President John Dramani has reiterated his commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in the management of Ghana’s national football teams.
Speaking on the floor of parliament on Thursday’s state of the nation address, president Mahama signaled an end to the era of keeping the public in the dark over national team expenditure.
”Next month, the senior national team the Black Stars, which is now a pale shadow of its former glory, will play two World Cup Qualifying matches,”
”I have instructed my office and the Minister for Sports and Recreation to hold the Ghana Football Association accountable to the people of Ghana as we prepare for these games. Especially regarding the budget of the GFA,” he said.
[embedded content]Thursday’s speech was the second time in three weeks that President Mahama had spoken about holding the GFA accountable.
He first spoke on the subject on February 7, 2025, during the swearing of sports and recreation minister, Kofi Adams.
”There will be no secrecy in how much the government spends on the national teams. The budgets presented by the FA and other sports associations must be known by the public. After all, it is the taxpayers funds that are used to fund these activities. The reduction in government expenditure and waste reduction applies to all sectors of the economy, including the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.”
President Mahama’s speech on Thursday is the first time the state has demonstrated any kind of opposition to the secrecy surrounding national team expenditure.
In 2019, then Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah side-stepped mandatory procedure when he refused to give an itemized breakdown of the state’s expenditure at AFCON 2019 in Egypt.
Three years later, his predecessor, Mustapha Ussif also did not disclose how much the country spend at the AFCON 2021 in Cameroun, and the exact details of the expenditure.
In 2023, Mustapha Ussif continued with the trend when he told Parliament that the country saved $3 million but spent $5 million in its eleven-day stay in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
Last year, Mustapha Ussif informed parliament that the country’s eleven-day stay in Cote d’Ivoire during the AFCON 2023, cost the country over $3 million, while $2 million was saved. Just like he did after the World Cup in 2022, there was no itemized breakdown on what the country spent the money on.
Ghana will face Chad in Accra on March 21, and Madagascar in Morocco on March 24, 2025, when the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers resume.
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