Accra, Feb. 8, GNA – The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) as part of its process of implementing the Draft National Sports Policy 2022, has held a stakeholders’ meeting with the sports federations in Accra.
The policy forms part of the ministry’s effort to grow and promote sports both locally and at international competitions, and also use it as a tool for social and economic development in the future.
As part of the implementation process, MoYS engaged all federations to generate one common directive and objective to achieve the desired results.
Mr. Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports speaking at the occasion expressed his excitement and noted that this was a bold step in establishing a sustainable strategy to advance sports in the country.
According to him, the absence of a sports policy in the previous years was the reason for Ghana’s failure to deliver and win laurels at international competitions.
“The draft policy seeks to promote the concepts of sport for development and sport for businesses,” he added.
The Sports minister noted that this would not only benefit the over 54 sports federations but would help build sports to the satisfaction of Ghanaians in the future.
He urged the stakeholders to contribute to this success to make the sports policy resourceful.
“ When you look at the policy, there is a whole chapter for cooperate institutions to come on board, and also the private sector has been given more attention where we want to encourage more private people to come to the Sports ecosystem”, he said.
He called on Ghanaians to see sports as a business and create something out of it.
“ Sports is a multi-billion sector and how do we position that so that is a challenge we have to address”.
Going forward, the Member of Parliament for Yagaba-Kubori Constituency said there would be continuous engagements with various stakeholders, advisory boards, the National Sports Authority Board, and Veteran Sports Administrators to produce a standardized document.
Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, Chairperson for the nine-member committee in charge of formulating the 2022 National Sports Policy also took the stakeholders through the policy presentation, and how it would help to build sports in the country.
According to him, there was a need for all to contribute to making the policy implementation successful by way of generating different ideas.
Divided into eight different chapters, the policy would be completed by December this year.
GNA