Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, has revealed that the senior national team, the Black Stars, will require an amount of $25 million to fund their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Cameroon, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
This was revealed at a breakfast meeting with Chief Executive Officers from corporate Ghana at the Jubilee House in Accra on Monday.
The Black Stars have already booked their spot at next year’s AFCON and will start the qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in June.
In order to adequately fund both campaigns, the Minister has embarked on fund-raising efforts from corporate Ghana to support the team.
“It is the dream of the nation to win the Africa Cup of Nations again in Cameroon next year, and to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” the Sports Minister said.
“These campaigns require a substantial amount of investment to be able to execute this mandate and government alone cannot shoulder this responsibility at the expense of other sporting disciplines.
“Supporting the Black Stars will enable government to use the sports budget to support other disciplines especially as we gear towards the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“Historically, the Black Stars have performed well every time corporate Ghana has backed them and it is our hope that you will do same again,” Mustapha Ussif told a gathering of CEOs from corporate Ghana.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, announced at the meeting that government will provide $10 million of the required amount with a 5-member committee, headed by the Sports Minister, tasked to raise the remaining $15 million.
