The National Sports Authority (NSA) and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) have renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at transforming Ghana’s sports landscape through professional collaboration in sports medicine, research, and facility usage.
The renewed agreement will see UHAS train professional sports experts at the highest level for the NSA, while students of the university’s School of Sports and Exercise Medicine gain access to NSA facilities for practical and vocational training.
The Director-General of the NSA, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, at the signing of the MoU last Thursday described the partnership as historic and timely.
“This is quite historic. We’re all very excited, we’re all very happy about this renewal of partnership. Where we are now in sports, research, science, sports medicine, it’s about the collaborations and partnerships, and the NSA is perfectly placed to support and also learn from UHAS in the current sports evolution,” he stated.
Mr. Ampofo Ankrah noted that the collaboration, which began about four years ago, has now reached its highest point and would continue to grow.
“This will no doubt enhance sports at all levels. We look to your guidance, your expertise, your direction as well, and we’ll play our role in bringing our expertise to bear. It’s a fine collaboration which I believe would go a long way in transforming the sports landscape in Ghana,” he added.
Professor Nii Korle Kortei, Dean of the School of Sports and Exercise Medicine at UHAS, outlined the key components of the new agreement.
“The first being the fact that our students will be able to use NSA facilities for their training, both for their vocational training as well as inter-semester training. The second is the licensure of both the certificate programme running as well as the graduates of the BSc programme who would be able to undergo licensure and then work as professionals,” he explained.
He also revealed plans to regulate fitness gyms across the nation, citing a recent tragic incident where Ghana lost a vice president due to improper handling of assault.
“We are proposing that there shall be a fitness and gym regulation with our collaboration through the regulation empowered by the LI (Legislative Instrument),” Prof. Kortei stated.
The Vice Chancellor of UHAS, Professor Lydia Aziator, emphasised the university’s readiness to support the initiative through professional development courses.
“We are ready to run courses that people can use to renew licenses,” she said, adding that the MOU also covers periodic collaboration for training supervisors and organising refresher courses for NSA staff across the country.
She clarified that the MOU is not a binding document on licensing but rather a framework for further discussions on regulatory structures.
“For the records, I am a nurse, and we know that regulatory bodies for nurses, doctors, pharmacists — we write exams and they give us licenses. So this discussion has to be done again to see where the university would position itself if this will happen and how we can help the process,” Prof. Aziator noted.
She explained that the Sports and Exercise Medicine programme trains health professionals who can handle preventive, curative, and rehabilitative aspects of sports care.
“Somebody will ask me, are you training PE teachers? I say, oh no. Our programme is training health professionals who can take care of people within a sports space,” she clarified.
The MOU also includes provisions for UHAS to pay a minimum fee, mutually agreed by both parties, for using certain NSA facilities when the need arises.
“We are saying that you have now with us who will do the professional development courses that would qualify them for you to do the license,” Prof. Aziator added, highlighting the potential for revenue generation through the partnership.
Both institutions expressed commitment to taking the conversation beyond the boardroom and ensuring the collaboration yields tangible results for Ghana’s sports development.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both institutions. Present from the NSA were Deputy Director-General (Administration) Mr. Gideon Hammond; Head of Human Resource, Mr. Ignatius Elletey; and Head of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Hubert Leo-Mensah. The NSA’s Chief Accountant also attended and noted that the partnership would be crucial in expediting action on the operationalisation of licensing for gyms and other sports facilities.
The UHAS delegation included Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lydia Aziator; Dean of the School of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Prof. Nii Korle Kortei; Dr. Joy Akameze, Lecturer; and Dr. Frank Appiah Kusi, Lecturer.
The renewed partnership is expected to position Ghana as a leader in sports medicine and exercise science in the West African sub-region.
