The Ghana Football Association has officially named Black Stars assistant coach Desmond Ofei as the new head coach of the Ghana U-23 national team, the Black Meteors.

Ofei, 37, previously led the Ghana U-20 side to Africa Games glory in 2023 and secured qualification for the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. Although his team fell short of a FIFA U-20 World Cup spot after a narrow penalty shootout defeat to hosts Egypt, his tactical acumen has earned him a swift promotion within Ghana’s national team setup.

Earlier this year, Ofei joined Otto Addo’s Black Stars backroom staff as deputy coach after the dismissal of Joseph Laumann. Now, he will combine that role with guiding the Black Meteors. His immediate mandate is to assemble a strong squad capable of qualifying for the 2027 CAF U-23 Cup of Nations and ultimately ending Ghana’s long absence from Olympic men’s football—a stage the country last reached in 2004.

Ofei will be assisted by experienced coaches Baba Nuhu Malam and Yaw Preko. A UEFA A-licensed tactician, he boasts a rich coaching résumé, including stints with Royal Antwerp’s U-18 and U-21 teams, Lokeren U-21, and Portuguese side Lusitano SAD. His scouting and coaching experience spans Belgium, England, Holland, France, Portugal, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, adding valuable international expertise to Ghana’s U-23 project.