Prof. Peter Twumasi is the NSA boss and he wants more finances for the sports
• Ghana had one of its best performances at the Olympics this year, after close to three decades
• The NSA boss, Prof. Peter Twumasi, believes it is time to commit more resources to the sports in the country
• Ghana received a bronze in boxing when Samuel Takyi excelled at the Tokyo Olympics that was held recently
Following Ghana’s success at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, it is expected that the government will increase the budgetary allocation for sports, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof Peter Twumasi, has advocated.
According to him, so far, the Authority only receives a fraction of the GH¢10 million they are allocated and on good days, only five million of that money, reports graphic.com.gh.
He explained that this practice doesn’t help the country’s drive for development in sports.
“At the National Sports Authority maybe the whole year, probably I’m given about GHC10 million and I’m able to access about 5 million, what can you do with this?
“So, if the federation is not able to secure some support, sponsorship from other organizations, then they suffer,” he explained.
Ghana’s run at the recently ended Olympics resulted in only one medal.
Samuel Takyi won a Bronze medal in boxing, making it the first medal Ghana has won at the games in the last 29 years.
This, Prof Peter Twumasi maintains, is enough reason for even more attention and financial attention to be allocated to the sector.
“Samuel Takyi’s medal in boxing underpins why the country should increase its budget allocation for the sports ministry which in 2020 stood around GHS 40 million, I think you are right [the budget] has to go up,” he said.
Although the country gained only one medal, team Ghana made a number of impressive shows.
For instance, in the Men’s 4x100m relay, Ghana’s team booked a place in the final with a time of 38.08 seconds, making it the first final the country had secured since 1996 when the team represented at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Also, the team broke a national record which stood at 38.12 seconds set at the 1997 World Championships in Greece by the quartet of Aziz Zakari, Emmanuel Tuffour, Abu Duah and Eric Nkansah, the report added.
Another member of the team, Joseph Paul Amoah, also ran the fastest 200m time of 20.35 seconds for Ghana at any of the games ever.
Abeiku Jackson, in swimming, topped his heat, breaking his own national record, while Christian Amoah broke a national record in weightlifting.
As it stands now, Abeiku Jackson is ranked 12th in the world in his weight division.
Prof Peter Twumasi, therefore, wants President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to push for financial motivation for them so they can better perform in future tournaments.
“The president’s commitment is there and I think what we have to get done should be how it can be reflected in the finance minister’s budget for next year.
“The whole of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, our budget is not more than 40 million Cedis, if you convert it, it’s less than $10 million, what can you do with this”? he lamented.
He also stressed that considering the number of sports that the country participates in, and the amount they are given to support their work, it is inadequate.
“It is like an amount for a department in the Energy Ministry or education and this is what is being used for all sporting federations,” he stressed.
As a way of ensuring continuity and even more interest in the sector, the NSA boss also suggests that other sources of funding are explored so that they are able to push the sector further than it already is.
“So, it’s time for us to look at the financing of some of these federations because we have realized that, it’s not only football that can give us that joy,” he said.
