BY GRACE ZIGAH
Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has revealed that the Ghana Premier League lost a potential investment exceeding $5 million annually after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) rejected a proposed sponsorship agreement with Guinness Ghana Limited.
Okraku disclosed the development when he appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, where he raised concerns about regulatory restrictions preventing alcoholic beverage companies from sponsoring sporting activities in the country.
According to the GFA president, Guinness Ghana had approached the association with plans to make a significant financial commitment towards the development and commercial growth of the Ghana Premier League.
He said the association held several meetings with the beverage company in an effort to finalise the proposed partnership. However, the negotiations failed after the FDA declined to approve the sponsorship arrangement.
“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 told the committee.
The revelation has brought renewed attention to the debate over the role of regulatory restrictions in attracting private-sector investment into Ghanaian sports, particularly football, which continues to depend on corporate partnerships to strengthen its financial position.
Okraku argued that the existing provision granting the FDA authority to approve or reject sponsorship agreements involving alcoholic beverage companies was limiting opportunities for sports organisations to secure substantial commercial backing.
He therefore called on Parliament to take steps to remove the provision, insisting that doing so would open up new opportunities for investment into football and other sporting disciplines.
“That provision that allows FDA to say yes or no to sponsorship still exists within our books. If there’s one thing that you can do to help sports and football, that would be for you to lead the charge to completely take out that provision,” he added.
The GFA president believes a review of the regulatory framework could help sports administrators attract more corporate sponsors and establish stronger financial foundations for domestic competitions.
