Barclays Bank Ghana, soon to become Absa, has made a commitment to the development of youth through sports by making a donation to the University of Ghana in support of this year’s Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Games.

The sponsorship package is meant to support the University’s team and to help the host university to organise a successful sports festival.

The Games which is currently on-going at the University of Ghana, is under the theme “Integrating Sports into Academia for Youth Empowerment and Development”.

Commenting on the bank’s support, the Director of Global Clients at the Corporate Banking unit of Barclays Bank, Mr. Eric Ashitey, indicated that as Barclays transitions to Absa, it remains committed to its agenda of being a force for good and helping shape society for a better future.

He said through their support to various aspects of the 26th edition of the Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) Games, the bank is empowering young talents to develop their potential and achieve their dreams.

“Our role as a bank is to connect the dreams of Ghanaians, including the youth, to financial resources and opportunities in ways that will help bring their possibilities to life. As we transition to Absa we remain committed to using our resources and experience to open doors of opportunities for our young people through education and skills development” Mr. Ashitey noted.

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu who received the donation thanked Barclays for the gesture and commended them for their interest in the development of the youth through sports and education.

The 26th GUSA Games is witnessing for the first time the participation of eleven (11) institutions.

These include; University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, University for Development Studies, University of Mines and Technology, University of Professional Studies, University of Energy and Natural Resources and University of Health and Allied Sciences. The new entrants at this year’s competition are the Ghana Institute of Journalism and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

Over 2000 athletes are competing in various disciplines including Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Football, Goalball, Handball, Hockey, Netball, Table Tennis, Tennis and Volleyball.