Abedi Pele, one of the great pioneers of Africa football, is travelling around Africa with the Afcon Trophy - taking soccer to the people. Standard Bank is sponsoring this tour - below is Abedi's account of his recent travels on the continent:

It is my third visit to Gaborone and upon arrival, I headed straight for the office of Minister of Sports; Gladys Kokorwe.The minister had so many concerns with regards to Botswanan football. She wants to see Botswanan football develop and I must say that I share her concerns. I understand government has called on corporates to invest in football and I think this is a step in the right direction. If the people of Botswana have managed to contribute from their own pockets towards the building of a beautiful university, then anything is possible in this country.

Though Botswana has not qualified for the 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nations, I believe that the Standard Bank Trophy Tour will inspire the players to do their best in order to qualify for the upcoming AFCON tournaments. To qualify for a big showpiece like AFCON, population does not matter when it comes to football. It’s a matter of desire to achieve big things. Look at Togo, they have a population of between six and seven million but they have been and participated in a World Cup.

I agree that having football academies does help. In Ghana, we do not have academies except the Feyenoord one. What we have done is is introdce junior teams, this is where young talent is developed and this is where I come from.

I must say that a young talent like Mogakolodi ‘Tsotso’ Ngele- Stanbic Bank Botswana Football Ambassador needs to be encouraged to work hard and I am going to watch him closely to ensure that he achieves his dream of playing in Europe. I’m going to take him to my friends as I understand that he has the right skills, all we need to do is build his physique and mental strength.

The first day has been wonderful and I am looking forward to meeting more fans tomorrow.

Abedi Pele, Standard Bank Trophy Tour Ambassador For more information, visit http://www.blog.standardbank.com/sponsorship/adedi-pele-ayewe-zambia