France and Ghana Deepen Sports Ties as Ambassador Meets Sports Minister

Accra: The French Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Diarra Dimé-Labille, has met Ghana's Minister of Sports and Recreation, Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, to explore ways of strengthening the France-Ghana partnership in sport. Discussions focused on technical expertise and training, and on the modernisation of sports infrastructure.

Ghana looks to French expertise
The Minister welcomed France's longstanding support for sports development in Ghana and expressed interest in drawing on French expertise.

He singled out the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP) and the presence of Decathlon Ghana. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation to support athletes, sports professionals and young people.

Building on existing ties
The meeting builds on cooperation already under way. Officials of the French Embassy and INSEP have held discussions with the National Sports Authority on sports development, and INSEP is described as a French training institute and centre of excellence that trains elite athletes.

In 2024, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Ghana Football Association and the French Football Federation, funded by the French government and supported by the embassy, was running a coach education programme.

Under the Ghana Olympique Project, the Black Princesses (the national U20 female team) trained at France's Clairefontaine national training centre in February 2024.

France has also been publicly supportive of Ghanaian athletes. The French Embassy honoured Ghanaian athletes from the Paris Olympics, and its Head of Cooperation reaffirmed France's commitment to supporting sports development through partnerships.

The business dimension
Decathlon, the French sporting goods retailer, is the commercial face of the relationship. Decathlon Ghana and the Ghana Football Association renewed their partnership on 5 March 2025 at a ceremony in Accra.

When it opened as the biggest sports shop in West Africa, officials praised it as an investment that lifted Ghana-France relations, and Ghana's sports ministry noted that the country was short of sports equipment.

Why it matters
Ghana's athletes are talented, but the country still faces gaps in training standards, facilities and sports administration. French technical support, particularly in elite athlete development through INSEP and in the upgrading of stadia and training centres, could help address them.

The Ministry is also pursuing other partners: Serbia recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Minister Kofi Iddie Adams on youth and sports cooperation.

The real test will be turning this goodwill into concrete agreements, funded programmes and timelines. If that happens, athletes and young people stand to benefit most.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

References
Ghana FA, "Ambassador of France to Ghana visits GFA-French Football Federation Coaches Education Exchange program" (4 June 2024)

Sports World Ghana, French Embassy and NSA, Ghana Olympique project

Ghana FA, "FA and Decathlon Renew Partnership" (March 2025)

Graphic Online, "French Embassy honours Ghanaian athletes from Paris Olympics"

ModernGhana, "Decathlon Ghana opens biggest sports shop in West Africa"

Government of Serbia, MoU on youth and sports cooperation with Ghana