Labram Musah
The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development Ghana (VAST Ghana) has rejected calls by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to lift restrictions on alcohol sponsorships and promotions in sports, arguing that the move could expose children to alcohol marketing.
The civil society organisation, in a press statement dated November 7, 2026, said public health safeguards should not be weakened to create commercial opportunities for football, particularly where children could be exposed to alcohol advertising.
The statement follows renewed calls by GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku on November 4 for the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to reconsider restrictions on alcohol sponsorships in sporting activities.
According to media reports cited by VAST Ghana, the GFA has pointed to the loss of a proposed sponsorship agreement with Guinness Ghana, reportedly valued at more than US$5 million annually.
VAST Ghana acknowledged the financial challenges facing sports development but maintained that securing funding should not come at the expense of children’s health and protection.
It argued that the FDA restrictions do not constitute a ban on alcohol sales or the right of alcohol manufacturers to operate in Ghana, but rather regulate how alcoholic beverages are advertised and promoted.
The organisation cited the FDA Guidelines for Advertisement of Regulated Products, issued under Section 148 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).
It specifically referred to Guidelines 3.11.9(c), 3.11.10 and 3.12.1, which restrict advertisements associating alcoholic beverages with sporting activities, prohibit their association with certain recreational and physical activities, and prohibit advertising that appeals directly or indirectly to persons under 18.
VAST Ghana also argued that sponsorship arrangements involving football should be considered a form of advertising rather than philanthropy, as they provide companies with opportunities to promote their brands through players’ jerseys, stadium advertising boards and television broadcasts.
On the relationship between the FDA restrictions and the Ghana Sports Fund Act, 2025 (Act 1159), the organisation said the latter does not expressly repeal, amend or suspend the FDA’s authority under the Public Health Act.
It noted that Section 3(j) of the Sports Fund Act identifies 10 per cent of the total cost of beverage advertisements as one of the sources of funding for the Sports Fund.
However, VAST Ghana said the provision does not define the categories of beverages covered and should not be interpreted as automatically authorising alcohol advertising or sponsorship in sports.
The organisation further cited a June 19, 2024 Supreme Court ruling, in which a five-member majority dismissed a challenge to FDA restrictions on celebrities and other well-known personalities endorsing alcoholic beverages.
It said the court upheld the FDA’s regulatory guidelines, finding that they were not unreasonably excessive and did not contravene the 1992 Constitution.
VAST Ghana also raised concerns about alcohol consumption among young people, citing findings from the 2023 Ghana WHO STEPwise approach to Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factor Surveillance (STEPS), which reported that 12.6 per cent of adolescents aged 11 to 19 were current alcohol consumers.
It also referenced the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, which found that 11.5 per cent of boys aged 15 to 19 had consumed alcohol in the month preceding the survey.
The organisation said the figures reinforced the need for preventive measures to limit children’s exposure to alcohol marketing.
It further cited Ghana’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, as well as Article 28 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides for special protection of children and young persons against physical and moral hazards.
While acknowledging the need for sustainable financing for football, VAST Ghana said the Ghana Sports Fund Act already provides for several alternative revenue sources, including parliamentary allocations, sports lotteries, sports betting fees and charges, gate proceeds, athlete transfers, sponsorships, grants, donations and investments.
It urged the government and sports administrators to strengthen these funding mechanisms and attract sponsorship from sectors that do not pose comparable public health risks.
The organisation also pointed to the Ministry of Finance’s Annual Tax Revenue Performance Report for 2025, which recorded domestic excise revenue of GH¢1.56 billion, including revenue from alcohol excise taxes.
VAST Ghana’s Executive Director, Labram Musah, proposed that a portion of alcohol excise tax revenue could be channelled into sports financing instead of allowing alcohol brands to advertise through sporting activities.
“If the Association needs revenue, we will walk with them to the Ministry of Finance and argue for a share of excise tax revenue. Let the product pay for the game without putting its name on our screens, children’s shirts etc. That offer is still open, and it is now worth more than the deal they lost,” he said.
VAST Ghana said it remained willing to work with the GFA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the Ministry of Health, the FDA and other stakeholders to develop a sponsorship framework that supports sports financing while protecting children from alcohol marketing.
It called on Parliament, government agencies, sports federations, civil society organisations, traditional leaders and the media to uphold existing safeguards against alcohol-related harm.
