initiative marks the third time since 2023 that the GFA has launched its campaign under the Football for Good initiative to raise, promote and amplify Breast Cancer awareness within the football fraternity and across Ghana as a whole.
This awareness campaign exemplifies the core objective of the GFA Foundation, which is to support projects and programmes that enhance the lives and livelihoods of football stakeholders and communities, while also leveraging football and its outcomes to drive behavioural and social change.
For the second time running, the theme for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Breast Cancer Awareness campaign is “Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters.”. The theme recognizes that every experience of Breast Cancer is different. Behind every diagnosis is a person, a family and a unique journey. People may face different challenges depending on their diagnosis, treatment, support networks and access to care.
“Beyond using football to spread the message, we will seek to connect awareness with action by working with health partners to provide education, screening and physical examination and related services at our offices and selected football events,” Malcolm Frazier Appeadu, Director of GFA Foundation, said.
Throughout October, the GFA will share information on Breast Cancer prevention, risk factors, detection, and symptoms, and collaborate with partner organizations to provide free screening for the public, especially members of the football and sports community. A photo campaign featuring the Breast Cancer selfie frame will also be held during domestic league matches and other competitions.
Globally, Breast Cancer remains the most common cancer among women. In 2024, 2.4 million women were diagnosed with the disease, while 694,000 died from it. By the end of the 2024, 8.2 million women were living with breast cancer worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Breast Cancer accounts for one in eight cancer cases across both sexes and one in four cancer cases among women, with 70% of deaths occurring in resource-constrained settings. Limited health-system capacity, low awareness and inadequate access to early detection services contribute to late-stage diagnoses and poorer outcomes. In many of these settings, Breast Cancer also disproportionately affects younger women, resulting in premature deaths and an increasing number of children losing their mothers.
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