'Dede' Ayew wants his own page in the Black Stars' history book

The midfielder is expected to start when Ghana host Guinea in the event's opening match in Accra on Sunday.

At 18 Ayew could mirror his father, who was a 17-year-old prodigy when Ghana last won the Nations Cup in 1982.

"I think we can do something great for this country in this tournament," the Black Star said.

"I would obviously want to achieve the same as my father did.

"We are taking it all very seriously - as hosts we know we have to get off to a good start and to qualify for the next round."

We have the fighting spirit and (can) do great things at this tournament Andre 'Dede' Ayew

He added: "Guinea have a great team and we know Sunday's match will be difficult but we have the fighting spirit and (can) do great things at this tournament."

Ayew won the first of his four caps last year but all his appearances for Ghana have come as a substitute.

The absence of injured captain Stephen Appiah in midfield means Ayew is likely to earn promotion to coach Claude Le Roy's starting line-up.

"We prepared properly in Dubai where we had a good training camp and built our team spirit," said Ayew.

"At the moment it has all gone off very well and if it continues like this we can go very far.

"We know what we have to do, go out on the pitch and do what we know best."

'Abedi' Pele was a three-time African Footballer of the Year, helped Marseille win the European Cup and captained Italian Serie A club Torino.