By Simon Asare
Accra, Feb. 08, GNA – Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, says as part of his vision for sports development, his government will establish the Ghana School Sports Secretariat if elected President.
Addressing the nation on Wednesday, Dr. Bawumia stressed the massive potential of sports, describing it as an enabler for the youth.
Dr. Bawumia said, “My government, as part of a broad sports development vision, would establish the Ghana School Sports Secretariat, which would be an agency under the ministry responsible for sports, in collaboration with other stakeholders such as the GES and sports federations.
“My government would 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 and to create more opportunities for young people.”
He noted that there has already been collaboration with the NFL, which paved the way for 10 young Ghanaians to represent Africa in the global NFL Africa Football tournament last year, with another set currently in America to take part in the tournament in the coming days.
Dr. Bawumia also stated that Ghana cannot achieve its full sporting potential if we depend on the same funding module we have operated on since independence.
“My government will therefore prioritise the creation of incentives for corporate sponsorship as a sustainable module of financing sports development and promotion for our national teams, including football, athletics, and boxing at all levels.
“This would take the financial pressure off government, and also enable government to redirect more support to other sports disciplines,” Dr Bawumia said.
GNA