The 39-year-old has just begun his
first job as a senior coach at Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC.
Kah was born in the Gambian capital
Banjul but left at the age of eight to join his father, an ex-international, in
Norway.
"It's a dream of mine to lead my
country (The Gambia) in the future, but for now my focus is on Pacific FC. I
need to prove myself here and build my career first," he told BBC Sport.
''Africa should invest in their own
coaches and develop them. To see Algeria and Senegal in the final of African
Nations Cup made me proud.
''Two African coaches, who made their
living as professional footballers in Europe, going back to lead their nations,
that showed me that we have great young coaches coming up.
With the Scorpions yet to qualify for
a first Africa Cup of Nations, Kah is adamant there is hope for the small West
African country.
"I believe The Gambia has lots
of talents. We have Omar Colley playing in Italy (Sampdoria) and lots of
players in European leagues," he said.
"A strong vision and structure
is needed for the country to be successful and I believe there are great
coaches in The Gambia to lead our nation."
No regrets
Kah says he has no regrets over his
decision to play for Norway, who he earned 10 caps for, rather than the
Scorpions.
"I do not regret not playing for
The Gambia, because back then our country wasn't a strong football nation and
we didn't have the structure that was needed," he explained.
"Did wish I played for them (The
Gambia)? Absolutely, because that's my country.
"For me it was a choice of which
country provided the best opportunity to have a football career.
"I chose Norway because chances
were bigger and having a European passport made it easier for me to be seen and
move at that time.
"As a Gambian I'm proud to be
the first fully black man beside John Carew (mixed race) to play for the
country. I paved the way for the next generation of immigrant kids in Norway.
"Now it's a norm and we have
another Gambian in Joshua King playing for Norway. It makes me proud to see the
what the power of football can do.
"If social media was around
during my time growing up it would have been a world sensation seeing a fully
black man playing for the Norwegian National team.
"I also have Norway to be
thankful as it allowed me to have the career I had and now embark this new
journey as a coach."
A step up to coaching
After beginning his playing career in
Norway at Valerenga he moved to neighbouring Sweden and AIK before stints with
Dutch side Roda JC, Al Khor and Qatar SC in Qatar as well as Saudi Arabia's
Al-Wehda.
He then move to north America's Major
League Soccer where he played for Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps,
where he began his coaching career as an assistant.
In January Pacific FC, who are based
in Victoria British Columbia, announced the hiring of the former assistant
coach at MLS side Cincinnati FC for the 2020 season.
"Being appointed as a Head Coach
is a responsibility I am proud of and very excited about," he said.
"The responsibility to lead a
club and help it grow is something I always believed in and wanted to do.
"I know the outside world will
be looking at me and be ready to judge or criticize me.
"Which is fine, because I know
the pressure and expectation I set for myself and that's the only thing that
matters to me.
"The most important
responsibility I have is towards the players and the club. Which is to get the
best out of each other every day and create a culture and chemistry.
"The trust between the club and
I is very important and having that makes my job a lot easier. The vision and
philosophy of the club are aligned with mine, which made it a great fit.
"Hopefully we can have success
together. We are a driven club from the owners down to the players, staff, fans
and community."