The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has announced a private sector-led initiative that will place “Visit Ghana” on the front of Sunderland Football Club’s jersey for the 2026/2027 football season, in what is expected to be a landmark tourism marketing drive for the country.
Under the arrangement, the English Premier League club will carry the “Visit Ghana” branding across its front-of-shirt jersey and associated paraphernalia for the coming season, as part of a broader campaign to drive and promote tourism to Ghana on the global stage.
Speaking during the 37th sitting of Parliament, Mr Bagbin said discussions with Sunderland had progressed substantially, with the club showing strong interest in formalising the engagement.
We are entering a formal engagement with them to put Visit Ghana on their jerseys and all paraphernalia. We have gone far with the discussions, and therefore they are showing interest.”
The Speaker was emphatic that the initiative does not draw on parliamentary funding, clarifying that the project is being financed by private sector sponsors and coordinated under his personal leadership.
This is not being sponsored by Parliament. In fact, the main sponsor is from the private sector; we are leading under my canopy to get this done,” he stated, adding that key state institutions have thrown their weight behind the initiative.
According to Mr Bagbin, the Ghana Football Association, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, and the Ministry of Finance have all been supportive of the project as it moves toward completion.
If concluded as planned, the Visit Ghana Front of Shirt Partnership would make Ghana the first African country to secure such a position with a Premier League club, offering the country sustained global exposure through EPL broadcasts, digital platforms, and international media channels reaching audiences worldwide.
The initiative builds on an existing relationship between the Speaker and Sunderland AFC, anchored in the Democracy Cup, a competition Mr Bagbin founded to connect Parliament with citizens through football while marking milestones in Ghana’s democratic journey. Sunderland’s chairman, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, visited Accra earlier this year to discuss deepening the partnership, including areas such as youth and women’s football development.
Details of the formal agreement, including its commercial value and duration, are yet to be disclosed.
Source: William Ezah