Sports can cushion Ghana against AI-driven job losses – Kofi Adams

Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, has advocated for Ghana's sports sector to become a crucial source of employment and economic growth, especially in the face of artificial intelligence reshaping traditional industries. Addressing a stakeholder consultation on the Ghana Sports Fund Regulations, the Minister emphasized the need to view sports not just as a platform for competition, but as an economic sector that can generate jobs, attract investment, and provide livelihoods.

He highlighted the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, which are causing significant disruptions, potentially displacing jobs and altering employment structures. To harness the economic potential of sports, Adams stressed the necessity of strategic investment and a coordinated approach to funding the sector. He identified resource pooling and collaboration among institutions as major hurdles to sports development in Ghana and called for the engagement of various stakeholders, including the Ministries of Finance and the Interior, tourism, financial institutions, mining companies, and private businesses.

Adams proposed that the Ghana Sports Fund should serve as a platform for mobilizing both public and private resources, echoing South Africa's lottery-based sports financing model. The consultation aims to create a regulatory framework for the fund and guide resource mobilization and investment, positioning sports financing within the broader national strategy for economic resilience and employment creation.