The National Sports Authority (NSA), with full backing from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, is set to establish an ad hoc Normalisation Committee to take over the affairs of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) when the current board’s extended mandate expires on August 19.

The Graphic Sports understands that last Friday’s high-level meeting between the GBA board, NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, and the ministry representatives ended in deadlock after the government stood firm on its decision to implement sweeping reforms recommended by the Ministerial Commission of Enquiry into the death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwanreju, who collapsed during a professional bout in Accra in March.

The GBA board had been seeking a further three-month extension of its mandate, but the NSA instead used the meeting to unveil three consultants who presented a new roadmap for the sport, anchored by a five-year development plan to be driven by a Normalisation Committee.

Modelled on the Ghana Football Association’s 2019 Normalisation Committee, the boxing version – expected to be formally announced by August 19– will be tasked with overhauling governance structures, “sanitising” the sport’s environment, and reforming its leadership.

The plan also includes building training centres in all regions, staging regular regional championships to boost inclusivity, and shifting mindsets across the Ghanaian boxing landscape.

“The consultants tried to convince the boxing fraternity to understand that accepting the Ministry/NSA-led reforms was a game-changer,” a source told the Graphic Sports.

While the GBA has not opposed the reforms themselves, it has vehemently rejected the idea of a Normalisation Committee, insisting that its current board is fully capable of delivering the changes.

Friday’s meeting was attended by the GBA executive, boxing stakeholders, NSA staff, the new Head of PR & Communications at the Ministry, Tanko Bagbara, and the three consultants.

On the GBA’s request for a further extension– now less than two weeks, days from expiring– the NSA Director-General was unequivocal, saying the request cannot be granted without proper consultation.

He added that the NSA had yet to receive any report from the GBA on its last Congress, a claim the GBA disputes, insisting the report had been submitted.