Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has officially laid before Parliament the long-awaited Sports Fund Bill, a move he believes will transform the funding landscape for all sporting disciplines in Ghana.
Since assuming office, the Minister has been vocal about the need for a dedicated legal framework to support sports development. His latest action, he said, is aimed at accelerating growth across the sector. Presenting the Bill, he stressed that the Fund would “hasten the nation’s sports development.”
Addressing the House, Adams highlighted the chronic lack of funding as a major barrier to progress, especially for disciplines outside football.
“It’s quite clear that over the years, this House has had challenges to deal with many issues that affect funding in our sports generally. Funding is mostly secured to support just football, when indeed, when we talk about sports, it goes beyond football,” he told Parliament.
He noted that the issue is not new, recalling previous, unsuccessful attempts to establish sustainable structures for sports financing.
“There have been many attempts to put together a funding system that will enable the Ministry [Sports and Recreation] execute its programme by bringing on board many more sporting disciplines and supporting them,” he said.
According to him, the proposed Sports Fund will finally resolve these long-standing constraints.
“When approved, we will not have the challenges of funding our sports, and sports will grow to bring about development and support other progressive activities that we do in this country,” he added.
For years, Ghanaian athletes have struggled to secure adequate support to participate in international competitions. Beyond football, most federations and associations continue to survive on irregular donations and limited sponsorships.
Adams is confident that the passage of the Bill will provide the financial backbone needed to overcome these persistent challenges and drive holistic sports development across the nation.
