By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Sept. 22, GNA – The Ghana Sports Fund (GSF) is pursuing plans to establish a National Sports Academy aimed at identifying, nurturing and developing talented young athletes across the country.
The proposed academy forms part of the Fund’s broader strategy to strengthen grassroots sports development and create structured pathways for emerging athletes to excel in their respective disciplines.
Speaking at a media stakeholder engagement organised in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra, Dr David Kofi Wuaku, Administrator of the Ghana Sports Fund, said the initiative aligned with the Fund’s mandate to drive sports development from the grassroots and provide opportunities for young talents nationwide.
According to him, Ghana is endowed with abundant sporting talent, much of which remains untapped due to the absence of sustainable development structures.
“We have a mandate to develop sports from the grassroots. Across the country, there are talented young people who need opportunities and support to succeed,” Dr Wuaku said.
He explained that the Fund was working towards a national sports development framework that would focus on talent identification at an early age and provide a coordinated system for nurturing athletes to elite levels.
Dr Wuaku noted that while football has traditionally attracted significant attention and resources, many other sporting disciplines with immense potential continue to receive limited investment and publicity.
He said the proposed National Sports Academy would provide gifted athletes with access to quality training, mentorship programmes and modern performance support systems to enhance their development.
The Administrator described sports as one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, stressing that it could serve as a viable avenue for job and wealth creation.
He reiterated the Fund’s commitment to supporting all sporting disciplines and ensuring that hidden talents in communities across Ghana are discovered and developed.
Established under the Ghana Sports Fund Act, 2025 (Act 1159), the Ghana Sports Fund serves as a dedicated and sustainable financing mechanism for sports development and sport-for-development initiatives across the country.
The legislation, which received Presidential assent on December 24, 2025, was designed to address longstanding funding challenges in the sports sector through a transparent and structured funding system.
Mr Simon Appiah, Deputy Administrator of the Fund, said the institution’s mission was to mobilise, safeguard, invest and deploy resources efficiently to support sports infrastructure, talent development, participation, elite performance, research, innovation and athlete welfare.
He said the proposed academy would complement the Fund’s vision of building a sustainable sports financing ecosystem capable of producing world-class athletes while promoting inclusive participation in sports.
Mr Appiah identified talent development as a key priority of the Fund and called for stronger collaboration among sports federations, educational institutions, corporate organisations and the media to support the initiative.
He expressed confidence that such partnerships would help create a robust talent pipeline and contribute to the long-term growth of Ghana’s sports sector.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Email: [email protected]