Emmanuel Osei Sarpong

Emmanuel Osei Sarpong is a Ghanaian sports scientist and academic who became acting Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) on 1 October 2026. He is an Associate Professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), where he also serves as Dean of Student Affairs.

Taking over the National Sports Authority

President John Dramani Mahama put him in charge of the NSA on 1 October 2026, the day Yaw Ampofo Ankrah left the post after about 18 months. The letter, signed by Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, said Sarpong would act as Director-General while Ampofo Ankrah was suspended pending a Criminal Investigations Department inquiry. It described the suspension as an administrative measure and not a finding of wrongdoing. Several news outlets reported the move as a dismissal.

The inquiry concerns an alleged visa facilitation scheme linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in which more than US$600,000 was reportedly collected from people seeking travel help. The NSA has denied authorising any such arrangement.

Sarpong was not new to the authority. He sat on its governing board, which was dissolved on 2 September 2026, and chaired the board's Technical Committee. At the time of his appointment he was National Coordinator of the School and Grassroots Sports Secretariat at the Ministry of Sports and Recreation. His predecessors are on the list of Directors-General of the National Sports Authority.

From classroom teacher to professor

Sarpong comes from Obo, in the Kwahu area of the Eastern Region. He had his secondary education at nearby Nkawkaw Secondary School and trained as a teacher at St. Joseph's Training College in Bechem. He started work with the Ghana Education Service in 1993, teaching General Science, Mathematics, Technical Drawing and Technical Skills at junior secondary school level until 1998. He then went on study leave and completed a Bachelor of Education in July 2002 at what was then the University College of Education of Winneba, now UEW, winning the university's Academic Merit Award.

UEW kept him on as an acting sports coach and teaching assistant. He earned a Master of Science in Health Services Planning and Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in February 2006 and was appointed Assistant Lecturer the same year. He became a Lecturer in 2007, a Senior Lecturer in 2016 and an Associate Professor in 2022.

In 2010 he completed the International Trainers Course, a postgraduate programme for coaches and sports administrators at the University of Leipzig in Germany. His PhD in Human Kinetics, with a focus on sports and exercise physiology, came from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria in April 2017 and was funded by GETFund. He has also studied at Northwest University in Xi'an, China.

Leadership at Winneba

He has held a run of posts in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports: examinations officer from 2010 to 2016 and head of department from 2016 to 2018. He chaired the UEW Sports Directorate from April 2022 to July 2023. He was acting Dean of the Faculty of Health, Allied Sciences and Home Economics Education from September 2023 and substantive Dean from August 2024 to July 2025.

For 16 years, from August 2006 to April 2022, he was also the university's honorary soccer coach. He is a certified football coach and a certified physical fitness instructor.

Research and affiliations

His research covers physical activity for health, sports and exercise physiology, nutrition for sports performance and the prevention of sports injuries. He is Ghana's ambassador to the Leipzig International Trainers Course and the West Africa coordinator of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance (ICHPER.SD).

He belongs to the University Teachers Association of Ghana, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and the American College of Sports Medicine.