By Kwame Bediako
Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku says the GFA lost a potential sponsorship worth more than $5 million a year for the Ghana Premier League after the Food and Drugs Authority rejected a proposed deal with Guinness Ghana Limited. He made the disclosure while appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports on 4 November.
What happened
Okraku said Guinness Ghana had approached the GFA with plans to invest heavily in the top flight, and that the two sides held several meetings to finalise the arrangement. However, the deal collapsed because Ghanaian regulations restrict alcohol companies from sponsoring sporting activities.
“We were approached by Guinness Ghana Limited wanting to invest heavily in the Ghana Premier League. We did whatever we had to do. We had a series of meetings. At the end, FDA said no. The deal was, if I’m not mistaken, over $5 million a year. We lost it,” Okraku said.
GFA’s appeal
The GFA president criticised the restriction, arguing that it denies football access to major private-sector investment at a time when clubs and the league need stronger financial backing. He urged Parliament to remove the legal provision that gives the FDA authority to approve or reject sponsorship agreements involving alcoholic beverage companies.
Okraku argued that scrapping the restriction would help sports bodies attract more corporate partners and improve the long-term financial sustainability of Ghanaian football.
Why it matters
The Ghana Premier League has struggled to secure large, stable commercial partnerships, making a potential annual investment above $5 million especially significant. The proposed Guinness Ghana deal would have been one of the league’s biggest sponsorship opportunities, but regulatory policy remains the central obstacle.
