A scene during the opening of the Sport & Art Campus
The Omenaa Foundation has officially opened its flagship Sport & Art Campus in Tema, in a landmark project celebrating African creativity, talent and opportunity.
Rooted in the theme “From Philanthropy to Partnership. From Opportunity to Empowerment,” the campus was opened on October 31 by Ghanaian-Polish entrepreneur and philanthropist Omenaa Mensah, drawing on her Ghanaian heritage and over 12 years of philanthropic work.
The multidisciplinary campus brings together sport, education, healthcare, contemporary art and international creative residencies. Designed to nurture young talent and serve local communities, it also welcomes European business leaders to create opportunities for cross-continental partnerships and investment, in line with Mensah’s “Building Bridges” strategy connecting African creativity with international networks.
According to the Foundation, the Campus is more than a space for its beneficiaries. It is a place of mutual inspiration where artists, athletes, volunteers, entrepreneurs and international guests share knowledge and experience, while European donors discover African heritage and creativity.
On November 1, it opened its spaces to children, young people and residents of surrounding neighbourhoods during a Community Open Day.
The project is a key milestone in the Foundation’s 2026-2030 strategy, “Building Bridges,” with Ghana serving as its main African hub. Funding includes proceeds from TOP CHARITY, which since 2022 has raised over EUR 58 million and supported more than 300 projects worldwide.
In 2023, the Foundation assumed full responsibility for a neglected Child Protection Centre and transformed it. Today, Kids Haven School is a safe home and educational centre for 51 children, with 44 more supported through its scholarship programme after leaving the centre.
Developed since 2024, the Campus comprises three main areas: Gym Center, Community Center and Art Residence. The Community Center includes the Doctors Rooms medical clinic, PHENOMENAA CAFE and TOP CHARITY Creative Lab. It is complemented by sports fields and a sculpture garden.
Sport plays a central role. The Gym Center features professional equipment, separate changing rooms and a physiotherapy room, aimed at teaching perseverance, teamwork and resilience. Ambassadors include former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu, fitness expert Ewa Chodakowska and Łukasz Dojka.
During the Grand Opening, children played a match alongside football legends Asamoah Gyan, Stephen Appiah and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, joined by Polish sports stars Marcin Gortat and Radosław Majdan.
Art was also central to the opening with the inauguration of Omenaa’s Museum of Ghanaian-Polish Relation and its first exhibition, “Common Ground,” curated by Azu Nwagbogu and Natalia Bradbury. The exhibition explores memory, identity and cooperation, featuring works by artists from Poland, Ghana and across Africa, including pieces by El Anatsui and Ibrahim Mahama.
Polish sculptor Tomasz Koclęga, working with Ghanaian artist Nicholas Ofori, created a 4.5-metre sculpture titled “Meteoron” for the sculpture garden, which also features works by Constance Swaniker and Al Hassan Issah.
Health is a key pillar. Doctors Rooms provides free paediatric care, diagnostics, eye examinations and health education. It will serve children from Kids Haven, other care facilities, deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Tema, and the wider community, and is expected to join Ghana’s national vaccination programme.
“Sport and art give children wings, but health matters most to us,” said Vanessa Mensah, Medical Projects Lead.
The Community Center also houses PHENOMENAA CAFE, which from 2027 will offer vocational training in barista skills and customer service for teenagers transitioning out of care, in partnership with E. Wedel.
The opening was made possible by business partners including Xtreme Brands, ASTON, DDB Design & Build, Toyota and BC ARMS, with medical equipment support from the Embassy of Poland in Nigeria and NOS DUO Foundation.
The opening week also featured TOP CHARITY ChangeMAKERS Africa on October 29 at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, the first Poland-Ghana business convening of its kind. It brought together over 70 European business leaders and 85 Ghanaian and international organisations to discuss joint ventures and long-term presence in Ghana.
“I am a woman of two worlds. Poland gave me education and opportunities. But Africa is my heart, my soul and my DNA. Omenaa Sport & Art Campus is the fulfilment of that dream,” Mensah said.
The Foundation has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation to collaborate on environmental solutions, heritage restoration and education in Kumasi and the wider Asante Kingdom.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke