Former President Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership goes down in Ghana’s sports history as her most successful era in terms of talent discovery, development and ultimately the annexation of major laurels on global platforms.

At the time, the nation had only two major stadia (Accra and Baba Yara in Kumasi) and other smaller facilities which served organized competition and training. With this rather modest number of edifices across the country, major strides were chalked.

In boxing, four out of the 10 world titles were won during his combined military and civilian administrations. Azumah Nelson, Africa’s greatest boxer, won the WBC Super Featherweight title in 1984 following his 11th round defeat of Wilfredo Gomez.

Five years later, ‘Marvelous’ Nana Yaw Konadu won the WBC Super Flyweight title after defeating Gilberto Roman. It was a double strike in 1994 as Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey stunned the world when he stopped then-champion Crisanto Espana to win the WBA welterweight title which he defended seven times.

There was also the late Alfred ‘Cobra’ Kotey who won the WBO Bantamweight title after recording a unanimous win over Rafael Del Valle.

The difference here was that he was personally involved in their respective stories, especially that of Azumah Nelson. Ike Quartey personally told me about a good personal relationship with Rawlings which also meant he could visit the President at home and get invited to the Presidential end of year dinner. 

In football, one of Ghana’s four Africa Cup of Nation’s trophies was won just when he took over power from Dr Hilla Limann 1982. The irony of that episode was that his predecessor Dr Limann had taken a decision that the Black Stars of Ghana would not participate in that AFCON tourney they had already qualified for due to sour diplomatic relations with the host, Libya.

Rawlings, upon seizing power from Limann, reversed the decision and through the efforts of his sector secretary, Zaya Yebo at the time, resources were pulled together to fund the team’s final preparation and participation. Ghana emerged victorious for a fourth time – an achievement that has eluded the nation since.

It is worthy of note that the nation’s only two FIFA U-17 World Cup trophies were won during his tenure – in 1991 and 1995. Added to that, is Ghana and Africa’s very first Olympic medal in football, the bronze at Barcelona in 1992 Games.

Most of the players in the victorious Black Starlets ‘91 squad graduated into the Olympic team that chalked the historic feat. Complementing this was nine medals including one gold during the period on the stage of the Commonwealth Games.

Ghana’s oldest football club Accra Hearts of Oak of which President Rawlings was a big fan also won the CAF champion’s League in his final year in power - the year 2000.

The departed former President’s support for Hearts was facilitated through some of his key appointees and his Vice President in his second term, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, a shareholder of the club. So was Ato Ahwoi, a senior advisor to the government, Ato Austin and E.T. Mensah who were both sports ministers in the 80s played key roles within the club at various points and mobilized their own resources to support the club. One cannot forget his Education Minister Harry Sawyer who rose to become the Chief Patron of the club.

President Rawlings watched some of Hearts of Oak’s matches and even performed ceremonial kickoffs for those of bigger importance like the African Cup Games.

And the ministers responsible for executing his sports policy via the sports ministry over the period were Zaya Yebo who was in charge for only a year, Major Amarkai Amarteifio (Rtd), who served between 1983 and 1986 and Ato Austin, who served between 1986 and 1988. From 1988 to 1991 it was Mr K Saarah Mensah who handed over to Lt Gen Arnold Quainoo. Mr E.T. Mensah who to date is the longest-serving in the nation’s history served between 1993 and 2001.

During the two decades, they collectively executed policies under the Rawlings administration, in the training of technical persons, and the establishment and galvanization of good local competitive platforms.

These included the National Sports Festival later rechristened the National Unity Games, the Security Services Sports Association (SESSA) Games and the basic level and collegiate competitions across the country. Collectively these competitive platforms served as feeder units for the national teams.  While enumerating these big feats some key happenings during and after his reign are worthy of mention.

The credited beans and gari was for Ghana’s boxing team

Growing up in Ghana in the late 80s through early 90s one could easily hear folklore episodes about President Rawlings, the then military ruler who always bought gari and beans (a Ghanaian delicacy) on credit.

What most of our young generation at the time hardly knew was that Rawlings hardly got the gari and beans for his personal use but for members of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Team, the Black Boxers, who were then camped at Winneba, 30-minute from the capital, Accra.

That team included the young boy who was to become Africa and Ghana’s greatest boxer ever – Azumah Nelson, who revealed this in his book The Professor – The life story of Azumah Nelson.    

In a rather emotional tribute, Azumah Nelson revealed that Rawlings would sacrifice and go buy Gari and Beans on credit just so he and his team mates could train and be strong. 

“Always a man of subtle acts of kindness for years, while I trained as a struggling boxer, I would randomly receive portions of beans and gari. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered we were beneficiaries of the debt you owed the beans sellers. You even rented an apartment for me,” Azumah recollected in the tribute.

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Sammy Osei Kuffour Invites Rawlings to his testimonial

“We were able to conquer the rest of the world because we stood on the shoulders of a great man. Your Excellency, Thank you for inspiring us. It is my wish that you grace my testimonial game. Please, please your excellency, I will be grateful if you can be present.”

These were the words of one of Ghana’s most decorated footballers of all time to invite him to his testimonial game, marking the end of his career. This was exactly a decade ago.

Sammy Osei Kuffour in his quote above was referring to Ghana’s conquest of the world in the 1991 FIFA Under-17 World Cup of which he was a part. And he went ahead to become one of Ghana’s most decorated players of all time.

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In addition to the U-17 FIFA world cup trophy, an Olympic bronze medal in 1992, one world club championship title and emerged the most valuable player, one UEFA Champion’s League title, six German Bundesliga titles and five German league cup titles.

He ended up runner up at the 2001 CAF African Footballer of the year awards once finishing behind the eventual winner El Hadj Diouf of Senegal.

Rawlings Rewards Banku and Ayittey Powers

If any event passes for one that sparked a rebirth of big boxing/sports promotions in Ghana in the last 15 years, Bukom Banku (Brimah Kamoko) v Ayittey Powers on May 16, 2014, ticks the boxes. The pre-event hype, and the resulting public interest, twists and turns and the bout made it a piece of history.

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As ring announcer for the fight night, I remember President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu at ring ride. They sat in a row that made it easy for me to spot them out of the hundreds of creme guests at the ringside. Rawlings was tensed like any boxer's manager or cornerman would be during and had fixed his eyes firmly on the action.

Periodically he stretched his neck out to see the detail of the punching and movement – a scene which seemed to be replicated from that historic world title fight between Ghana’s first World champion D.K. Poison and Danny Little Red Lopez at the same Accra Stadium. A younger and slimmer Rawlings sat at ringside in the company of his beloved wife Nana Konadu.

With a stern look, he observed every single bit of the action and chewed gum so fast like Sir Alex Ferguson did on the touchlines during Manchester United games.

Bukom Banku won that bout by a unanimous decision but both boxers were hailed greatly for their performance.  

Weeks after, President Rawlings invited the two boxers to his office in Ridge Accra for a presentation and I happened to be the linguist for the Ghana Boxing Authority delegation who had accompanied the two boxers.

President Rawlings, his wife and his daughters led by Dr Zanetor Rawlings, who is now the member of parliament for Klottey Korley constituency, presented a token of 20 bags of rice and 40 cartons of chicken to the boxers for their performance which in his estimation sold Ghana boxing to the rest of the continent and brought great entertainment to the people. Added to these was the facilitation of their inclusion in a list of fans sponsored by the government to watch Ghana’s Black Stars at the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

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Ayittey Powers revealed that President Rawlings gifted him a Mercedes Benz ML vehicle as part of the package.

Flt Lt. Jerry Rawlings left many legacies and sports was not left out. Ghanaians would surely be grateful to have another era of achievements as the Rawlings era.

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