“It’s Not Lesser-Known, It’s Lesser-Supported”: NSA Boss Calls for Reset in Ghana Sports
The National Sports Authority is pushing a full “reset” of Ghana’s sports ecosystem, with a renewed focus on community development, consistent funding, and support for disciplines outside football, Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has said.
Speaking at the grand launch of the Tampico Accra Inter City Marathon at Zimansky Hotel, Roman Ridge on Tuesday, Ankrah said the reset is about continuous improvement across all levels of sport.
“Reset of sports, and just as when you reset your watch, clock, your car engine… if something is not going right, you put it right,” Ankrah said. “It’s all about constantly and continuously improving whatever we do in our lives, in our communities, in our workplaces, and sports cannot be left out.”
He commended organizers of the Tampico Marathon for “pushing for many years now, and not giving up,” noting that the event’s attraction of big brands like Tampico shows the potential of long-term investment in sports.
From ‘Lesser-Known’ to ‘Lesser-Supported’
A key part of the reset, Ankrah said, will be to rethink how Ghana treats non-football disciplines.
“I think we say lesser known, but I think it’s about they are lesser supported,” he stated. “Cricket has followers hundreds of millions. But maybe in Ghana, it is lesser supported or lesser followed. But it is not lesser known.”
He cited cycling, swimming, table tennis, beach soccer and cricket as examples of sports often overlooked in funding and media attention.
“Every year when we do our budgets and when we have our priorities and agenda, we need to look at that and make sure that all these sports get attention,” Ankrah said. “To be honest, we cannot give equal attention to every sport. But what you do is also to apportion at least what the sports deserve.”
He added that with the Sports Fund now in motion*, federations and associations will soon have a channel for consistent funding through the NSA’s mobilization and partnership committee.
Taking Sports to the Communities
Ankrah also highlighted the Constituency Games as part of the reset strategy, saying the goal is to take competition out of the big stadiums and into local communities.
“Sometimes the young boy or girl in the community wants to get involved, but he or she cannot get to the big Accra Sports Stadium, Baba Yara Sports Stadium, or Cape Coast, or Koforidua, or Tamale,” he said. “We need to go into the communities… so they don’t have to travel long journeys away from their communities.”
He said the games will also help unify constituencies and create a direct link for parliamentarians to engage their constituents. “When we discover talent, we can look for scholarships and sponsorship, and then prepare them for the bigger platforms.”
*Call to Corporate Ghana*
The NSA boss made a direct appeal to corporate Ghana to support the reset agenda, using the Tampico Marathon as an example.
“It’s not about any support you can give in cash and logistics and kind. It’s welcome,” Ankrah said. “Today we had over 1000 pieces of T-shirts and jerseys and boots. That would go a long way into preparing these young boys and girls who don’t have any.”
He stressed that participation itself is valuable. “You don’t have to necessarily win, but participating, being recognized, and perhaps having the potential, someone could see you and also offer you support.”
On public interest in athletics, Ankrah pushed back on the notion that Ghanaians don’t care. “Ghanaians love athletics. You know boxing, athletics, swimming. These are sports when you put football to one side, people really love. We should encourage people to get involved in all these sports.”
The Tampico Accra Inter City Marathon is positioned as one of the first major events under the NSA’s reset agenda, aimed at elevating road races and community sports to the next level.
