GNPC sponsorship for Black Stars won’t be cancelled – Sports Minister

Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah has poured cold water on talks of an impending cancellation of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation’s $3 million-a-year sponsorship of the senior national team, the Black Stars.

The GNPC’s deal for the senior national team which is almost in its final year since it was signed in 2013 has come under intense criticism in recent months with a leading member of government, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu describing its basis as misplaced.

Last week, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who is also the Majority Leader in Parliament granted an interview which suggested a final end to the contract following the Mines and Energy Committee’s agreement with the oil exploration outfit to drop the sponsorship allocation from its budget for the year 2017.

However, on Monday, the Sports Minister in an interaction with the press said: “I speak as the Minister for Youth and Sports… The GNPC deal will continue, the support for the national team will continue.”

Isaac Asiamah then noted that “this time, we are going to place greater emphasis on transparency and accountability in the use of our own oil money.

“We are going to ensure that we place much emphasis on transparency and accountability this time round. We will ensure that there is proper oversight by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

“So now the amount will be channeled through the Ministry of Youth and Sports. It is no longer going to go through the GFA,” he added.