Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, has called for a bold continental reset in Africa’s approach to sports development, urging governments, institutions, and the media to stop treating sport as a side issue and instead recognise it as a strategic driver of economic growth.
Delivering a statement at the Opening Ceremony of the 8th AIPS Africa Congress in Banjul, Hon. Adams said Africa’s biggest challenge in sport is not a lack of talent or passion, but rather weak systems, limited commercialisation, and poor policy coordination across the continent.
According to the Minister, while the global sports industry is valued at over USD 500 billion and contributes close to 2 percent of GDP in advanced economies, Africa’s entire sports economy is estimated at just USD 12–15 billion, despite producing many of the world’s top athletes.
“We export talent cheaply, consume foreign sport expensively, and struggle to retain value at home,” Hon. Adams stated.
He identified mobility barriers, weak continental frameworks, and limited broadcast access as key constraints holding back Africa’s sports sector, noting that beyond football, most sports on the continent survive largely on government support.
Hon. Adams commended countries such as Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda, and Tanzania for making deliberate investments that link sport to infrastructure development, tourism, and national branding, and encouraged other African nations to adopt similar long-term strategies.
Turning to Ghana, the Minister highlighted a series of reforms aimed at stabilising and growing the domestic sports economy. These include the return of the Ghana Premier League to free-to-air television, an increase in league prize money to GHS 2 million for champions, and the establishment of the Ghana Sports Fund under Act 1159.
He also announced that Ghana will host two major continental events the 24th African Senior Athletics Championships and the 15th African Armwrestling Championships and invited African countries and the media to help reshape the narrative around African sport.
A significant portion of the address was directed at the media, where Hon. Adams acknowledged the intense pressures created by the digital age, but stressed the need for responsible journalism. “When reporting lacks balance and depth, it discourages fans, scares sponsors, and weakens entire ecosystems. Journalism must remain a tool for development, not destruction,” he cautioned.
He urged African sports journalists to broaden coverage beyond football, spotlight emerging athletes and lesser-known disciplines, and embrace new media platforms responsibly as partners in building sustainable sports economies.
The Minister concluded by posing tough questions to African governments and institutions whether the continent is ready to remove mobility barriers, move from policy statements to enforceable frameworks, invest in fan culture and non-football sports, and treat sport as a sector of production and value creation, rather than mere consumption.
“The opportunity is before us,” Hon. Adams said. “The responsibility is ours.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Monica Bukari
