Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed his vision for the development of sports in Ghana, emphasizing the establishment of the Ghana School Sports Secretariat as a crucial step.
He highlighted his commitment to grassroots development, envisioning the secretariat as a collaborative effort between the ministry responsible for sports, the GES, and sports federations.
"My government, as part of a broad sports development vision, will establish the Ghana School Sports Secretariat, which will be an agency under the ministry responsible for sports, in collaboration with other stakeholders such as the GES and sports federations," he said.
As part of his broader sports development vision, Dr. Bawumia expressed the government's intention to foster international collaboration at the school level, particularly with sports bodies like the NBA and NFL. The goal is to position Ghana as a hub for emerging sports in Africa, providing increased opportunities for young people.
The Vice President cited successful engagements with the NFL, leading to Ghana hosting the first-ever NFL Flag Football in Africa in 2022.
"We have already tried this with the NFL, the governing body for American Football, which agreed to host in Ghana, in 2022, the first ever NFL Flag Football in Africa after my engagement with them. This paved the way for 10 young Ghanaians to be selected to the United States to represent Africa in a global NFL tournament last year," he said.
Acknowledging inadequate funding as a significant obstacle to sports development, Dr. Bawumia outlined a shift from traditional, insufficient funding models to a modern and sustainable approach. He pledged a focus on policies, tax incentives, and other measures to increase private and public investment in sports.
The Vice President emphasized the creation of incentives for corporate sponsorship as a sustainable financing model for sports development. This, he believes, will alleviate financial pressure on the government and allow redirected support to various sports disciplines beyond football, including athletics and boxing at all levels.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia