Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has called on Parliament to reconsider restrictions on alcohol sponsorship in sport, after revealing that Ghanaian football lost a potential partnership with Guinness Ghana Limited worth more than $5m a year.
Okraku made the disclosure while appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports, chaired by Henry Ernest Norgbey. The committee was discussing the state of Ghanaian football and measures to rebuild public confidence in the Black Stars.
According to the GFA president, Guinness Ghana had planned to make a significant investment in the Ghana Premier League. However, the proposal fell through after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) refused to approve the arrangement under its rules governing alcohol-related sponsorship in sport.
He said the GFA held several meetings with the company in an effort to finalise the agreement, but the discussions ultimately ended without a deal.
“We were approached by Guinness Ghana Limited, wanting to invest heavily in the Ghana Premier League. We did whatever we had to do. We had a series of meetings. At the end, FDA said no. The deal was, if I’m not mistaken, over $5 million a year. We lost it,” he told the committee.
Okraku said Ghanaian sport was being denied major private-sector funding, while leading international football leagues continued to receive sponsorship from alcohol companies.
He appealed to Parliament to review the current legal framework and remove the provision allowing the FDA to determine whether alcohol companies can support sporting activities.
“Mr Chairman, if there’s one thing that you can do to help sports and football, that would be for you to lead the charge to completely take out that provision that gives the power to FDA to decide on what they can use their resources to support in respect of sports or football,” he said.
The GFA president also listed poor playing surfaces, inadequate stadium infrastructure and limited investment in technical development among the main obstacles to Ghana’s success in international tournaments.
He said sustained funding was needed for grassroots and youth football, coach education, scouting and the construction and maintenance of quality playing facilities if Ghana was to develop competitive national teams.
Okraku further urged the government to remove import duties on Black Stars uniforms and other essential equipment. He argued that this would lower the cost of preparing the national team for international assignments.
He said improving Ghanaian football required shared responsibility, with the government providing the infrastructure and resources needed to support the sport.
The FDA’s Guidelines for Advertisement of Regulated Products, FDA/DRI/DMS/GL-ADV/2023/01, prohibit alcohol advertising from associating alcoholic beverages with sporting activities. They also require publicity for products connected to sponsored programmes and events to be submitted for FDA approval.
The guidelines are intended, among other objectives, to reduce alcohol advertising exposure among minors and vulnerable groups and promote responsible consumption.
In response to Okraku’s presentation, committee chairman Henry Ernest Norgbey assured the GFA delegation of Parliament’s support and said the committee remained committed to strengthening sports development in Ghana.
