Ghana secured one of its most significant table tennis achievements in decades on home soil, as Israel Aklie and Joanita Borteye claimed the U-15 Mixed Doubles gold medal at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships in Accra.
The young pair produced a commanding display in the final, defeating Tunisia 3-0 to complete a memorable campaign at Borteyman
The victory carries weight well beyond the medal itself. It marks the latest achievement in a tournament that has already seen Aklie and Borteye make history, having earlier ended a long-standing losing run against continental heavyweights en route to the final.
Their gold-medal run has been widely regarded as one of the standout storylines of the championship, and it returns Ghana to the top of the podium at continental level after a long wait.
Much of the credit for the achievement has rightly been directed at Coach Robert Amartey, who guided the pair to gold while also steering Ghana’s Boys’ U-15 team to a bronze medal at the same championship.
For a coach who has spent years working with young players away from the spotlight, the mixed doubles triumph represents both vindication and validation of a development philosophy built on patience and long-term investment in youth.
The championship itself is the product of sustained advocacy from within Ghana table tennis administration. Mawuko Afadzinu, President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association, was instrumental in securing hosting rights for the tournament, a move aimed squarely at exposing young Ghanaian players to top-level continental competition on home soil.
That strategy appears to be paying early dividends, with the mixed doubles gold standing as the clearest evidence yet of the benefits of hosting a major youth championship at home.