GFA will be accountable to Ghanaians - John Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring accountability in the management of Ghanas national football teams, signaling an end to secrecy surrounding expenditure.Speaking during Thursdays State of the Nation Address, Mahama made it clear that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must be held accountable for its financial decisions ahead of the Black Stars' upcoming World Cup qualifiers.Next month, the senior national team, the Black Stars, which is now a pale shadow of its former glory, will play two World Cup qualifying matches, he said.I have instructed my office and the Minister for Sports and Recreation to hold the Ghana Football Association accountable to the people of Ghana as we prepare for these games, especially regarding the budget of the GFA, he added.This marks the second time in three weeks that President Mahama has spoken about GFA accountability, having first addressed the issue during the swearing-in of Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams on February 7, 2025.There will be no secrecy in how much the government spends on the national teams. The budgets presented by the FA and other sports associations must be known by the public. After all, it is taxpayers' funds that are used to fund these activities, Mahama stated.His remarks represent the first time a sitting government has openly opposed the long-standing lack of transparency in national team expenditure.In 2019, then-Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah refused to provide a detailed breakdown of Ghanas AFCON 2019 budget. His successor, Mustapha Ussif, followed a similar pattern, withholding specific details on spending for AFCON 2021 in Cameroon and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he claimed Ghana spent $5 million while saving $3 million.At AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast, Ussif again announced that Ghana spent over $3 million while saving $2 million but failed to provide a detailed expenditure report.Ghana will play Chad in Accra on March 21 before facing Madagascar in Morocco on March 24, 2025, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers resume. Read Full Story