Derrick Charway is a research fellow at the Institute of Sports and Social Science. He will defend his thesis Sustainable Development Goals through Sport: An Analysis of Policy Implementation in Ghana on June 12, at NIH, auditorium Innsikt, 10:00 CET, and on YouTube (see below).
The explicit mention of sport as an enabler for sustainable development in the United Nations’ Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development policy document marked a significant development milestone.
This prompted several governments to partner with relevant stakeholders to incorporate sport into their development plans. In Ghana, like in many countries, sport policies are identified as social development objectives linked to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The primary aim of this study was to analyse the policy goals and implementations of state and non-state sport organisations in Ghana and the extent to which they contribute to national development. This study addressed three of the 17 SDGs: healthy living (SDG 3), gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment (SDG 5), and disability (SDG 10).
Using multiple theoretical approaches, qualitative data were collected empirically from policy-making authorities, regional sport directors, district sport unit representatives, national sport federation/association officials, and Sport for Development organisation representatives. The findings revealed three common concerns that stood out: the non-involvement of local implementing actors, the restricted legitimacy of Sport for Development organisations, and skewed resources distribution to support football. Further, the findings show cultural barriers, rooted in deep-seated cultural norms, and structural hindrances that undermine the implementation of health and wellbeing as well as disability and gender inclusive policies.
Thus, indicating that the importance of linking sport to national development goals and recognising it as a tool for sustainable social development is crucial but cannot be overstated.
Overall, this research provides opportunities for feedback loops, agenda setting and policy learning on topics such as sport’s contribution to community health and well-being, girls’ empowerment and participation in community sport, and the inclusion of PWDs and disabled sport groups in community sport.
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- Read an article about the project: ”Is sports a good tool for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?”
- Read the dissertation here
Supervisors
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- Main supervisor: Professor Åse Strandbu, the Institute of Sports and Social Science, NIH.
- Co supervisor: Professor Ørnulf Seippel, the Institute of Sports and Social Science, NIH, and Professor em. Barrie Houlihan, Loughborough University UK.
Committee
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- Leader: Professor Chris Horbel, the Institute of Sports and Social Sciense, NIH
- First opponent: Professor Daniel Bloyce, University of Chester
- Second opponent: Hans Erik Næss, Kristiania University College
