Former Minister of Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament for Yagaba/Kubori, Mustapha Ussif, has endorsed the Ghana Sports Fund Bill, 2025, while strongly opposing proposals to levy athletes to finance the fund.

Contributing to debates on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, December 18, 2025, Ussif supported the report of the Committee on Youth and Sports, which declared the bill urgent.

In his statement, he reminded the House that the Ghana Sports Fund Bill was conceived and drafted during his tenure as Minister for Youth and Sports as part of efforts to ensure sustainable financing for sports development in the country.

The former Sports Minister stressed that the establishment of a Sports Fund is long overdue and necessary to support athlete development, sports infrastructure, national teams, and grassroots programmes across the country. He noted that Ghana cannot continue to rely solely on government subventions if sports is to grow and compete at the highest level.

He further disclosed that as Minister, he travelled to Morocco to understudy how their Sports Fund operates.

He explained that Morocco’s model showed the importance of strong institutional support and diversified funding sources, none of which placed a direct financial burden on athletes.

According to him, the lessons from Morocco helped shape the thinking behind Ghana’s proposed Sports Fund.

Despite his strong support for the bill, Ussif cautioned against the inclusion of a levy on athletes as a source of funding. He argued that athletes already make significant personal sacrifices and should be supported rather than burdened with additional financial obligations.

He urged Parliament to adopt alternative and more sustainable funding sources that do not discourage or penalise sportsmen and women. He stressed that the success of the Sports Fund depends not only on its establishment, but also on fairness and broad stakeholder support.

He concluded by calling on Members of Parliament to pass the bill swiftly, with the necessary amendments, to strengthen Ghana’s sports sector and protect the welfare of athletes.

The Ghana Sports Fund Bill, 2025, seeks to create a dedicated fund to finance sports development and improve the management of sports in the country.