Former Vice-President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has extended a lifeline to former Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder, Aminu Alhassan, who was left destitute after a devastating fire swept through a slum settlement in Tema earlier this year.
Through the support of the Ghana Retired Footballers Welfare Association (GRFWA), Dr Bawumia has secured a one-bedroom apartment for the former footballer at Tema Community Seven, fully paid for the next two years.
In June 2025, a fierce blaze ripped through the Tema light industrial area, leaving hundreds homeless and destroying livelihoods. Among those who lost everything was Alhassan, once a promising midfielder who featured for Hearts of Oak, Great Olympics, Amidaus Professionals and Ghana’s national under-17 side, the Black Starlets. The inferno wiped out his life savings and reduced him to dire living conditions.
When the media visited him weeks after the tragedy, Alhassan was found sleeping on a bare floor in a makeshift wooden structure, stripped of even the most basic amenities. He confessed that the ordeal had shattered his spirit and derailed his efforts to revive his faltering football career.
“My life has been unbearable since the fire. I lost everything, and it has crippled my efforts to return to football. All I pray for is support to rebuild and continue my career,” he told journalists at the time.
Alhassan’s plea struck a chord with Dr Bawumia, who moved swiftly to intervene. At a brief ceremony to hand over the keys to the new apartment, GRFWA President and Chief Executive of One God Forever, Mohamed Elias Pele, revealed that further plans were underway to provide Alhassan with start-up capital to establish a sustainable source of income.
An emotional Alhassan expressed heartfelt gratitude to Dr Bawumia, Mohamed Elias and the association, noting that the intervention had restored his dignity and rekindled his hopes of returning to professional football.
“I am truly grateful for this support. It has given me renewed strength and the opportunity to get back on my feet. This is a stepping stone towards relaunching my career,” he said.
The gesture has drawn widespread commendation as a mark of compassion and a reminder of the challenges faced by many of Ghana’s former footballers, who often struggle to make ends meet after their playing days.
