Ghana’s Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, has triggered a fresh national conversation on sports financing after formally submitting the long-anticipated Sports Fund Bill to Parliament — a move aimed at breaking football’s long-standing monopoly over state support.
Presenting the bill before the House, Adams argued that the time had come for a structured, reliable funding stream that benefits all sporting disciplines, especially as Ghanaian athletes brace for qualification campaigns ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.
He reminded lawmakers that under successive administrations, the nation has consistently struggled to finance sports outside football, despite boasting talent in athletics, boxing, basketball and several emerging disciplines.
“It’s quite clear that over the years, this House has faced challenges with funding sports in general. Resources are mostly secured for football when sports, by its very nature, goes far beyond that,” he said.
The minister recently addressed dignitaries at Jubilee House — including President Mahama and former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua — where he stressed the urgency of establishing a stable financing mechanism to help teams and federations execute their programmes more effectively.
Adams noted that although Ghana has made several attempts to design a comprehensive support system, the absence of a dedicated fund has repeatedly slowed progress.
He expressed optimism that once approved, the Sports Fund will finally remove long-standing bottlenecks: “When approved, we will not have the funding challenges we’ve battled with for years, and our sports will grow to drive development and support other progressive activities in this country.”
His push comes at a time when local teams — from basketball sides such as the Spintex Knights to track and field athletes — are gearing up for a crucial year of international competition, making the call for inclusive funding more urgent than ever.
By: Bernard Mensah/Planbfmonline.com
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