David Accam has backed the Mansour Group’s plan to build a new world-class Right to Dream (RTD) Academy near Accra, calling it a landmark for Ghanaian youth development.
The former Ghana winger, himself an RTD graduate, said the project will lift both education and football standards for the next generation.
The facility—set to break ground in early 2026—will host over 100 student-athletes and replace the Old Akrade base, with all scholarships honoured during a temporary relocation in the Accra area.
Government has welcomed the investment, which forms part of the Mansour Group’s wider backing for RTD’s global network of academies and clubs.
Since acquiring RTD in 2021 through Man Capital, the Group has invested over US$180m, opening new academies in Cairo and San Diego and strengthening pathways to professional football and academic scholarships.
Accam, who rose from RTD to Europe with Helsingborg and later starred in Major League Soccer for Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union, framed the new build as the product of two decades of steady growth he watched from the inside.
“I was part of the first generations coming through the Right to Dream academy in Ghana. Though I am grateful for the opportunity that changed my life, I am also aware, that the students and kids in the program today are benefitting from the progress the organization has made over the years since I started,” he said, reflecting on the academy’s evolution.
He added that RTD’s expansion—more students, a deeper academic pathway and a linked club system through FC Nordsjaelland and the US franchise—makes the Accra project a logical next step.
“I watched it grow with more kids, more opportunities, educational pathway, and the growing network of clubs and schools. And now the next step is ready to be taken with the commitment from the Mansour family to build a great new facility for the Right to Dream students and staff. It makes me happy and even more hopeful for the future.”
Founded in 1999, RTD’s “books and boots” model couples full scholarships with elite coaching, producing professionals and scholars in equal measure.
Alumni now dot senior national teams and top leagues, with recent Black Stars call-ups underscoring the pipeline’s strength.
The new Ghana campus will consolidate classrooms, dormitories, performance labs and training pitches on one site, giving students the kind of infrastructure that has underpinned RTD’s newer hubs in Egypt and the United States.
While construction proceeds, the academy has pledged to retain its 127 Ghana-based staff and maintain all student support.
For Accam, the significance extends beyond first-team football to the wider impact on the men’s and women’s national programmes and the academy’s coaching ecosystem.
“To see how Right to Dream has impacted our Black Stars and Queens, from where it started to where it is today, is mind-blowing, but not a surprise to me. I’m sure there’s more to come. And it’s not just about players,” he noted, arguing that the upgraded facilities will deepen the talent pool across the board.
He pointed to the growing cadre of RTD alumni moving into leadership roles as coaches and educators—evidence, he said, that the system now reproduces excellence well beyond its original remit.
“I see many of my former friends and brothers from the academy who today are coaches – both at the RTD academy but also in clubs and abroad. The future looks bright,” Accam added, positioning the Accra project as a long-term bet on Ghanaian expertise.
The Mansour Group, chaired by Sir Mohamed Mansour, has paired the RTD investment with long-standing commitments in Ghana’s economy through Mantrac, its Caterpillar dealership, and a nationwide automotive network.
Officials have framed the new academy as part of a broader push to align sport, education and industry training—an approach the government says will keep more talent on structured pathways.
RTD, for its part, says the build will tighten links across its four academies and three professional clubs, ensuring Ghana remains central to its global map.
Accam’s message is ultimately about opportunity multiplied: a modern home that widens access, strengthens academics and sharpens performance, while keeping community values intact.
For an alumnus who turned a scholarship into a professional career and Black Stars caps, the calculation is simple—this is how you create more life-changing stories, faster and at scale.
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