The Chair of the National Sports Authority, Samson Deen, has enthusiastically stated that the proposed Constituency Games could become a cornerstone of President John Dramani Mahama’s ‘Reset Ghana’ sports agenda, expanding beyond major cities to revitalize communities across the nation. Mr. Deen believes this nationwide initiative will foster a structured pathway for talented athletes to regional and national competition, offering a diverse range of opportunities for grassroots development and economic stimulation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the NSA Resource Mobilisation and Partnership Committee in Labone, Accra, Mr. Deen highlighted the Games’ potential to serve as a pivotal element of the Reset Ghana strategy. He emphasized that the Games represent a decisive step towards ensuring that Ghanaians, irrespective of their location, benefit from organized sports, talent identification, and new economic opportunities throughout the country.
The proposal has received institutional backing from the Office of the President, with a letter from the Presidency dated September 3, 2025, outlining support for the Games’ organization, including the Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s coordination. The Presidency also requested the Ministry to proactively ensure the Games’ smooth launch, offering further assistance from the Office of the Chief of Staff. Mr. Deen stated that the Games could significantly support several government priorities, including grassroots talent identification, scholarships, sports academies, centers of excellence, and pathways into national teams.
Under the proposed framework, athletes would begin their journey at constituency-level competitions, progressing to regional championships and culminating in national finals. Outstanding performers could then be linked to scholarships, academies, training camps, centers of excellence, and national-team development programmes. Furthermore, the initiative would provide opportunities for women, girls, persons with disabilities, and athletes competing in sports beyond football. Mr. Deen proposed a national digital talent database to track athletes’ performances, sporting disciplines, educational status, and development history, allowing recognized federations, coaches, scouts, and administrators to monitor promising athletes.
He also called for incorporating former national athletes into the program as coaches, scouts, mentors, technical advisors, and administrators. His experience would be crucial in nurturing the next generation of Ghanaian athletes. The Games could create economic opportunities within communities, generating business for transport operators, food vendors, hospitality providers, equipment suppliers, medical personnel, security services, and event organisers. Young people could also be trained as referees, coaches, statisticians, media personnel, photographers, commentators, and digital content creators.
Mr. Deen stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in the program’s implementation. He advocated for clear competition regulations, transparent procurement, financial reporting, athlete safeguarding, medical protocols, anti-doping education, and accessible complaint mechanisms. He proposed measuring the program’s success through indicators such as participation levels, representation of women and persons with disabilities, athletes identified and developed, scholarships secured, coaches and officials trained, facilities rehabilitated and sponsorship generated. He concluded that successful implementation would require collaboration between the Presidency, Ministry of Sports and Recreation, National Sports Authority, Regional Coordinating Councils, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, the Ghana Education Service, and national sports federations. Traditional authorities, corporate organisations, development partners, educational institutions, and the media would also play a vital role.”
“The Constituency Games represent more than just a sporting competition; they are a national movement to unite communities, create opportunities for young people, stimulate local economic activity, and rebuild Ghana’s sporting foundations from the grassroots,” Mr. Deen concluded, underscoring the significance of the initiative for national development.
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Source: Adom Sports
