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The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has expressed full backing for President John Dramani Mahama’s call for more transparency in the budgeting process for the national team, the Black Stars.
In his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 27, President Mahama highlighted the need for clarity regarding government spending on national teams. He directed the Minister of Sports and Recreation to ensure all budgets for the Black Stars and other teams are made publicly available.
President Mahama remarked:
There will be no secrecy in how much the government spends on the national teams. The budgets presented by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and other sports associations must be made public. After all, it is the taxpayer’s funds that are used to support these activities.
GFA responds
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In response, the GFA issued a statement on Friday, February 28, 2025, fully endorsing the President’s stance on financial transparency.
We also endorse His Excellency’s call for transparency in relation to the budgeting and expenditure related to the Black Stars and, by extension, all national teams,” the GFA declared in the statement.
The GFA also explained its involvement in the budgeting process, noting that although it submits an initial draft budget to the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry is responsible for all financial decisions and payments related to the Black Stars.
Indeed, as part of our commitment to transparency, the GFA has always provided the Ministry responsible for Sports with the first draft budget for the national teams. Beyond this, everything to do with the budgeting and expenditure related to the Black Stars sits with the Ministry. For emphasis, payments made in relation to the Black Stars are exclusively handled by the Ministry.
The GFA praised President Mahama’s commitment to football development and expressed eagerness to work with the Ministry to fulfill the aspirations of the Ghanaian people.
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The Black Stars are preparing for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with two key matches: against Chad in Accra on March 21 and Madagascar in Morocco on March 24, 2025.