Tag: Youth and Sports Ministry

Mahama seperates sports ministry from youth ministry; here’s why

President John Dramani Mahama has decided to split the Ministry of Youth and Sports to address sports and youth issues separately.

During his 2024 election campaign, Mahama pointed out that combining the two areas under one ministry has often left the youth neglected, limiting the ministry’s effectiveness.

He explained that creating a separate ministry for the youth would allow more focus on their needs and ensure attention across all sectors of the economy to benefit them.

Mahama highlighted that this move would help introduce strategies to create more job opportunities for the youth and improve their livelihoods.

“We’re going to separate youth from sports because it’s a youth and sports ministry. However, over the years, the focus has been solely on sports, and even then, only on the Black Stars.

“My vision for this ministry is to mainstream youth interests in all sectors of the economy. It will focus on mainstreaming youth interests and concentrate on rolling out strategies to create jobs for young people,” he said.

Mahama fulfilled his promise by separating the ministry into the Youth Development and Empowerment Ministry and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

About the separation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports

President John Dramani Mahama has announced the separation of the Youth and Sports Ministry as part of efforts to reduce the number of ministries in his government.

In a directive issued on January 11, 2024, the Mahama-led administration split the ministry into two separate entities: the Youth Development and Empowerment Ministry and the Sports and Recreation Ministry.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has been a combined institution since 1981, originally called the PNDC Secretary for Youth and Sports. It became a full ministry in 1993 when Ghana returned to constitutional rule under the late President Jerry John Rawlings.

The late Enoch Teye Mensah, a former Member of Parliament, was the first to serve as Minister for Youth and Sports.

January 13, 2025
Hoteliers to sue LOC, Sports Ministry over unpaid bills from 13th All-African Games

Over 40 hoteliers are threatening legal action against the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for failing to settle their payments after hosting guests for the 13th All-African Games in Accra.

The hoteliers claim that, despite receiving only 20% of the agreed payment from the Ministry, their repeated attempts to collect the remaining amount have been unsuccessful.

The 13th All-African Games, which concluded on March 23, saw over 13,000 participants, including 5,000 athletes, 3,000 technical officials, 3,000 volunteers, and 2,000 guests from 54 African nations, with many staying in Accra’s hotels.

The LOC, in collaboration with the Ministry, negotiated the accommodation rates prior to the event.

However, hoteliers received only a partial payment upfront, with the remainder promised for settlement immediately after the games.

Despite the event’s conclusion months ago, the outstanding balance remains unpaid. One hotelier, whose 40-room facility was fully booked for the entire three weeks, expressed frustration, stating, “we are disappointed at the turn of events. We have been to the ministries and the LOC several times and the accountant keeps giving us excuses that they are doing auditing. For how long are they going to do the auditing when we have clients to settle? We credited the food items to feed them, the toiletries etc. We credit a lot of them items, so the suppliers are also after their monies”.

“We are prepared to sue both the Ministry and the LOC, so we can unlock our monies”.

Another hotelier expressed disappointment, highlighting ongoing difficulties with the Ministry and LOC. “We’ve visited the ministries and the LOC multiple times, but the accountant keeps citing auditing delays. We’ve incurred costs for food, toiletries, and other essentials, and our suppliers are now demanding payment.”

The hoteliers are prepared to sue both the Ministry and the LOC to recover their funds. The LOC confirmed their role in negotiating rates but referred inquiries to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

An official from the Ministry indicated that a statement will be issued in due course to address the situation.

July 21, 2024
Sports Ministry pays outstanding bonuses to Black Galaxies

The Youth and Sports Ministry have cleared the outstanding bonuses of the Black Galaxies

The team were owed outstanding bonuses from the 2023 CHAN qualifying games.

The Black Galaxies beat Benin and Nigeria to qualify for the tournament being held in Algeria.

Speaking ahead of their final group game against Sudan later tonight, Deputy Sports Minister, Evans Bobie Opoku assured that the players to expect their bonuses soon.

“The cheques I promised you are with the FA and the accountant has done all the cheques. The per diem is also ready. So in terms of motivation and what have you, like I said the President has ordered that Ministry should do everything possible so what is due you is paid,” he said.

“Going into the Sudan game, I have a strong belief that you will make it,” he stated.

The Black Galaxies come up against Sudan in a must-win encounter at 7:00 pm on January 19, 2023.

Kick-off has been scheduled at 19:00GMT.

January 19, 2023