Boxing IMC gets mandate extension: Elections roadmap firmed up
Ghana’s troubled boxing scene has been given a decisive push towards stability after the National Sports Authority (NSA), backed by the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, granted the Ghana Boxing Interim Management Committee (GBIMC) a vital extension to finish the job it was brought in to do.
The committee will now remain in place for three more months to complete key reforms, followed by a clearly defined elections window from May to June, finally putting dates and direction to a transition long demanded by the boxing fraternity.
The move follows mounting pressure from stakeholders who had grown restless over the absence of a clear roadmap to elect new leaders for the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).
In a letter dated February 4, 2026, the NSA Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, confirmed that, following extensive deliberations on the committee’s operational deliverables and work schedule, approval had been granted for a phased extension covering Stated Reforms (February–April 2026) and an Elections Calendar (May–June 2026).
The NSA commended the committee for the progress made so far and urged it to sustain close collaboration with all stakeholders to safeguard the future of professional boxing in the country.
“The extension is intended to enable the GBIMC to finalise outstanding governance reforms, complete constitutional reviews, strengthen regulatory oversight and oversee transparent elections for the GBA,” the letter explained.
It added that the extension would also provide space to consolidate recent gains in athlete welfare, including the rollout of insurance and medical schemes, alongside the introduction of digital systems designed to enhance accountability and transparency across the sport.
Pressure for clarity
The extension comes against the backdrop of pressure and an ultimatum from the Committee for Professional Boxing Stakeholders (CPBS), an umbrella body representing major interest groups in Ghanaian boxing, which had demanded that the GBIMC publicly outline plans for an elective congress by January 23, 2026.
While the group later acknowledged the IMC’s role in restoring medical and safety standards — reforms that paved the way for the lifting of the suspension on professional boxing in early November — it remained uneasy about the absence of concrete information on elections as the committee’s January 29 mandate deadline approached.
The CPBS leadership was unavailable for comment on the mandate extension. However, Daily Graphic sources indicate that the delay in the handover and fresh elections has been shaped by deep-seated administrative and financial challenges.
These include the looming threat of eviction from GBA offices within the Bukom Boxing Arena complex due to accumulated debts, as well as wider administrative lapses that have left the GBA improperly registered with both the National Sports Authority and the Registrar-General’s Department.
Clean-up mission
The GBIMC, chaired by veteran promoter and administrator Samir Captan, with boxing icon Azumah Nelson as vice-chairman, was inaugurated by Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Iddie Adams, on September 29 last year.
Its mandate was to cleanse the sport through urgent medical and safety reforms, restore confidence in governance, and steer the GBA towards credible elections.
The committee’s appointment followed one of the darkest chapters in the sport’s history. The NSA dissolved the GBA board and imposed a blanket suspension on professional boxing on September 26 after the death of boxer Ernest “Bahubali” Akushey, who died less than two weeks after suffering a stoppage defeat to Jacob Dickson at the Bukom Boxing Arena.
Akushey’s death came just months after Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olarenwaju collapsed in the ring and later died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in March 2025 —two tragic fatalities within six months that forced authorities to act.
Professional boxing officially resumed after the NSA announced the return of sanctioned bouts effective November 6, 2025, following consultations with the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the IMC leading the sport’s normalisation process.
