The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams, on Friday inaugurated an 11-member Governing Board of the Ghana Sports Fund at the Ministry's Conference Room, describing the occasion as a major turning point in the financing of sports development in Ghana.
The board is chaired by Professor Koryoe Anim-Wright. Other members are Dr David Kofi Wuaku (Administrator), Mrs Wilhelmina Asamoah, Mr Duah Alhassan Oteng, Mrs Deborah Adel Djanie, and Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.
The remaining members are Mr Ernest Thompson, Mr Samuel Azumah Nelson, Ms Belinda Plange, Madam Rachel Florence Appoh, and Mr Dickson Kyere-Duah.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Adams said the inauguration of the governing board was not merely the fulfilment of a legislative requirement but the culmination of years of advocacy, policy discussions and national expectation.
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"This represents what Ghana sports has long waited for: a structured, predictable and accountable financing framework that serves the entire sports ecosystem," he stated.
According to the minister, funding for sports in Ghana had for decades been uneven, unpredictable and largely reactive, leaving many federations operating from one crisis to another.
He explained that athletes often prepared for major competitions without financial assurance, while many talented sportsmen and women were lost, not due to lack of ability, but due to inadequate support.
"It is for these reasons that the Ghana Sports Fund was established to change how sport is financed and how opportunities are distributed," Mr Adams emphasised.
He added that funding alone could not transform sports without strong leadership, good governance and discipline, stressing that the success of the fund would depend on the board's independence, integrity and commitment to its founding principles.
Mr Adams reminded board members that they carried the hopes of athletes across the country and must ensure fairness, transparency and strategic thinking in their decisions.
"The fund must serve sport, not interests; reward performance, not proximity; and invest in systems, not shortcuts," he said.
Responding on behalf of the board, the Chairperson, Professor Anim-Wright, thanked the minister for the confidence reposed in them and assured stakeholders of the board's commitment to sustainable sports financing.
He said the board would work diligently with all stakeholders to consolidate sports funding and maximise its impact on sports development nationwide.
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