Africa

Kofi Adams Urges Africa to take charge of its Football Economy at 2025 African Football Summit

By Emmanuel Austin Baah
1

The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Iddie Adams, has made a strong policy call for the economic transformation of African football at the African Football Business Summit (AFBS25), held in Mombasa, Kenya, on 23rd and 24th October 2025

Organised by Football Foundation Africa, the Summit convened influential stakeholders including federation presidents, sports ministers, investors, club executives, broadcasters, and marketing experts from across the continent.

In his keynote address, Adams outlined Ghana’s recent football reforms including the launch of a government-backed broadcast partnership, a GHS 1 million capital support package to each Ghana Premier League club, and the introduction of a restructured prize system where Ghana premier league clubs earn end-of-season rewards, with the 2025/26 champion set to receive GHS 2 million – a fourfold increase from the previous allocation.

The Minister urged African federations to institutionalise national football business conversation, incentivise private-sector partnerships through tax reliefs and infrastructure assurance, and expand youth academies into viable talent and employment centres.

He also advocated for the commercialisation of local football data, digital storytelling, and merchandising to position grassroots development as both a sport and economic strategy.

“Africa must stop exporting raw talent and start exporting finished football products, with value chains built on the continent.

From Accra to Algiers, Nairobi to Lagos – the future is African. But the market will only respond if we organise, invest, and execute,” Adams stated.

The Minister’s address sparked high-level engagements with continental stakeholders, including:

    • Brian Wesaala, CEO of Football Foundation Africa and Convener of AFBS25,
    • Nick Mwendwa, President of the Football Kenya Federation,
    • Urs Lehmann, CEO of Infront Sports,
    • Marlon Glean, President of the Grenada Football Association,
    • Majidane M’Djih, CEO of MRW Sport Capital, among others.

In closing, Adams reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to a new football economy that prioritises transparency, grassroots excellence, local value retention and continental collaboration.

 

Author

  • My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

    I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

    Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

    Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

    I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

    For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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Emmanuel Austin Baah 1201 posts 1 comments

My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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