Ministry of Sports Holds Stakeholder Forum to Re-Engineer Ghana’s Sports Sector
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has hosted a pivotal one-day stakeholder engagement session with leaders of national sports federations in Accra, aimed at strengthening collaboration, enhancing accountability, and promoting sustainable development across Ghana’s sporting ecosystem.
The meeting, held on Monday, was chaired by the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Honorable Kofi Iddi Adams. It brought together 47 heads of federations and representatives from key institutions including the Ghana Education Service (GES), led by Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, and the National Sports Authority (NSA), represented by its Director General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister Kofi Adams underscored the critical role of good governance in sports development. He urged federation heads to embrace strong management values, unity, transparency, and accountability in order to give real meaning to their mandates.
Addressing the theme “Re-engineering Sports for Sustainable National Development,” NSA Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah emphasized the need for federations to distance themselves from unnecessary litigations that deter potential sponsors.
“Before any corporate institution will talk to you, they will first check you out. Take arm wrestling for example—set up by one man, expanded across Africa, and now he’s vice president of the world body. That’s a story a sponsor can believe in,” he stated.
He warned, “But if what they find is negativity—court battles and constant internal disputes—then sponsors will back off.”
Also speaking at the event, newly elected President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Richard Akpokavie, advocated for performance-based funding of federations.
“Even in advanced countries like the UK, sports federations receive funding based on past performances and strategic plans for the future. Ghana must adopt a similar approach,” Akpokavie noted.
Hon. Kofi Adams revealed that this forum marks the beginning of a series of stakeholder engagements designed to build a more resilient and result-oriented sports sector.
