President John Dramani Mahama has declare the establishment of the Ghana Sports Fund, a transparent financing framework designed to support grassroots development, school sports, athlete welfare, infrastructure modernisation and long-term talent development.

The announcement was made on Monday at the Presidential Dialogue with the Private Sector in Accra, as Ghana prepares for several major international sporting events in 2026.

These include the FIFA World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the Summer Youth Olympics.

Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars, is preparing for its World Cup appearance, while the women’s national team heads into continental competition with renewed momentum.

“In 2026, Ghana stands at the centre of several global platforms. These moments position Ghana before global audiences and investors in ways that few sectors can do,” President Mahama stated.

He stressed that sports is no longer merely a social activity but a major economic driver, influencing tourism, media rights, youth employment, the creative industry and investment flows. According to him, no country achieves sustained sporting excellence without deliberate and well-structured funding systems.

The Ghana Sports Fund, he explained, will ensure transparency and accountability in the mobilisation and utilisation of resources, while creating room for private sector participation.

President Mahama urged Corporate Ghana to view sports financing as a strategic partnership rather than charity.

“I invite Corporate Ghana to see this not as charity but as a partnership in national development. Government has created the framework; let us build the systems,” he said.

The fund will channel resources into grassroots sports to identify and nurture talent at the community level. School sports programmes will also be strengthened to integrate athletics and competitive games into educational institutions.

Athlete welfare will be prioritised to ensure sportsmen and women receive adequate support throughout their careers, while infrastructure modernisation will focus on upgrading training and competition facilities to international standards.

The president added that structured long-term talent pathways will be created to ensure continuity from grassroots identification to elite competition.

He emphasised that Ghana’s participation in the upcoming global events presents a unique opportunity for international visibility and economic gains, and should be strategically leveraged for national development.

The Ghana Sports Fund forms part of government’s broader reform agenda aimed at transforming sectors with both social and economic value through transparent systems that encourage sustainable private sector partnership.