GhanaWeb Feature
As the 2024 general elections approach, the leaders of the various political parties have unveiled their manifesto policies on sports that they intend to implement them if elected president.
The policies range from sporting infrastructure, investment, taxes on football clubs, transportation, and transportation issues.
With the general elections scheduled for December 7, 2024, this GhanaWeb Sports feature focuses on the manifesto policies by NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, and the NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Dr. Bawumia’s manifesto policies on sports
1. Sports funding: A statutory sports development fund to ensure sustainable funding.
2. Sports investment: Provide tax incentives to corporate institutions to woo them to invest in sports.
3. Taxes on football clubs: Lower flat tax rate for football clubs and sports entities.
4. Players’ salaries: Support the payment of players’ salaries through policy direction with the NLA and the Gaming Commission, as Bawumia Government’s direct support to the Ghana Premier League, clubs, and players.
5. Transportation: Provide Premier League clubs with a bus each, as a form of direct support to clubs.
6. Grassroots sports: Establish the Ghana School Sports Secretariat, with dedicated funding, to ensure effective and school-based grassroots sports development, in collaboration with the GES and sports federations.
7. Olympic Games: Initiate the Operation Olympic Games Glory programme in 2025 to prepare Ghanaian athletes for the 2028 Olympics, with a special focus on some disciplines in which Ghana has a competitive advantage.
8. Sports development: Collaborate with international sports bodies like the NFL and NBA to develop and promote these sports in Ghana, just as Bawumia is already doing with the NFL.
9. Sporting infrastructure: Continue the expansion of sports infrastructure by the Akufo-Addo government, by completing unfinished projects, constructing a standard stadium in Sunyani and in each of the six new regions, as well as expanding the astroturf projects to cover constituencies without astroturfs.
10. Sports facilities maintenance: Institute an effective maintenance module to ensure that national, regional, and community sports facilities are managed and maintained well.
John Mahama’s manifesto policies on sports
1. Local football development: Support the development of Colts, Division One and Two, and the Ghana Premier League by augmenting the salaries of all registered footballers with allowances.
2. Rehabilitation of stadia: Undertake emergency refurbishment of pitches, tracks, and other facilities at our national stadia in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Cape Coast, and Sekondi to meet FIFA standards.
3. Standard pitches: Pursue our long-standing policy of establishing international standard stadia in all regions.
4. Promoting sporting events: Build more multi-purpose sports facilities to promote regional sporting events and inter-school competitions as part of our talent development policy.
5. Sports investment: Ensure equitable investments in other national teams, such as women’s football teams, parasports teams, juvenile teams, and lesser-known sports.
6. Enhancing sporting facilities: Upgrade the UEW Sports College into a modern sports university offering training programmes in sports, related medicine, science, and sports management/administration at campuses around Ghana.
7. Extension of sports centres: Establish Sports Centres of Excellence in the northern, middle, and southern zones in collaboration with existing universities and the private sector.
8. Athletics: Support national athletes more consistently to compete internationally and develop post-competition careers and pension schemes to cater for national athletes.
9. Scholarship: Offer scholarships to promising sports talents and invest in the establishment of sports academies in partnership with the private sector.
10. Aid for sports retirees: Support retired sports personalities in pursuing other sports-related careers after an active sporting life.
Benjamin Sackey
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