Accra, April 17, – More than 30 per cent of aspiring Ghanaian athletes have been exposed to exploitative recruitment schemes, Mr Kofi Iddie Adams, Minister for Sports and Recreation, has disclosed, raising concerns over the growing trend of human trafficking through sport.
Delivering a keynote address at the National Forum on Human Trafficking Through Sports in Accra, the Minister said the situation had evolved beyond isolated cases into what he described as a “structured informal economy” preying on the ambitions of young athletes.
“Over 30 per cent of aspiring athletes in Ghana have been exposed to exploitative recruitment schemes, and close to 96 per cent express a strong desire to play abroad, largely driven by economic realities. This is not random migration. This is a supply chain of vulnerability,” he said.
Mr Adams warned that exploitation in sports was increasingly linked to organised crime, citing the case of a young Senegalese goalkeeper, Cheikh Touré, who was lured abroad under the pretext of a football trial but was later kidnapped and killed after ransom demands were not met.
On government’s response, the Minister said the administration of President John Dramani Mahama was addressing the issue at its root by strengthening youth protection and promoting domestic sports development.
He explained that the separation of the former Ministry of Youth and Sports into the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment was intended to ensure more focused and effective interventions.
As part of efforts to stabilise the local football ecosystem, Mr Adams said Government had provided GH¢1 million to each Premier League club for the current season to support operations and player welfare.
He added that the league-winning prize money would be increased from GH¢500,000 to GH¢2 million from the 2025/2026 season, with all clubs from first to 15th position receiving financial rewards.
“This is a structural intervention. We cannot continue to lose our best talents simply because the domestic system cannot sustain them,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Minister cautioned that risks extended beyond athletes to fans, warning that fraudulent travel schemes could exploit supporters and expose them to financial losses and safety threats.
“Our greatest resource is our youth. Sports talent must not be exported through exploitation. It must be developed through systems, protected through policy and guided through credible pathways. Let us protect the dream. Let us protect the future,” he said.
GHBUSS
17 April 2026
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