Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has firmly opposed calls to suspend inter-school sporting competitions in Ghana following a series of violent incidents at regional events, insisting that enhanced security measures, not a blanket ban, is the right response.
The minister’s position follows widely reported clashes that disrupted inter-schools competitions across multiple regions. A student from Koforidua Secondary Technical School suffered injuries during an Eastern Region event, while separate incidents of violence were recorded in the Ashanti and Central regions, triggering public debate about the future of inter-school sports in the country.
Speaking in an interview, Adams said he condemned the conduct but cautioned against overreacting with a suspension. “I totally condemn it, but truthfully speaking, it is not alien to our sporting ecosystem,” he said. “What we need to do is to beef up security systems. We need to develop systems that will discourage that from happening.”
He argued that shutting down the competitions would harm young athletes at a critical stage of their development. “If you ban it, you are denying that young athlete with the talent and opportunity to develop,” Adams said, adding that tighter crowd controls, reduced spectator access, and mandatory teacher supervision of students were more practical solutions.
The minister praised what he described as a swift response from the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Education, and the security sector, saying he was impressed by how quickly they moved to address the situation.
The incidents have prompted calls for the GES to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. The ministry has not announced a formal timeline for any new security framework governing inter-school events.
