President John Dramani Mahama has presented a combined GH¢684,000 to three Ghanaian clubs involved in continental football competitions, as part of efforts to support their campaigns and strengthen the country’s representation on the African stage.
Ghana Premier League champions Medeama SC, CAF Confederation Cup debutants Nations FC and women’s champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC received the financial support during a courtesy call on the President.
Medeama, who are competing in the CAF Champions League, received GH¢342,000 ahead of their crucial preliminary-round second leg against Congolese giants TP Mazembe on Saturday, September 12.
The Yellow and Mauves suffered a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Mazembe last weekend and now face the difficult task of overturning the deficit in Lubumbashi to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Nations FC were allocated GH¢228,000 following their 1-0 defeat to Mali’s FC Diarra in Bamako in their maiden CAF Confederation Cup campaign. The Ghanaian side will host the Malian club in the return leg this weekend, with progression still within reach.
Ampem Darkoa Ladies received GH¢114,000 after reaching the final of the WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifiers in Burkina Faso. The Ghanaian champions were beaten by Nigeria’s Edo Queens on penalties in the final.
The President’s financial intervention came alongside a call for the Ghana Football Association and club administrators to take urgent steps to improve the quality and sustainability of domestic football.
Mahama Calls for Stronger Domestic League and Grassroots Development
President Mahama expressed concern about the declining standard of the domestic game, particularly the rapid departure of promising Ghanaian players to clubs abroad.
“We are too quick to sell our players. As soon as a player shows promise, scouts take him away, mostly to Europe, and that depletes the quality of our local league.”
President John Dramani Mahama
He argued that Ghana must develop an environment where talented players can remain in the domestic league for longer, gain experience with the national teams and move abroad when they are better prepared. “We must find a way to keep our talented players longer, give them opportunities in the national team, allow them to gain international experience, and then let them move abroad after they have matured.”
The President also questioned the state of grassroots football and called for the revival of the Colts League, which traditionally served as an important pathway for developing young footballers in Ghana. “I do not know what happened to it, so I want to ask the Football Association: what has happened to the Colts League?”
President Pledges Greater Support for Women’s Football
Mahama further urged stakeholders to devote greater resources to women’s football, highlighting the achievements of Ghana’s female teams despite comparatively lower levels of financial support. He also added that women football in the country must be given the necessary attention for growth.
“Our women have won more trophies for us than the men, and yet we put all the money into men’s football. In the spirit of affirmative action, we must support women’s football and help bring the women’s teams up.”
President John Dramani Mahama
His comments come at a significant moment for Ampem Darkoa, who have emerged as one of Ghana’s leading forces in women’s club football and recently came within a penalty shootout of winning the WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifiers.
The President also pledged to increase allocations to the Sports Development Fund once it becomes fully operational, with the objective of creating sustained investment across Ghana’s sporting disciplines.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the Ghana Football Association and the National Sports Authority, alongside representatives of the three clubs.
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