The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has highlighted key initiatives his government would implement if elected into office to revitalise the sports sector and Ghana Premier League.
Speaking at the NPP’s 2024 Manifesto launch in Takoradi, Dr. Bawumia introduced comprehensive and sustainable sports development policies. These include measures related to funding, training athletes for the Olympics, tax incentives and direct support for sports clubs to be competitive on the continent.
He stated that his administration would actively work to support the Premier League and clubs’ revival to improve their commercial viability and create related jobs.
He emphasised that his government would provide direct assistance to Premier League clubs by directing policy through the National Lotteries Authority and Gaming Commission to establish and fund a Sports Employment Module that helps clubs with operational expenses, including player remuneration.
Dr. Bawumia stated that providing a bus to each Premier League club would be one of his initiatives to alleviate transportation challenges of clubs while providing more astro-turf pitches.
Dr. Bawumia also mentioned that his government would establish a school sports secretariat for grassroots development.
This initiative, he explained, would serve as a key instrument for his government to drive sustainable sports development at the grassroots level – beginning with schools to promote both sports and education.
“We will establish the Ghana School Sports Secretariat, which will operate as an agency under the Ministry of Sports in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Ghana Education Service (GES) and various sports federations,” he said.
Recognising the longstanding challenge of funding for school sports, Dr. Bawumia’s proposed Secretariat is expected to receive annual budgetary allocations to ensure sustainable development of school-level sports. The initiative, a personal project of the Vice President, aims to secure consistent financial support for grassroots sports.
Dr. Bawumia also emphasised his goal of partnering with international sports organisations to position Ghana as a hub for emerging sports in Africa.
“My government will pursue school-level collaborations with international sports bodies like the NBA and NFL to establish Ghana as a centre for these emerging sports in Africa, creating more opportunities for young people,” he added.
