Mahama splits Youth and Sports Ministry, establishes Sports and Recreation Ministry

Ghana’s sports sector will now fall under the newly created Ministry of Sports and Recreation following a government-led institutional restructure. This change, implemented under Section 11(3) of the Civil Service Act, 1993 (P.N.D.C. Law 327), separates the sports and youth portfolios, ending their long-standing union.

President John Dramani Mahama’s decision also establishes a standalone Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to focus exclusively on youth affairs.

The restructuring reduces the number of ministries to 23, seven fewer than the previous administration’s 30.

President Mahama is expected to announce the new Sports Minister next week. Leading candidates for the role include former Sports Minister Nii Lantey Vanderpuije and Wisdom Kobla Woyome, chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports during the eighth parliament.