President Mahama Awards UDS GH¢500,000 for Historic World University Football Triumph
President John Dramani Mahama presented a GH¢500,000 cash reward to the University for Development Studies (UDS) on October 7, 2025, at the Jubilee House, celebrating their historic victory as the first African team to win the FISU World University Football Tournament in China.
The UDS team, welcomed back on October 5 at Kotoka International Airport, showcased their trophy during a courtesy call, earning national pride for their 2-1 comeback win against Brazil’s Paulista University in the final.
Despite conceding a goal just 10 seconds into the match, UDS captain Mohammed Sulemana equalized in stoppage time, and Ezedeen Alhassan clinched the title with a spectacular corner-kick goal in extra time. The victory, Ghana’s first at the biennial FISU event, sparked widespread acclaim on platforms like X, with @3NewsGH’s post garnering over 2,000 views.
Mahama announced the establishment of a School Sports Authority to bolster youth and university sports, stating, “We are setting up the School Sports Authority which will concentrate on sports from the basic level to the secondary level to the university level.”
This initiative, under the Ministries of Sports and Education, aims to identify and nurture talent for professional levels, aligning with efforts to leverage FIFA’s $355 million World Cup fund, as noted by GFA officials.
The reward and policy signal Mahama’s push to elevate Ghana’s sports ecosystem, with UDS’s triumph—celebrated across the media—underscoring the potential of university athletics in global competitions
