By Prince Ahenkorah
A government-led fundraising drive for Ghana’s national football team the BLACK STARS has pulled in $10 million on its opening day, giving the Black Stars a financial fillip ahead of World Cup preparations but also raising questions about the state’s role in underwriting a sport that has long relied on private patronage.
The campaign, launched at a high-profile event attended by President John Dramani Mahama, Sports Minister Kofi Adams, and Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku, is targeting $30 million. Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem, who chairs the fundraising committee, confirmed that pledges and donations from the first day alone accounted for a third of that sum.
Organisers have lined up a series of follow-up events and a short-code platform (*899#) to draw contributions from the general public, with incentives including the chance for randomly selected donors to attend World Cup matches.
The funds are intended to bankroll four international friendlies and other preparatory activities for the national side.
The launch doubled as a display of political and entertainment firepower. Former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah, ex-internationals Fatawu Dauda and Mohammed Polo, and musicians Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, and Nacee all featured, underscoring the campaign’s ambition to harness celebrity influence.
But the initiative also reflects a deeper reality: Ghana’s football economy, heavily reliant on state subvention and corporate sponsorship, has struggled to generate the kind of independent revenue that would insulate the sport from political stewardship.
With the government already facing fiscal constraints, the decision to mount a high-profile fundraising drive—chaired by a deputy finance minister signals that the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign is being treated as a national prestige project requiring direct executive oversight.
Whether the remaining $20 million can be raised without appearing as a compulsory levy on business and the public remains an open question. The committee has yet to disclose the breakdown of the first-day pledges or indicate how much has been physically disbursed.