Parliament passes Sports Development Fund Bill

Parliament has approved the Sports Development Fund Bill, paving the way for a structured and sustainable approach to financing sports development nationwide.

The Bill was passed on Thursday, December 18, 2025, after prolonged engagement, technical assessments and cross-party discussions in the House.

The legislation, presented by the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has been under consideration for several years. Before its passage, it was subjected to multiple layers of review involving Cabinet, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Attorney-General, the Parliamentary Legal Committee and other key institutions.

Central to the Bill is the establishment of a legally mandated Sports Development Fund aimed at addressing persistent funding shortfalls within the sports sector. The Fund is expected to provide financial support for athlete welfare, grassroots sports initiatives, talent discovery programmes and the expansion and maintenance of sports infrastructure across the country.

The proposed funding model prioritises results, prudent financial management and long-term sustainability, seeking to improve how resources are planned and deployed in the sports sector. When fully operational, the Fund is projected to generate significant annual resources through statutory allocations, parliamentary support, donations and other authorised income streams.

Oversight of the Fund will be carried out by an independent governing board, with built-in accountability and transparency measures guiding its operations. The framework is also designed to complement the upcoming National Sports Policy, ensuring alignment between funding mechanisms and national sports development objectives.

Deliberations in Parliament demonstrated broad bipartisan backing for reforms to sports financing, with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle contributing to the Bill’s final shape.