After weeks and months of wait, the much-anticipated vetting of Sports Minister-designate, Hon. Kofi Adams, Member of Parliament for the Buem Constituency, took place on Thursday, January 30.
Despite the controversies that have long hallowed on the Sports Ministry, the vetting of the former aide to President Jerry John Rawlings was brief and concise.
Amid all the noise and tempers that had flared prior to his vetting, 3Sports takes a look back at five key takeaways from Kofi Adams’ vetting.
I will deliver – Adams up for the task
“It is the case that some say I am not part of the sports fraternity but the majority are very happy that I have been nominated.”
“I will not disappoint the President, Ghanaians, or myself; I will deliver,” he said
Although a mammoth task awaits Kofi Adams, in a Ministry which has not been shy of controversies over the years, the Minister-Designate for Sports and Recreation has expressed his readiness for the task ahead.
Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, Kofi Adams has not been the most vibrant of personalities in terms of Sports.
In the lead-up to his nominations, Adams revealed his love for boxing.
Four years may be a lengthy or a short time, depending on where you sit but Adams’ commitment to the task ahead is a good starting point.
Focus on improving local league
It is an open secret how the Ghana Premier League has deteriorated and left to rot, with players opting for moves all across Africa.
The poor conditions in the league are in two folds: on-field, where the condition of service for players, including salary, is meagre.
Additionally, off-field problems like infrastructure deficits hold back the progress of the league.
Adams assured under his governance, stipends will be given to retain top talents in Ghana.
“We talked about giving them allowances so we can retain a number of our players. Some of them leave the shores of this country to play in war-torn countries just because their earnings are so low. The whole idea is to retain players by giving them stipends. We think it will go a long way to improve the league,” he said
If implemented, the mass exodus of players moving out of the country will be curtailed.
Restructuring the National Sports Authority (NSA)
Over the past 12 months, the National Sports Authority (NSA) has come under immense scrutiny for the lack of attention given to sports facilities in Ghana.
The NSA’s mismanagement reached its crescendo when CAF deemed none of Ghana’s stadiums fit to host FIFA standard games in October 2024.
Ideally, the role of the National Sports Authority is to serve as the bridge between the sports Ministry and the various federations.
Adams pledged to redefine the role of the NSA.
“The challenge we have is the NSA, which is the bridge, sometimes it’s not allowed to interface and deal with the GFA (Ghana Football Association), especially when it comes to Black Stars funding. We intend to make sure to restrategize such that NSA plays the role it is supposed to play.”
Facelift and construction of standard Astro Turfs
One of the major sporting projects of the outgone government, the New Patriotic Party, was putting up Astro Turfs nationwide to improve community sports.
However, Kofi Adams revealed a lot of substandard facilities were put in place, pledging to look into the construction of the facilities to bring them up to standard.
“I have some concerns about the astro turfs. Some of them, truly speaking, have not been constructed to standard. In one instance, it resulted in a very serious injury to the head of a player. So, we will look at them, the ones that are not standard, in order to avoid some of these injuries. Maybe we don’t use them for football, but we can use them for other sports and recreational activities.”
Proposal of reverse pyramid program for athlete development
Kofi Adams says he wants to get Ghana back to its glory days in sports, with the country competing for the highest laurels.
In his bid to ensure Ghana reach the apex in sports, Kofi Adams has highlighted a reverse pyramid strategy, which will enhance grassroots sports development.
“We will improve grassroots sports, and we are going to go back to the Inter Colleges days because you need to catch them and train them from that point. You don’t let them mature to a certain stage before you start investing in them, he said”
“We want the reverse of the pyramid and make sure that the pyramid stands with the base being larger and broader. Then, as it picks when it becomes commercially viable, you reduce investment,” he added
The broader plan of Adams is to scoop the best of talent in their budding stage, nurture, develop and move them on to bigger things.
