2008 was the last time we hosted the African Cup of Nations, and it was a successful event, only soured by the inability to fulfill the ‘host and win’ mantra we saddled ourselves with.

Now it seems like we might get the chance to host Africa again, three years from now, as the Minister of Youth and Sports, Honorable Mahama Ayariga, has announced that Ghana are planning to bid for the 2017 tournament.

Libya was initially slated to host the tournament, but current civil unrest in the country has severely disrupted preparations, whilst simultaneously making the country unsafe to host the rest of the continent.

Thus the North African country withdrew as hosts over the weekend, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), invited new bids for a new host nation to be chosen.

And Ghana’s Sports Minister confirmed on twitter that we would be bidding for the tournament.

He tweeted “I am happy to announce that Ghana will bid to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations”#GHForAFCON2017

The abruptness of Libya’s withdrawal and the short preparation time left for any new hosts means CAF would be hoping countries that bid already have the required infrastructure, and Ghana fits the bill having hosted the tournament just as recently as 2008.

Countries have until 30th September to submit their bids for CAF consideration, and so far Kenya and Tanzania are the countries to have dropped their hats into the race.

The new hosts would be announced by CAF next year, which is when the next tournament would be held in Morocco. Ghana are currently preparing for the qualifying games against Uganda and Togo.