The President of the Ghana Paralympic Committee, Samson Deen, has issued a strong caution to Kofi Adams, the nominated Minister for Sports and Recreation, urging him not to focus exclusively on football to the detriment of other sports disciplines.
Kofi Adams, a Member of Parliament for Buem constituency, was confirmed in the third batch of ministerial appointments released on Tuesday. He is now set to face the Vetting Committee for approval.
Samson Deen expressed his confidence in Adams’ capabilities but emphasized the importance of broadening the sports agenda beyond football. “In my opinion, Mr. Kofi Adams is a wonderful personality,” Deen said. “With his extensive background as a former youth organizer for the NDC party and spokesperson for the Rawlings family, he brings valuable experience and understanding of the sports sector.”
Deen pointed out that there are over 50 Olympic sports disciplines and 22 para-sports, including football, underscoring that football is not the sole focus of the country’s sporting landscape. “Concentrating too much attention and resources on football at the expense of other sports would be detrimental,” he warned. “Such an approach could stunt diversity in the sports sector, reduce the overall quality of sports, and lead to the underutilization of talent in other disciplines.”
Further emphasizing his point, Samson Deen called for the ministry to provide equal support and resources to all sports disciplines. He particularly advocated for the creation of a dedicated desk within the ministry to handle para-sports and related matters, ensuring a balanced and inclusive approach to sports development in the country.
Should he be approved, Kofi Adams will succeed Mustafa Ussif, who served as the Sports Minister since 2021 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
