Officials of the Ghana Sports Fund have outlined an ambitious roadmap aimed at transforming sports development in Ghana through sustainable financing, grassroots talent development, infrastructure support, and transparent governance systems.
The Administrator of the Ghana Sports Fund, Dr David Kofi Wuaku, together with Deputy Administrator, Simon Appiah Junior, disclosed this at an extensive media engagement in Kumasi ahead of a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II.
According to Dr Wuaku, the Ghana Sports Fund was established following the passage of the Bill in Parliament in December last year, after which it received Presidential assent the same month. He explained that by January this year, the operational structures of the Fund had begun taking shape, including the appointment of an 11-member governing board chaired by Professor Koryoe Anim-Wright.
The board, he said, includes representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry responsible for Sports, Members of Parliament, and independent professionals with expertise relevant to sports governance and development.
Dr Wuaku noted that the core mandate of the Fund is to mobilise resources, establish a sustainable financial management system, and distribute resources fairly to support sports development across the country.
He explained that Ghana currently has not less than 58 sporting federations and associations, many of which continue to struggle with inadequate funding and limited infrastructure.
According to him, sports development should not only be viewed from the perspective of competition and athletics, but rather as a major economic and social sector capable of creating jobs, improving public health, promoting national unity, and generating wealth.
He stated that the Fund will draw financial support from multiple revenue streams provided under the law, including annual government budgetary allocations, proceeds from the Gaming Commission, sports lottery initiatives, athlete transfer percentages, beverage advertisement contributions, sponsorship deductions, and donations from corporate institutions and individuals.
Dr Wuaku further stressed that the Fund would operate under strict accountability measures to ensure that every cedi disbursed is traceable and linked to measurable impact.
“Every money must be traced to show the impact it is making,” he emphasised, adding that regular reports would be presented to Parliament, the media, and the general public.
The Administrator also revealed that the Fund intends to support grassroots sports development by identifying talented young athletes in schools and communities and providing them with the necessary resources to develop their potential.
He expressed concern about the poor state of sporting facilities in some schools, recounting how students involved in high jump activities were forced to land on ordinary mattresses due to the absence of proper landing equipment.
According to him, the Fund intends to address such critical gaps once resources begin flowing steadily.
Deputy Administrator Lawyer Simon Appiah Junior also assured journalists that the Fund would not remain disconnected from realities on the ground but would continuously engage schools, communities, sporting institutions, and grassroots programmes to better understand their challenges.
“All these are things that we expect to work on. We are not going to sit back and do the work from afar. We are going to touch and understand what is happening on the ground,” he stated.
He added that with support from stakeholders, the media, and the general public, the Ghana Sports Fund would become a major pillar for sustainable sports development in Ghana.
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