World Cup Fever Hits Parliament as MPs Open Their Wallets for Sports Fund

Ghana’s Parliament turned into an impromptu fundraising floor on Thursday as the Majority Caucus front bench announced they would donate their March salaries to the newly established Ghana Sports Fund, matching a pledge made on the same day by Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams to give two months of his own earnings to the initiative.

The announcements came as Adams addressed the House on Thursday, February 19, framing the Sports Fund not merely as a financing vehicle but as essential preparation for Ghana’s appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Black Stars have been drawn in Group L alongside Panama, England, and Croatia. The tournament, which begins in June, will mark Ghana’s fifth appearance at football’s biggest stage.

Adams raised the stakes personally, pledging two months of his salary to the fund and challenging colleagues across government and the private sector to follow. “If we expect the private sector to invest, if we expect federations to reform, if we expect young athletes to commit, then leadership must also commit,” he said. The Majority Caucus front bench responded immediately, committing their March salaries collectively to the fund. South Dayi MP Rockson Dafeamekpor went further, pledging three months of his salary independently.

The minister used the occasion to underscore the scale of the missed economic opportunity in African sports. The global sports industry, he noted, exceeds US$500 billion in annual value, yet sports contribute less than 0.5 percent of gross domestic product in most African countries, not for lack of talent or passion but for lack of structured financing.

The session followed Parliament’s passage of the Sports Fund Bill, which creates a dedicated statutory financing mechanism for sports development in Ghana. Adams described the fund as a transparent and accountable framework designed to support infrastructure development, school and grassroots sports, elite athlete preparation, welfare systems, and recreation, and commended the National Investment Bank for donating GHC 100,000 to set an early institutional example.

GCB Bank has since been appointed as the collecting bank for the Ghana Sports Fund, providing the administrative infrastructure for donations from individuals, corporations, and institutions to be channelled into the statutory vehicle.

The parliamentary momentum now shifts attention to whether the private sector and sports federations will match the political energy with sustained financial commitments ahead of the World Cup.

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