GOC boss calls for transparency in YEA package to national athletes

President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Mr Ben Nunoo Mensah, has called on National Federations (NF) to be transparent and show integrity in choosing those who would qualify for the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) package.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the YEA financial support to the athletes was signed on Wednesday July 8 by the YEA and the National Sports Authority (NSA), the ministry’s implementing agency.

The GOC president said his outfit would be taking a back stage so that the NFs can deal directly with the YEA/NSA.

He suggested that each federation head should write to the Director General, NSA, submitting a list of the selected national team athletes, and warned that “these athletes must not be employed in any state agency or institution.”

“It must capture all elite and needy national team athletes from the federations who must write on their letterhead and signed by President of the Federation, copied to the President of the GOC. For disabled sports, a copy must be given to the President of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC),” he said.

He appealed to federation heads to help in making the initiative successful, so that it can be increased in January 2021.

Thousand Ghanaian athletes including 16 premier league female footballers are expected to benefit from the package.

Meanwhile, many national athletes have hailed the initiative and thanked the government, Ministry of Youth and Sports, YEA, GOC and the NSA.