HISTORY OF KARATE IN GHANA

The Japanese word karate is made up of two (2) Chinese characters meaning empty hand.  Therefore we can say that karate is a system of fighting in which the hands and legs are used as skillful and deadly weapons. Apart from the fact that karate is a self-defense art, it teaches discipline and good morals.

In Ghana karate was introduced in the 1970s. Among the many who embraced and practiced this noble art of Karate are Doctors, Teachers, Lawyers, Artists, Engineers and Students and Traders (to mention a few). Training went on successfully, but it was more traditional than sports.

On the 30th of April 1997, a national body was registered and inaugurated with the National Sports Council (NSC) in the name of GHANA KARATE-DO FEDERATION (GKF) as the 26th sporting association.

The GKF got affiliated to the Union Of Federations Of African Karate (UFAK) and eventually to the World Karate Federation (WKF).

Since then members of the federation have participated in national and international tournaments.

The GKF took its first outing the very year it was inaugurated, to the UFAK Zone 3 Championships in the Ivory Coast and won 2 Gold, 4Silver and 2 bronze. Subsequent performances have been encouraging, but there is more to be than to help the federation attain an even better standing.

Karate in Ghana has prospered to this present standing because of the immense contribution of the following practitioners and mentors: Sensei Daniel Djura, Sensei Donald Djura, Sensei Moses Baiden,  sensei Duke Banson, Sensei Quagrine… only to mention a few.

Others are Sensei Jude Adu-Amankwah (President of the GKF), Sensei Francis Fuster, Sensei Alphonse Adu-Amankwah, Sensei Melvin Brown (Technical Director of The GKF), Sensei Benjamin Selormey (Past Technical Director) Sensei Samuel K. Akpalu (Past Coach), Sensei Daniel Gyamfi (Past member Technical Committee). Sensei Kwabena A. Poku (1st Assistant-to-Chairman, Technical Committee and Referee), Sensei Prince Wilson( 2nd Assistant-to-Chairman, Technical Committee), Sensei Saadisu Mamah iddrissu(Member technical Committee),  Sensei Frank Danso Bekoe(Member technical Committee) and Sylvester Davies(Member technical Committee).

Others who have also contributed to the development of karate in Ghana are the past president of the federation Rtd. Captain George Mould and Bruce Kweku Owusu-Sekyere alias Kweku Ninja of blessed memory.