With $30 million to raise and a nation watching, the Finance Ministry is betting that corporate Ghana will back the Black Stars — one Thursday at a time.
The Government of Ghana has moved to place the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup fundraising effort on a formal, accountable footing — routing all contributions through an official account at the Bank of Ghana and designating every Thursday as a day for receiving pledges and updating the public.
The framework was outlined at a ceremony at the Ministry of Finance in Accra, where Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem made clear that the centralised arrangement was designed to leave no room for doubt about how the money is being spent.
“We are grateful to all of you for your love for the Black Stars,” he told donors gathered at the event. “Even though the first two friendly matches did not go well, we remain optimistic that the team will make us proud at the World Cup.”
Every cedi pledged, he stressed, would be directed exclusively toward preparing the Black Stars for the tournament — with the Bank of Ghana account serving as the mechanism for ensuring that promise is kept.
Thursday’s ceremony drew a notable turnout from the private sector, with KGL Group leading the field. The conglomerate presented GHC5 million — the first instalment of a GHC10 million commitment — setting the tone for what the government hopes will become a sustained wave of corporate backing.
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Serene Insurance contributed GHC2 million in cash, supplemented by a GHC20 million insurance package for the national team. Icon Energy and Jewel Energy each donated GHC1 million, while Erata Motors came in at GHC200,000 and digital payments platform PayAngel at GHC100,000. Businessman Alex Okyere of KAF Company Limited made a personal contribution of GHC240,000.
Mr. Ampem commended the donors for what he described as a demonstration of patriotism, and used the occasion to call on more corporate bodies and private individuals to come forward.
“Every Thursday, we will meet here to receive contributions, giving those who are yet to fulfil their pledges the opportunity to do so,” he said.
The fundraising drive was launched last month by President John Dramani Mahama with an ambitious target of $30 million — a sum the government considers necessary to mount a credible World Cup campaign.
Ghana qualified for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and preparations are already under scrutiny from a public with high expectations and a long memory of past disappointments.
The weekly Thursday sessions are intended to sustain momentum beyond the initial burst of enthusiasm that typically accompanies a new initiative.
Whether corporate Ghana maintains its appetite for giving as the months wear on remains to be seen — but for now, the government appears determined to make the process as visible, and as verifiable, as possible.