The National Sports Authority (NSA) is preparing to launch a major nationwide recruitment exercise that could bring over 450 new workers into the agency, pending formal clearance from the Ministry of Finance.
Sports Minister Kofi Adams wrote to the Ministry of Finance on February 24, 2026, seeking clearance to regularise 17 staff hired without due process and to fill a broader personnel shortfall of more than 400 workers the authority requires across the country. Once that clearance arrives, vacancies will be formally advertised and the Public Services Commission (PSC) will oversee the hiring process to ensure appointments conform to public sector standards.
The staffing gaps span several critical departments. Technical field officers, including coaches, grassroots sports development officers, and researchers, remain in short supply. The authority’s estates, security, information technology, and marketing units are also described as severely understaffed, limiting the NSA’s capacity to deliver on its mandate under the Sports Act 934 of 2016, which designates it as Ghana’s apex body for sports development and the management of national sporting facilities.
The recruitment push follows a governance dispute that drew public attention after 17 individuals were hired into the NSA without the required clearances from the PSC and the Ministry of Finance, which are mandatory steps under Ghana’s public sector employment framework. Some of the roles filled reportedly did not exist within the NSA’s officially approved organisational structure.
In a formal statement dated February 25, 2026, Director General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah confirmed that the 17 affected officers would be required to reapply for their positions in accordance with established public service procedures, effectively nullifying their initial appointments.
The authority currently has approximately 121 staff at its headquarters alone, while grappling with an overall personnel shortfall estimated at over 400 nationwide. Questions also remain about how the 17 recruits were compensated in the absence of Finance Ministry clearance, with sources indicating they were paid allowances rather than through the Controller and Accountant General’s payroll.
One area the NSA has credited with improving internal performance during the staffing crisis is its Operations Unit, which has helped fast-track activities within the authority during a period when it operated without a governing board throughout much of 2025.
The current staffing shortfall is also rooted in earlier recruitment cycles. Of approximately 250 staff hired nationwide about three years ago, some abandoned their posts while others went on study leave, compounding the authority’s personnel challenges.
