Africa Cup of Nations record:

Previous appearances in finals: (22) 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019

Best performance: Winners 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982

Drawn in Group C with the Comoros Islands, Gabon and Morocco

Coach: Milovan Rajevac

This is Rajevac’s second stint in charge of the ‘Black Stars’, with the 68-year-old Serbian rehired in September after Ghana made a poor start to 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

He helped the team recover to win their group and qualify for the March playoffs.

Rajevac was coach when Ghana reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2010. He then went on to coach Qatar, Algeria and Thailand.

His only previous experience at the Cup of Nations came in 2010 where Ghana lost in the final to Egypt.

Key player: Thomas Partey Age: 28 Midfielder

The Arsenal midfielder acts as Ghana’s pivot and his steely approach will be needed in Cameroon. It is the third finals for Partey, who was 16 when he went to Spain for trials, He was quickly snapped up and moved through the ranks at Atletico Madrid, making a first team debut in 2013.

Arsenal paid 50 million euros ($56.53 million) for his services in 2020.

FIFA world ranking Dec 2021: 52

How they qualified: Top place team in Group C, ahead of Sudan, South Africa and Sao Tome e Principe.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati Zigi (St. Gallen), Richard Attah (Hearts of Oak), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (Eupen), Joe Wollacott (Swindon Town)

Defenders: Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Philemon Baffuor (Dreams), Alexander Djiku (Racing Strasbourg), Gideon Mensah (Girondins Bordeaux), Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew), Khalid Abdul Mumin (Vitoria Guimaraes), Baba Abdul Rahman (Reading), Andy Yiadom (Reading)

Midfielders: David Abagna (Real Tamale United), Edmund Addo (Sheriff Tiraspol), Dede Ayew (Al Sadd), Iddrissu Baba (Mallorca), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Dreams), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam), Joseph Paintsil (Racing Genk), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Samuel Owusu (Al Fayha), Kamaldeen Suleymana (Stade Rennes), Mubarak Wakaso (Shenzhen FC)

Forwards: Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Richmond Boakye (Beitar Jerusalem), Daniel Kofi Kyere (St. Pauli), Maxwell Quaye (Accra Great Olympics), Benjamin Tetteh (Yeni Malatyaspor).