After two months of waiting and repeatedly calling for the payment of their allowances following the conclusion of the 2024 Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) Games on January 18, 2025, at the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana (UG) Sports and Wellness Directorate has finally responded. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, funds were disbursed to the bank accounts of University of Ghana (UG) athletes.
This should have been a moment of joy for the UG athletes who participated in the 28th edition of the GUSA Games. However, it turned out to be a bitter disappointment. They woke up on Tuesday morning to see what they described as a “despicable” amount of GHS 300 deposited into their accounts—an amount that has sparked outrage among the team.
“I have not received it [the allowance], and I don’t even want to receive it,” an angry athlete told me.
UG secured a total of 42 medals, placing second in the recent GUSA Games—its best performance in over 18 years, after consistently finishing fourth or fifth in recent editions. The athletes believed that this achievement should have warranted a more substantial allowance as recognition for their efforts.
“The money is not good for me at all. I was very pissed when I saw it. Even other schools that didn’t perform well received encouraging amounts. But GHS 300? It isn’t good at all,” one athlete lamented.
“I think this year’s GUSA Games really made UG proud. For 18 years, UG hadn’t reached the top, but we managed to secure second place overall and first in athletics. These are significant achievements, and with that alone, our allowance should have been higher,” another athlete added.
Athletes also expressed frustration over the sacrifices they made for the tournament, including consistent training, sleepless nights, and time away from their studies. During the Christmas season, while their peers were enjoying the festivities at home, UG athletes remained in camp, preparing for the competition. Additionally, they missed lectures, classes, and tutorials because they were on duty for the GUSA Games.
“Honestly, this whole situation is just disappointing. We sacrificed so much for the 2024 GUSA Games at UCC. We literally gave our all. We had to camp for weeks, train tirelessly, and even spend Christmas and New Year in school instead of being with our families. And after all that effort and struggle, we expected something reasonable—at least GHS 1,000 or more as an allowance. But guess what? They gave us only GHS 300.
GHS 300? After everything we went through? It honestly feels like our hard work and sacrifices don’t matter. We put in so much effort to represent our school and bring them pride, yet this is how we’re being treated? It’s really frustrating because this isn’t just about the money; it’s about the principle. It’s about valuing the athletes who put their bodies on the line for their institutions,” one athlete told me.
Another athlete added, “It’s very difficult. You spend your time, even missing Christmas with family, staying on campus training, and after the tournament, you come back to just GHS 300 as an allowance.”
Comparison with KNUST and Other Universities
During my interactions with the athletes, one name kept coming up: KNUST. The athletes claimed that their fierce rival, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which finished third in the tournament, received GHS 1,000 per athlete from their authorities.
“I can confirm to you that each KNUST athlete was paid GHS 1,000 as an allowance,” said KNUST Head Coach Emmanuel Abban.
Through my research on three other universities that participated in the 2024 GUSA Games, I discovered that aside from KNUST and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) that paid their athletes significantly higher amounts, the University of Media Arts and Communication – Institute of Journalism (UNIMAC-IJ) also disbursed GHS 300 to its athletes. Meanwhile, the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), provided a total of GHS 830 per athlete.
Christopher Arthur, a UEW athlete, explained how their management disbursed the funds:
“We were given GHS 270 the day before we left for the Games at UCC, and immediately after the competition ended, they added the remaining GHS 560. There was no delay at all,” he said.
Lack of Official Communication?
But why were UG athletes so furious after finally receiving their allowances? Weren’t they aware from the start that they would receive GHS 300?
“There was no official communication regarding the amount we were going to receive. We were just in the dark, hoping for a reasonable allowance, only to be surprised with GHS 300. If there had been prior communication, we wouldn’t have been so shocked and disappointed,” UG handball player Sandra Bansa told me.
However, according to the General Secretary of the University of Ghana Student Sports Council, Oyeyoni Oyewale-Johnson, most of the athletes were aware that they would receive GHS 300.
“Majority of them were aware, especially the captains,” he claimed.
Management’s Response
Reacting to the backlash, the General Secretary described the athletes’ response to the GHS 300 allowance as “ungrateful” and “disrespectful.”
“Their reaction was ungrateful and disrespectful to management. They were told they would receive something, and they have received it. Why can’t they appreciate what they got instead of comparing it to others? Besides, this is just an allowance. They are yet to receive transportation refunds, winning bonuses, and even record-breaking bonuses. So, I find their complaints unnecessary,” he stated.
Speaking to the Head Coach of Team UG, Mary Yahaya, she clarified that the GHS 300 was an amount approved by GUSA for all participating schools, meaning UG could not independently change it.
“We have a set of approved expenses that GUSA has outlined for all students participating in the competition. The amount given to them was based on GUSA-approved fees. UG alone cannot change the figure. The incentives we provide are what GUSA has sanctioned. It doesn’t matter how long they stayed in camp; we cannot exceed the amount GUSA has approved,” she explained.
On the issue of KNUST athletes receiving GHS 1,000 while UG athletes received GHS 300, the head coach stated that she was unaware of any variations and insisted that GUSA had approved a uniform amount for all institutions.
“I’m not aware of that, and as far as I know, GUSA did not approve different figures for individual institutions. We all pay the same dues, so the same amount has been allocated for competition incentives and allowances. If other institutions are providing more than the approved rate, that is up to them. As for UG, we are following GUSA’s approved rates,” she said.
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Story by: Gabriel Tecco Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
