A Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture and Member of Parliament for South Tongu Constituency, Kobena Mensah Woyome claims the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will support sports federations with $50,000 for Olympic Games.

This, he says, is a conscious effort from the NDC, to improve Ghana's performance at the international level.

The largest opposition party earlier this year announced each player registered in the Ghana Premier League will be paid GH₵ 1,500.00.

This move by the NDC generated controversy as many claim the government will be funding private companies. However, the National Patriotic Party (NPP) supported clubs in the premier league GH₵ 1,800,000 with barely three days to the 2020 general elections.

And, the next "NDC under John Mahama presidency will support all federations and associations with funds to go through their Tokyo Olympic games qualifiers," Kobby Mensah Woyome said.

He added that "... football is the number one sporting discipline in Ghana and the passion of the nation will receive its fair share of Government support."

Honourable Woyome broke down the amount to be distributed as follows: "The next NDC government under JDM will from January 2021 support all federations and associations going to the Tokyo Olympic qualifier with an amount of $50,000 for athletics, $30,000 for boxing, and $20,000 for other federations and associations for their Olympic qualifiers. Other federations and associations who are not part of the Olympic qualifiers but have their international championships next year will be given $10,000.00 for such championships."

Prior the 2016 elections, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, who was Minister of Youth and Sports, promised equal funding for all disciplines. Woyome claims "the NDC does not and will not discriminate against any sporting discipline be it football, athletics, boxing, volleyball or basketball and every national team will receive its fair share of NDC government financial support," he stated.

The NPP in 2018 supported Asante Kotoko's participation with $150,000. Isaac Asiamah, Sports Minister in an interview with Adom TV recently revealed money has been made available to support the clubs this year, too.

Mr Woyome promised "clubs on continental assignment will be given $50,000 for preparations.

"It is the responsibility of the government to prepare national teams to go and represent the nation at all international championships and games.

"The next NDC government under JM will not renege on its responsibility to fund the national teams representing the state including football.

"The next NDC government is committed in developing sports holistically through the creation of SPORTS FUND in its 2020 people manifesto. Under the next NDC government, JM is determined to move sports and sports men and women to a new level and to appreciate their effort by representing the country at such championships and games.

"The para sports and para athletes will also be catered for in this package. We will work closely with the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) to appropriately fund the para athletes going to their Olympic qualifiers and actually participate in the games in Tokyo.

"Para national teams have for past years been winning medals for Ghana, so the NDC government will make sure that they will continue to win more medals for Ghana by funding their national teams and individual athletes going through their qualifiers," he stated.