The Executive Director of the National Sports Authority, NSA, Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai on Friday unveiled NLe3.5 million as the Government’s support to the Female Premier League Board for the conduct of the 2024-2025 Sierra Leone Women’s Premier League.
This whooping sum exceeds last year’s NLe 2.8 million support.
At NSA’s Signal Hill Road office, SLFA’s Acting General Secretary Benson Bawoh presented members of the newly constituted Female Premier League Board to the Authority’s Chief.
Bawoh said the Government has been the biggest sponsor of the country’s top-tier female league, emphasizing President Bio’s commitment to empowering women.
“The NSA has always been a partner, and having Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, as head of the institution who understands the dynamics of sports, is the right decision taken by the President,” he said.
In his response, Dr. Abdulai welcomed the board members and the representative from the FA, thanking them for their service to the country.
He said President Bio, in his Big Five Game-Changers, has stressed the need for job creation.
“This support directly speaks to that agenda as Government’s commitment to its citizens,” he said, adding that the returns of this support are unimaginable and have the tendency to change the lives of the young female players poised to take part in the league forever.
Dr Abdulai pointed out the value for money, and appealed to the Board for transparency and accountability, making sure that proper structures are in place to discourage disorderliness.
He called on all to push for female-male equal pay. This, he said, will encourage more women into sports and minimise prostitution and substance use.
The Board then assured NSA Chief of its transparency and accountability, stating that due diligence will be done to make the league an enviable one. It pledged its support to the NSA and thanked Dr. Saffa Abdulai for the huge financial support.