Ghana's Universities Must Sell Sports to Alumni or Keep Losing Funding, Experts Warn

Ghanaian universities are leaving significant funding on the table by failing to use sports as a deliberate strategy to engage alumni and attract corporate investment, a senior Ghana Football Association official has warned. The caution came at the inaugural University of Ghana Sports Dialogue, held under the theme "Repositioning University Sports as a Driver of Institutional Excellence and National Development."

Universities failing to market their own sports culture

Dr Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, Chairman of the GFA Club Licensing Committee, delivered one of the most pointed messages of the event, arguing that Ghanaian universities have consistently failed to sell their sports programmes to the very people who passed through their gates.

"We have not sold university sports to our alumni. The reason why we are not getting funding is that somebody must want to buy into what you have. When sports become an integral part of a university's culture, they create pride and lifelong attachment," he said.

Dr Baah-Nuakoh pointed to successful universities across the world that have transformed their sports programmes into powerful relationship-building tools — generating revenue for infrastructure, scholarships and broader institutional development. His argument was straightforward: alumni who feel emotionally connected to their university through sport are far more likely to give back financially. When that connection is absent or poorly nurtured, so too is the cheque.

He urged university authorities to begin cultivating that attachment from the moment students arrive on campus, stressing that the goal was not merely winning competitions but building lasting pride. "Once alumni are attracted back to campus, they will support not only sports but other aspects of university life," he added. He described sports as a strategic marketing tool capable of reconnecting institutions with alumni who now hold influential positions in business, politics and the public sector.

The educational system is part of the problem

Kojo Addae-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of Databank, broadened the conversation beyond funding alone, calling on policymakers to take a hard look at Ghana's educational structure. He argued that the current system had effectively narrowed the window in which young people can discover and develop their sporting talents.

He drew a comparison with the previous five-year secondary school system, under which students had more time to participate in a range of sporting disciplines before the full weight of academic pressure set in. He called for a non-partisan review of educational policy to better integrate sports into the learning journey — a process he said should not be treated as a political matter but a national one.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghana's broader sporting ambitions — from producing competitive Black Stars squads to developing athletes for continental and global competitions — depend heavily on a strong pipeline of talent nurtured at the foundational level. Universities sit at a critical junction in that pipeline, yet they remain chronically underfunded and structurally under-equipped to fulfil that role.

Dr Austin W. Luguterah, Director of Sports and Wellness at the University of Ghana, reinforced this point by urging stakeholders to stop viewing university sports purely through the lens of medals and league tables. He described sports as an investment in human capital — one that builds discipline, resilience, teamwork and leadership qualities that benefit society long after graduation.

He acknowledged, however, that realising this potential would require stronger governance frameworks, sustainable partnerships with the private sector and creative financing models that go beyond government subventions.

• Dr Baah-Nuakoh says universities must market sports to alumni to unlock funding.
• Databank CEO calls for a review of Ghana's educational structure to protect student-athletes.
• University of Ghana Sports Dialogue was the first of its kind at the institution.