Samson Deen named to lead Ghana NSA sports funding committee

Samson Deen has been appointed chair of a new five-member National Sports Authority committee tasked with improving funding and partnerships for sports in Ghana. The Resource Mobilisation and Partnership Committee was inaugurated in Accra last Friday at the ESP Hotel Conference Room.

The committee was created after a resolution by the NSA Governing Board during its second quarterly session in June. Deen, who heads the National and African Paralympic Committee, will work with Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the co-chairman, as well as Hajia Zenabu Sulemana and Alhaji Mutawakilu Iddrisu. Mavis Ekua Enyamah Kwainoe is the member and secretary.

Its work will involve discussions with Ghanaian businesses, development partners, international institutions, sports federations and other stakeholders. The objective is to broaden the sources of finance available to sports and build partnerships that can support development over a longer period.

Deen said the committee’s purpose was to move Ghana away from relying on urgent appeals for money when major competitions draw near. He argued that mobilisation should involve a structured process for finding, supporting and developing athletes from the early stages of their careers through to elite competition.

He also pointed to the proposed Constituency Games as a possible platform for identifying talent across the country. The initiative, he said, should support a change from short-term emergency funding towards planned investment in sports.

NSA Governing Board chairman Professor Fred Awaah said public funding by itself could not deliver the country’s ambitions for youth development, improved facilities and sustained international performance. He urged the committee to seek new income channels and stronger agreements with private companies and international development agencies.

Awaah pledged institutional backing and said the committee’s progress would be assessed through the partnerships it secures, the resources it raises and the lasting opportunities created for athletes, communities and sporting bodies. Deen similarly said its effectiveness would depend on practical outcomes rather than meetings or paperwork.