The Football Association's Safeguarding Officers Obed Tuffour and Bernice Sarfo Bempah have graduated from the prestigious FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma.

The graduation ceremony took place during the FIFA Safeguarding Summit at the Home of FIFA, bringing together safeguarding professionals, football administrators, academics and experts from across the global football community.

More than 100 safeguarding officers from over 70 Member Associations completed the rigorous two-year diploma programme, which was developed by FIFA in collaboration with The Open University. The initiative forms part of FIFA’s broader effort to ensure that everyone involved in football can participate in the sport within a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment, free from abuse, harassment or exploitation.

As part of the summit’s discussions, Obed Tuffour represented Ghana on an international panel titled “How Safeguarding Officers Can Promote Safeguarding Readiness and Address Challenges within Member Associations.” During the session, he joined fellow safeguarding professionals including Alan Stewart of the Scottish Football Association and Cynthia Pucheta from the Paraguayan Football Association.

In his contribution, Tuffour highlighted several key safeguarding milestones achieved by the Ghana Football Association in recent years. These include the introduction of nationwide safeguarding awareness programmes, targeted capacity-building initiatives for football stakeholders and a growing emphasis on safeguarding education across multiple levels of the game.

He also emphasised the importance of strengthening structures that protect children and vulnerable individuals involved in football, while encouraging collaboration among football bodies to maintain high safeguarding standards.

The successful completion of the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma is expected to further strengthen the GFA’s safeguarding framework.

GFA Communications