NSA Opens Constituency Games Plan to Media Scrutiny, Seeks Nationwide Support

The National Sports Authority (NSA) has opened its proposed Constituency Games programme to scrutiny from the media, urging journalists and media organisations to help identify weaknesses, challenge assumptions, and contribute ideas towards building a credible and inclusive grassroots sports programme.

The call was made on Friday, August 21, 2026, during a Constituency Games Consultative Engagement and Endorsement Forum organised by the Resource Mobilisation and Partnership Committee of the NSA Governing Board at ESP Hotel in Labone, Accra.

The engagement brought together journalists, editors, producers, presenters, bloggers, and other media practitioners as part of efforts to secure broader stakeholder input before the proposed programme is fully implemented.

A major highlight of the engagement was the signing of an endorsement book by participating journalists and NSA officials in support of the Constituency Games initiative.

Media described as key partner

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Director-General of the National Sports Authority, described the media as a critical partner in the proposed transformation of Ghana’s sports sector.

He said the involvement of the media was necessary to ensure that the Constituency Games moved beyond discussions, paperwork, and official announcements into practical implementation.

“You can’t do anything purposeful and meaningful without the media. It’s impossible,” he told journalists gathered at the forum.

According to him, the NSA considers journalists and other media professionals key partners whose involvement would help ensure that the initiative is properly communicated, scrutinised and sustained.

Mr. Ampofo Ankrah said the Authority had already engaged sporting federations and other stakeholders, adding that the media engagement represented another important stage in the consultative process.

He explained that the proposed “resetting” of Ghana’s sports sector should not be viewed merely as a political slogan but as an effort to continuously improve and evolve the country’s sporting ecosystem.

“Whatever we have, even if it’s good, we should try to make it better. Even if it’s better, we try to make it the best,” he said.

He further stressed that the initiative was intended to be an evolving process rather than a one-off sporting event.

According to him, the programme would be rolled out gradually across sporting disciplines, with a focus on ensuring that sports become more accessible at the community level.

He said inclusiveness would also be central to the programme, with particular attention to gender participation and the involvement of the girl child.

“This is not an event. It is an evolution,” Mr. Ampofo Ankrah said, emphasising that the template being developed should continue to influence Ghanaian sports beyond the tenure of the current administrators.

Media invited to challenge proposal

Chairman of the Resource Mobilisation and Partnership Committee of the NSA Governing Board, Mr. Samson Deen, said the media engagement represented a deliberate departure from the traditional approach where journalists are invited only after major decisions have been taken.

“Today the National Sports Authority is changing the narrative,” he said, explaining that the Authority wanted the media to be involved in the various stages of the Ghana sports agenda.

Mr. Deen described the forum not as the launch of a finished competition or a request for blanket approval but as a professional “stress test” of the proposed Constituency Games.

He challenged media practitioners to identify blind spots, question assumptions, and offer practical recommendations that could make the programme more credible and workable across Ghana.

He said the proposed programme was still being developed and that stakeholder contributions would be incorporated into a final document expected to serve as the Constituency Games Handbook.

“We are here today to discuss with you a project that we have prepared but unfinished. We can only finish it when you have indicated to us what needs to be included and what should be excluded,” he said.

Proposed six-month programme

Mr. Deen disclosed that the current planning direction was for a proposed six-month programme beginning in October 2026.

However, he stressed that the timeline, finances, venues, budgets, and operational responsibilities remained subject to formal validation and approval.

He said the Authority would not make final decisions through the media engagement, explaining that contributions from stakeholders would be captured in the final Constituency Games Handbook.

He also urged the media to assess whether the proposal could work effectively beyond the initial planning framework, reach communities fairly, remain accessible, and withstand public scrutiny.

Endorsement does not mean blanket approval

The NSA Governing Board committee chairman also made it clear that media endorsement of the initiative should not be interpreted as an obligation to praise the organisers or approve every aspect of the proposal.

He said any endorsement freely given by media practitioners should instead represent a commitment to fairness, inclusion, accountability, and responsible public-interest reporting, while maintaining full editorial independence.

“The value of today’s forum will not be measured by applause or by the number of signatures collected,” he said.

Rather, he said, the success of the engagement would be determined by whether the Constituency Games emerged from the process as a more credible, inclusive, and believable programme.

Mr. Deen urged participating media organisations to make at least one recommendation capable of making the proposed system fairer, safer, or easier to verify.

He also called on media houses to designate newsroom focal persons who could facilitate the flow of verified information and corrections beyond the consultative meeting.

Additionally, he encouraged journalists to follow at least one constituency through the various stages of preparation, registration, participation, and outcomes.

In return, he said, the NSA must provide timely information, clearly distinguish confirmed decisions from provisional proposals, respond to legitimate questions, and correct the public record where necessary.

Grassroots sports and youth development

The presentation to the media also linked the Constituency Games initiative to President John Dramani Mahama’s stated vision for an overhaul of grassroots sports.

Mr. Deen said the initiative was designed around the idea of giving communities across Ghana greater opportunities to participate in sports while creating a stronger pathway for identifying and developing talent.

He said the initiative would also recognise the connection between sports and tourism, arguing that sporting activities could provide opportunities beyond the competition itself.

According to him, sports facilities and events could become tourism products by creating experiences around games, venues, entertainment, and community participation.

He also stressed the importance of young people to the development of sports, noting that the youth remain central to any serious effort to build a sustainable sporting industry.

From consultation to implementation

The NSA has indicated that the Constituency Games concept will involve continued consultations with sporting federations, communities, public institutions, Parliament and other stakeholders before final decisions are taken.

The Authority says the process will be phased, with logistics, finances, venues, and operational responsibilities expected to be resolved before firm commitments are made.

The Director-General maintained that the ultimate objective was to create a sports system that reaches communities, embraces different sporting disciplines, and gives people—regardless of gender—the opportunity to participate.

He urged journalists to embrace the initiative while continuing to ask difficult questions and providing constructive scrutiny.

“If we have that mindset… that we’re moving forward to create, build, elevate, and lift something powerful, I think this is going to be the greatest input or intervention in Ghana sports that we’ve seen since independence,” Mr. Ampofo Ankrah said.

For the NSA, the Friday, August 21, 2026, consultative engagement therefore marks an attempt to move the Constituency Games from concept to a broader national conversation—one in which the media, sporting federations, communities, and other stakeholders are expected to have a voice before the programme is fully rolled out.

The Authority’s stated ambition is for the initiative to become a sustainable grassroots sports framework capable of identifying talent, promoting inclusion, and strengthening participation in sports across Ghana’s constituencies.