The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC’s) contract with the Ghana Football Association is set to be cancelled following the former’s decision to omit the cost from its budget for the year 2017.
The GNPC has been the headline sponsor of the Ghana national team, the Black Stars with a $3million annual package.
Chief Executive of GNPC at the time, Nana Boakye Asafu-Adjaye described the Black Stars as a “perfect fit for projecting” GNPC’s brand “on the global stage” but the rational received massive after four years into the deal.
Following a change in government, Ghana’s new Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu led a charge against the exercise by the GNPC, tagging it as misplaced.
Now in its bid to have its budget for the year approved, the GNPC has accepted a directive by Parliament’s select-committee on Mines and Energy to discontinue sponsoring the Black Stars.
“A Committee of Parliament – Mines and Energy met with the GNPC over their annual budgetary allocation and the committee pointed out to them that their sponsorship of the Black Stars and its supporters was not worthwhile.
“They asked them to focus on their core duties of oil exploration. One-third of the country’s oil revenue is what is given to GNPC. Last year, they received over $230 million.
“The GNPC has factored it in its budget and omitted the sponsorship allocation,” Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and a member of the Committee on Mines and Energy, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu explained to Nhyira FM.
The GNPC’s contract with the Ghana FA as headline sponsor of the Black Stars was in its final year. A huge chunk of the sponsorship cash was used to pay up salaries and expenses on coach of the Black Stars and this, the Minister says “the Ghana FA can make a case to government whenever the need be.”
