Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Sport: An Analysis of Policy Implementation in Ghana

Results

The findings show the complexity of the policy implementation nexus concerning sport and the SDGs in Ghana. They are presented in five articles that address various aspects of the main research questions. The findings of Articles 1 and 2 concern the translation of the SDGs into national sport policy guidelines. Articles 3, 4, and 5 focus on the implementation of healthy living, girls’ and women’s participation in community sport, and sport inclusion policies for persons with disabilities within Ghanaian communities, respectively.

Article 1 presents the historical overview of the institutionalisation of sport in Ghana and examines the political, economic, and socio-cultural implications of sport for nation-building and development. Sport as a tool for sustainable development was only incorporated into national policy agendas following the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and SDGs recommendations at the beginning of the millennium. Football dominance and contemporary issues such as migration, gender equality, and disability are also discussed in terms of their impact on sport policy. The article shows how the government’s involvement in sport focuses on sport-for-sport’s-sake rather than sport for development and peace (SDP).

Article 2 is a comparative analysis of the distinctive features of government-led policy implementation using sport as a tool for development in Ghana and Zambia. It also discusses the global policy impetus for SDP and how it has been adopted in several countries around the globe. The article shows how the SDGs have been incorporated into policy agendas in Ghana and Zambia. Interviews with state officials and SDP organisation officials and textual analysis of national policy documents show substantial similarities in the challenges that SDP actors (state and non-state) face, as well as the opportunities they can offer in the government-led policy implementation paradigm. Although both countries devote considerable resources to football activities at the expense of SDP in local communities, Zambia (unlike Ghana) has made strides in engaging SDP organisations.

Article 3 analyses how sport partners (governmental and non-governmental) have been involved and resourced in implementing the Ghana government’s commitment to the community health and well-being policy. The article was based on a textual analysis of government policy documents and interviews with senior government officials and key actors from non-state sport organisations. Using Matland’s ambiguity-conflict model, the findings reveal symbolic-political implementation challenges. Symbolic implementation shows how sport policies meant for health outcomes in local communities are often vague, abstract, and poorly defined. Political implementation is determined by the actors who are favoured by policy makers or have sufficient resources to influence policy. As a result, there was a skewed distribution of resources, a lack of involvement of local implementers in the policy process, an overbearing reliance on football over other sport and a neglect of sport for development organisations.

Article 4 analyses the cultural and structural factors that account for the low participation of girls and women in Ghanaian community sport at the district level. The document analysis shows that there is a policy commitment to gender participation and empowerment in community sport. However, interviews with regional sport directors and DSU representatives revealed cultural and structural challenges associated with implementation. Cultural barriers include house chores and gender stereotypes, religion, and early child marriages. Structural barriers include institutional barriers (such as gender policies and recruitment) and organisational practices (such as the underrepresentation of women within organisations and partnerships). The article also discusses how cultural factors influence or interact with organisational practices and policy implementation.

Article 5 analyses the implementation of sport inclusion policies and the extent to which they exclude or include disabled sport associations in Ghana’s DSUs. This study draws insights from the policy network theory to analyse membership, integration, resource distribution, and power balance. The document analysis shows evidence of inclusive provisions for persons with disabilities but interviews with officials from the DSUs revealed challenges in the policy-implementation process. As DSUs lack autonomy and legal support, the district assemblies decide how to use and implement disabled sport funds. Other challenges include the lack of disabled sport association representatives in DSUs; the lack of integration of sport programmes for persons with disabilities; conflicts between disabled sport associations, DSUs, and district assemblies; and the use of disabled sport for political purposes. Furthermore, the article discusses the implications of ableism for policy networks.

Conclusion

The aim of this study is to analyse the policies and implementation of sustainability goals through sports organisations in Ghana. Significantly, the findings of the study show that Ghana’s government policies regarding sport for sustainable development are clearly formulated and widely promoted, echoing trends in Zambia and other nations. Across the five articles, the study reveals four significant concerns encompassing politics, socio-cultural dynamics, organisational conditions and institutional frameworks. All of these significantly undermine policy outcomes and hinder the effective implementation of sport and SDGs in Ghana. Entrenched within the four are notable social mechanisms comprising the following: politics – skewed allocation of sport funds towards football; socio-cultural dynamics – patriarchal nature of Ghanaian society, religious beliefs and entrenched perceptions of gender roles, attitudes towards persons with disabilities and pervasive football culture; organisation conditions – lack of sufficient funds, qualified sports leaders and women in leadership roles; institutional frameworks – absence of clear policy implementation guidelines, non-inclusive policy making process and limited legitimacy of SDP organisations. These challenges compromise Ghana’s commitment to using sports as a tool for sustainable development. To this end, it is essential to conduct a rigorous assessment of local needs and in order to consult with state and non-state actors, including those at the district and regional levels.