The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has completed the long-awaited payment of outstanding salary arrears owed to both current and former coaches of the Black Stars, settling a financial backlog that dates as far back as 2020.
The comprehensive payout follows a detailed audit and coordination process among key state agencies, spearheaded by Minister Kofi Iddie Adams. The effort ensures that coaches—both past and present—who served Ghana’s senior national team across multiple tenures have now received their due compensation.
Breakdown of Payments
According to documents accessed by Joy Sports, CK Akonnor, Ghana’s head coach from January 2020 to September 2021, emerged as the highest-paid beneficiary of the exercise, receiving $120,000 in unpaid salaries. His assistant at the time, David Duncan, received $40,000.
Chris Hughton, who was dismissed after the Black Stars’ disappointing performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, was also compensated. He received $68,904, while his assistants George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani were paid $20,833 and $12,500 respectively in sign-on fees.
The current technical team led by Otto Addo, who resumed his role in March 2024, had not been paid since October 2024. As part of the settlement, they have now been paid up to March 2025, covering six months of arrears.
Otto Addo: Over $420,000
Joseph Laumann (Assistant): $75,000
John Paintsil (Assistant): $64,864
Fatau Dauda (Goalkeepers’ Coach): $19,459
Francis Bugri Tampuli (Team Coordinator): $33,000
However, the Ministry still owes the current staff salaries for April and May 2025.
In addition, Maxwell Konadu, who served under Milovan Rajevac from September 2021 to January 2022, received $30,000 in arrears.
Government Fulfills Obligation
Although the Ghana Football Association (GFA) contracts national team coaches, the financial responsibility for their remuneration falls to the government. Until now, many of these obligations had not been met.
This latest development brings significant relief to the affected coaches and reflects a renewed commitment by the Sports Ministry to maintain transparency and honor contracts in Ghanaian football.