Ghana has been given a major lift for the African Cup of Nations following Michael Essien's return to fitness.

The Black Stars captain took part in a full training session for club Chelsea on Wednesday as he prepares to report for international duty by joining up his colleagues in Angola before the start of the competition on Sunday.

Essien had been allowed to stay on Chelsea as he recuperated from a hamstring injury in a Champions League match against Apoel last month.

Though he's made a return to training, Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac will be assessing the midfielder because he has yet to regain full match fitness before taking a decision on when to start his captain for the competition.

Ghana's opening Group B game is against Togo on Monday in Cabinda and it will be followed by the clash against Ivory Coast four days later before the final match with Burkina Faso.

The Black Stars will arrive in Angola on Thursday for the start of the 32-fixture competition from their pre-tournament base in Nelspruit, South Africa.