Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has unveiled a promising plan to bolster sports development in Ghana if elected as President.
Addressing the audience on Wednesday, Bawumia outlined his vision to establish an agency dedicated to the advancement of sports across the nation.
This initiative aims to bring together various stakeholders to rejuvenate Ghana's sporting landscape, which has faced setbacks in recent years, particularly in football and track and field events.
"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 declared.
Bawumia also emphasized his commitment to forging partnerships with international sports organizations to harness the talents of Ghanaian youth.
"We will seek strategic alliances with renowned sports bodies such as the NBA and NFL to position Ghana as a hub for emerging sports in Africa, creating abundant opportunities for our young people," he affirmed.
Highlighting past successes, Bawumia cited his engagement with the NFL, which resulted in Ghana hosting the inaugural NFL Flag Football event in Africa in 2022.
""My government will also seek school-level collaboration with international sports bodies like the NBA and NFL to make Ghana a hub for these emerging sports in Africa, to create more opportunities for young people," he continued.
"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. Another set of young Ghanaians, who were picked after the 2nd NFL Africa Football was also held in Ghana last year, are currently in the United States to represent Africa."