Mr. Kofi Iddie Adams, Minister for Sports and Recreation, has called on the government of Türkiye to broaden scholarship opportunities for Ghanaians pursuing sports-related programmes.
The appeal was made during his working visit to Ankara, where he met with leaders of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
Since 2011, the Turkish Scholarship programme has benefited over 45,000 students worldwide, with 628 applications from Ghana in 2025 alone. Mr. Iddie Adams emphasized that expanding scholarships in areas such as sports science, sports management, and recreation studies would support Ghana’s growing sports ecosystem.
“Under President John Dramani Mahama, the government is prioritising the revival of school sports. Training opportunities in Türkiye will be key to advancing this vision,” the Minister said.
He further identified priority areas for collaboration, including sports management, sports medicine, community park development, sports academies, and capacity-building programmes.
The Minister expressed gratitude to YTB and the agency for their continued contribution to Ghana’s human resource development. He highlighted the long-standing Ghana–Türkiye relationship since 1958, which has been strengthened through purposeful partnerships.
In response, Mr. Abdulhadi Turus, President of YTB, confirmed that scholarship slots could be expanded to cover more sports-related programmes. He noted that placements could be aligned with the development priorities of partner countries and complemented by Turkish language and postgraduate training.
Mr. Abdullah Eren, President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to youth and sports programmes. He welcomed the Sports Minister’s proposals and invited a formal submission of priority areas for technical and financial cooperation.
The meeting concluded with both sides pledging to deepen educational and cultural cooperation while aligning future scholarship programmes with Ghana’s national development priorities.
