My government will give equitable attention to other sports – John Mahama pledges

John Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to give equal attention to all sports federations if he is elected President again.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, the former Ghanaian President highlighted the necessity of supporting sports beyond football, which has historically received the majority of focus.

This imbalance has given rise to the term ‘lesser-known sports.’

“What we call the lesser-known sports shall also receive equitable attention like we give soccer,” Mahama stated.

Mahama also promised to enhance sports infrastructure, stating, “Let me also assure the sports fraternity that we shall develop our stadium infrastructure for track and field sports. We will fix the deteriorating football pitches and pay stipends to footballers in the Premier League as we promised in 2020.”

Football dominates the sports scene in Ghana, with a large share of the Sports Ministry’s budget directed to the Ghana Football Association, especially the Black Stars. Mahama committed to distributing this support more evenly among all sports.

Recently, Mahama donated $10,000 to Ghana’s amputee football team after their victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in May 2024.