Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would have been ecstatic to see an incredible two-minute video during the iconic Super Bowl last night that showcased the opportunities for collaboration with the NFL (American football), which he had discussed in his policy address the previous week.
Following his successful engagement with the NFL for a historic African NFL camp in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia announced at the sports section his vision for Ghana under his presidency that, as President, he will make Ghana an African hub for alien sports by collaborating with international bodies for such sports.
“My government will also seek school-level collaboration with international sports bodies like the NBA and NFL to make Ghana a hub for these emerging sports in Africa, to create more opportunities for young people,” said Dr. Bawumia.
“After I engaged with the NFL, the governing body of American football, we have already tried this with them. They have agreed to host the first-ever NFL Flag Football in Africa in Ghana in 2022. This made it possible for ten young Ghanaians to be chosen to represent Africa in an international NFL tournament held in the United States last year.
A second group of young Ghanaians, selected from the 2nd NFL Africa Football, which was held in Ghana last year, are currently representing Africa in the United States,” Dr. Bawumia continued.
Dr. Bawumia mentioned that the NFL did show a compelling video documentary of the pathway program they held in Ghana during the 2024 Super Bowl last night.
The young Ghanaian man, dressed in the country’s recognizable public basic school uniform, dreamed of participating in the American sport until Osi gave him a ball and demonstrated a legitimate route to the game—the NFL’s African Camp in Ghana, which Dr. Bawumia mentioned in his speech.
Two-time Super Bowl champion Osi was a member of the influential NFL delegation, which also included the league’s vice president, and had initial talks with Dr. Bawumia in April 2022 before the historic African camp that same year.
As Osi told the Ghanaian child, “Every child is born to play,” the documentary was essentially giving hope to African children that they can play American football no matter where they are born.
It would have greatly aided Dr. Bawumia’s goal of turning Ghana into an African center for developing sports by working with international sports organizations like the NFL, “to create more opportunities for young Ghanaians,” and it also supports what he stated during his speech.
Following its meeting with Dr. Bawumia in Accra in April 2022—during which Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah, a star in the Ghanaian NFL, was also present—the NFL tweeted about Dr. Bawumia’s desire to collaborate with the NFL to foster talent in Ghana and Africa.
