Universities Urged to Harness Sports as Tool for Alumni Fundraising and Institutional Pride

Universities must deliberately market their sports programmes to students and alumni if they hope to attract sustainable funding and corporate support, Dr. Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, Chairman of the Ghana Football Association Club Licensing Committee, has said, warning that institutions are leaving significant financial opportunities untapped.

Speaking at the maiden University of Ghana Sports Dialogue on Friday under the theme "Repositioning University Sports as a Driver of Institutional Excellence and National Development," Dr. Baah-Nuakoh identified the inability of universities to effectively sell sports to their own constituents as a major challenge undermining sports development on campuses.

"We have not sold university sports to our alumni. The reason why we are not getting funding is that somebody must want to buy into what you have. When sports become an integral part of a university's culture, they create pride and lifelong attachment," he said .

Dr. Baah-Nuakoh, who also chairs the Local Organising Committee for the African Deaf Games scheduled for January 2027 in Accra, pointed to successful universities around the world that have leveraged sports to build institutional pride long after students graduate. He urged university authorities to cultivate a sense of connection to sports from students' first year on campus, arguing that alumni with strong ties to their alma mater are far more likely to contribute to sports infrastructure, scholarships, and other development projects.

"It is not just about winning medals. It is about creating pride among students through sports. Once alumni are attracted back to campus, they will support not only sports but other aspects of university life," he added. He described sports as a strategic marketing and relationship-building tool capable of reconnecting universities with influential alumni now occupying leadership positions in business, politics, and other sectors.

Educational System Blamed for Stifling Athlete Development

Mr. Kojo Addae-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of Databank, called for a non-partisan review of Ghana's educational structure, arguing that the current system limits opportunities for young people to discover and nurture sporting talent. He noted that under the previous five-year secondary school system, students had more time to participate in various sporting disciplines and identify their strengths before facing major academic pressures. He urged policymakers to reassess educational policies to better integrate sports into the learning process, arguing that while funding challenges have long existed, the more fundamental issue is a system that constrains athletic development.

Sports as Human Capital Investment

Dr. Austin W. Luguterah, Director of Sports and Wellness at the University of Ghana, said university sports should be viewed beyond competitions and medals and recognised as an investment in human capital, innovation, and national development. He noted that sports played a vital role in promoting discipline, teamwork, resilience, and leadership among students while contributing to wellness and social inclusion. Achieving the full potential of university sports, he said, would require effective governance structures, sustainable partnerships, and innovative financing models.

Background: A Growing Push for Sports Investment

The dialogue comes amid wider efforts to reposition sports as a driver of development in Ghana. The African Deaf Games, which Dr. Baah-Nuakoh is helping to organise, will bring athletes from across the continent to Accra, with the Ghana Immigration Service having already donated 100 uniforms and 200 reflective jackets to support the event.

It also follows the University of Ghana's launch of the Legon Vice-Chancellor's Foundation, a strategic fundraising vehicle that channels contributions from alumni, philanthropists, corporate bodies, and international partners to drive the university's vision of becoming a "transformative, world-class university." Under the foundation, naming rights are offered for university projects, including sports facilities. Alumni demonstrated the potential of such giving in April 2025, when the University of Ghana Medical School Alumni Association presented seven ambulances to the medical school's stakeholders.

The dialogue concluded with a consensus among speakers that the measure of university sports should be widened beyond medals to include students' wellbeing, social mobility, and the integrity of academic life — a reorientation that, if embraced, could transform Ghana's campuses into both talent pipelines and fundraising engines.