President John Dramani Mahama has announced that government will construct seven new stadia across the country as part of efforts to improve sports infrastructure and strengthen domestic football.
The President disclosed this when he met Asante Kotoko and Bibiani GoldStars on Saturday, September 21, ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup matches.
He explained that government’s decision is tied to ongoing expenditure cuts that have freed up resources for critical investments.
“We’ve agreed that with all the savings we are making in terms of expenditure, we’re cutting down expenditure, we’ve cut down the size of government, we’re avoiding waste of our national resources. It frees up more resources for us to invest in the things that are important, and sports is one of them,” he said.
He confirmed that the projects will be captured in the national budget later this year.
“And so next year, the Finance Minister is going to present the budget in November. And I was telling the Sports Minister and the Director General of the National Sports Authority that next year, we’re going to build about seven brand new stadia.
“We want that every region should have a stadium that is fit for purpose so that we can improve the playing conditions and make our football more competitive,” he added.
Beyond direct government allocations, the President revealed plans to establish a Sports Development Fund to pool resources from government, corporate entities, and other stakeholders to ensure sustainable support for clubs both in local and continental competitions.
“We’re creating a sports development fund and we’re encouraging corporate businesses and all others, including government. Government will also put some money into it, so that we can support you when you go into African competitions and even when you’re playing locally.”
Mahama stressed the wider value of sports, especially football, as a unifying force in Ghana.
“The good thing about sports, and especially football, is that it unites us. Because supporters of Kotoko are Dagatis, they are Dagombes, they are Ashantis, they are Fantis. I mean, from across the world, across the country, different ethnic groups support different clubs.
“Supporters of Hearts of Oak, too, are spread across the country. And it is the sports and the football that brings us all together. And so if we put money into sports and into football, we’re putting money into building a united country.”
He further argued that investing in the domestic league would have a direct impact on the Black Stars’ competitiveness.
“And that is not resources that have been wasted. But also, when you have a strong domestic league, it reflects in your international assignments, especially with the Black Stars, because you are the primary source for players into the Black Stars.
“So if we support the domestic league and it’s competitive, it will breed more talents and the Black Stars will benefit from those talents and be able to also represent Ghana abroad,” he said.
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