Ghana Premier League lost $5m-a-Year Guinness Ghana sponsorship deal over FDA restrictions - Kurt Okraku

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) says the Ghana Premier League missed out on a potential investment of more than $5m annually after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) declined to approve a proposed sponsorship agreement with Guinness Ghana Limited. GFA president Kurt Okraku made the revelation when he appeared before Parliament's Select Committee on Youth and Sports on Wednesday, 4 November.

According to Okraku, Guinness Ghana had approached the association with plans to make a substantial financial investment in the country's top-flight competition. However, despite a series of meetings aimed at securing the partnership, the deal eventually fell through because of regulatory restrictions on alcohol sponsorship in sports.

"We were approached by Guinness Ghana Limited wanting to invest heavily in the Ghana Premier League. We did whatever we had to do.

We had a series of meetings. At the end, FDA said no.

The deal was, if I'm not mistaken, over $5 million a year. We lost it," Okraku told the committee.

The proposed agreement could have provided a major financial boost to the domestic league, where clubs continue to face challenges with funding, commercial partnerships and long-term financial sustainability. Okraku believes the restrictions are limiting the ability of Ghanaian football to attract private-sector investment at a time when the sport needs stronger financial backing.

He therefore called on Parliament to review the existing provision that gives the FDA the authority to approve or reject sponsorship arrangements involving alcoholic beverage companies. "That provision that allows FDA to say yes or no to sponsorship still exists within our books.

If there's one thing that you can do to help sports and football, that would be for you to lead the charge to completely take out that provision," he added. His appeal places the relationship between public health regulation and sports financing at the centre of a wider debate about the commercial future of Ghanaian football.

While the GFA president argues that removing the restriction could open the door to more corporate sponsorship, the FDA's regulatory responsibilities also involve considerations around alcohol promotion and public health. The proposed Guinness deal would have been a significant commercial opportunity for the Premier League, potentially providing additional resources for competition organisation, club development and the wider football ecosystem.