Black Queens: We will host and win African Cup

The Vice Captain of the Black Queens, Gifty Appiah has given the assurance that Ghana will "host and win" the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations.

Some pundits have questioned the Black Queens preparedness to deal with the might of their competitors including record ten-time champions Nigeria when the eight-nation tournament gets underway on November 17.

However, Appiah egged on by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah assured the nation that the trophy will remain in Ghana.

"Where is the captain, where is the captain?," Mr Asiamah quizzed midway through his speech adding that the promise will serve as motivation to her colleagues.

"Like you said, the spirit from the country, everyone the media publicity, everything... We have been in camp for a while and then we have Coach Bashiru Hayford, coach Mercy Tagoe, what else can you ask?", Ms Appiah, a striker for Immigration Ladies said after she joined Mr Asiamah on stage last Friday at the unveiling of the official AFCON mascot.

"We are working hard, they are teaching us all that we need to do and we are doing our best, what we require from Ghanaians is to continue praying for us, continue to give us the support necessary to win and I can stand here today and on behalf of the team we can say with all that, we are hosting and we will win," Appiah a former captain of the Black Princesses stressed.

When he resumed his address, Mr Asiamah guaranteed Black Queens coach, Bashir Hayford that his team who are on a nationwide tour will play international football matches before the tournament.

The female senior national team have on their tour through the Brong Ahafo region, Ashanti region and Northern region played friendly matches with only local women's league clubs including National Women’s League Champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies but the Minister says they will soon be headed outside Ghana to step up their preparations.

Mr Asiamah said: "Someone asked me after your nationwide tour, what is going to happen? You are going to have the international exposure too for the training. So coach no worries at all, everything has been put in place to win the cup".

Ghana is one of eight teams who will vie for laurels as well as one of three available 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup places during the tournament which takes place between November 17 - December 1 across two host cities: Accra and Cape Coast.

The other participants are 10-time champions and AWCON holders Nigeria, two-time champions Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, Cameroon, Mali, South Africa and Zambia.