Omenaa Sport & Art Campus officially opened
On 31 October, Omenaa Mensah officially opened the Omenaa Sport&Art Campus in Tema - Omenaa Foundation’s flagship project in Ghana and one of the most comprehensive social and artistic centres on the African continent. It is a place that redefines the traditional model of philanthropy, grounding it in reciprocity, the exchange of experience and lasting relationships between Europe and Africa.
The Campus was built next to Kids Haven School, where children who have experienced violence, severe neglect and forced labour receive care and a chance to return to education. The new complex opens up further opportunities for them: access to professional sports facilities, contemporary art, healthcare, international creative residencies and talent development programmes.
Yet Omenaa Sport&Art Campus is much more than a space for the Foundation’s beneficiaries. It is a place where everyone can give something and everyone can gain something. Artists, athletes, volunteers, entrepreneurs and international guests share their knowledge, experience and inspiring stories here. European donors discover the beauty of African heritage, the extraordinary creativity of the continent and its potential, while gaining a new perspective on their own lives and possibilities. Children and young people meet diverse role models, learn social responsibility and discover new paths for their development. It is a space of mutual inspiration, where the traditional divide between donors and beneficiaries gives way to partnership.
The Campus will also serve the local community. On 1 November, during Community Open Day, its spaces will open to children, young people and residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. This is an essential part of the project’s philosophy: creating a place that not only supports the Foundation’s beneficiaries, but also brings the community together and becomes part of its everyday life.
The opening of Omenaa Sport&Art Campus is the result of more than 12 years of Omenaa Mensah’s engagement in Africa and one of the key milestones of her philanthropic ecosystem’s 2026–2030 strategy, “Building Bridges”, in which Ghana serves as the main African hub. The project brings together philanthropy, world-class art, education and business, creating a new model of international cooperation based on mutual respect and shared values.
Funding for the project includes proceeds from TOP CHARITY, an initiative that since 2022 has raised more than EUR 58 million and supported over 300 projects worldwide.
The Campus is the next stage of the support system developed by Omenaa Foundation in Ghana. In 2023, the Foundation assumed full responsibility for a neglected Child Protection Center and began transforming its model of care. Today, Kids Haven School is a safe home and educational centre for 51 children. Children arrive thanks to the Omenaa Foundation team in Ghana, which carries out interventions in cooperation with local authorities; they catch up on missed education and then, through Omenaa Foundation’s scholarship programme, continue their schooling outside the centre. The scholarship programme now supports 44 children.
The project has been developed since 2024. Omenaa Sport&Art Campus comprises three main areas: Gym Center, Community Center and Art Residence. Community Center includes the Doctors Rooms medical clinic, PHENOMENAA CAFE and TOP CHARITY Creative Lab. The Campus is complemented by sports fields, shared activity spaces and a sculpture garden. Each of these elements responds to a specific need of the children: movement and regular training are designed to build discipline and confidence; art develops imagination and allows self-expression; healthcare provides the foundations for healthy development; and practical skills help young people take their first steps towards independence.
Between Europe and Africa. A project rooted in Ghana
Omenaa Sport&Art Campus also carries a deeply personal dimension. Ghana is the country of Omenaa Mensah’s father and an important part of her identity, while Poland is where she grew up, studied and built her professional life. For years, her work has connected these two worlds through social, educational and artistic initiatives. The Campus is one of the clearest expressions of this vision: international networks, resources and expertise are turned into tangible support for children and the local community. Building bridges between people, capital, cultures and continents now lies at the heart of the strategy of the entire ecosystem. Poland is its home, where strategy and capital are developed, while Ghana is its main hub in Africa.
I am a woman of two worlds. Poland gave me education, opportunities and the strength to pursue my dreams. But Africa is my heart, my soul and my DNA. This is where my roots are, my father’s story and the heritage I have always carried within me. For years, I dreamed of connecting these two worlds and creating something that would mean more than my own life. Omenaa Sport&Art Campus is the fulfilment of that dream. It is a place where love for my roots turns into real opportunities for future generations.
Omenaa Mensah, Founder and President of Omenaa Foundation.
This vision is now also taking concrete shape through a new strategic partnership. Omenaa Foundation and the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation, the foundation of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Asante, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Their first joint initiatives in Kumasi and across the wider Asante Kingdom will focus on environmental solutions, combining heritage restoration with education and contemporary creativity. The partnership was also marked by His Majesty’s presence at the fifth-anniversary TOP CHARITY gala in Warsaw.środowiskowych, łącząc renowację dziedzictwa z edukacją i współczesną twórczością. Partnerstwo podkreśliła również obecność Jego Królewskiej Mości Otumfuo Osei Tutu II na gali 5-lecia TOP CHARITY w Warszawie.
Two days before the Campus opening, on 29 October, TOP CHARITY ChangeMAKERS Africa took place at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra - the first Poland–Ghana business convening of its kind, opening Omenaa Foundation’s week in Ghana. More than 70 business leaders and guests from Poland and Europe, representing more than 30 companies and institutions, met Ghanaian business leaders, senior representatives of the Government of Ghana and the diplomatic community. They were joined by more than 85 Ghanaian and international organisations, from government, finance and investment to energy, agribusiness, media and the arts. The initiative followed the Asantehene’s visit to Warsaw for the fifth-anniversary TOP CHARITY gala.
Guests were welcomed by Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska, followed by remarks from Daasebre Kofi Asante Mensa, Sabronum Manhene, on behalf of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, and a welcome address by Hon. Sampson Ahi, Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry. A government panel moderated by Bola Ray brought together representatives of the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority, the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Free Zones Authority, together with Wojciech Zajączkowski, Undersecretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A business leaders panel moderated by Dr Anna Masłoń-Oracz of SGH Warsaw School of Economics featured, among others, Kojo Annan (A10), Dr Edward Nartey Botchway (Absa Bank Ghana), Nana Akua Oppong Birmeh (ArchXenus), Aisha Maina (Aquarian Consult) and Maciej Balsewicz (bValue). The event closed with a business mixer by sector groups, designed to turn conversations into joint ventures, partnerships and a long-term presence in Ghana. The forum reflects one of the ecosystem’s priorities for the coming years: building lasting business relationships between Europe and Africa, particularly with leading African entrepreneurs.
For me, the most valuable part of TOP CHARITY ChangeMAKERS Africa was the opportunity for visiting business leaders to hear directly from Ghanaian decision-makers and entrepreneurs. Ghana has its own expertise, ambitions and priorities, and strong partnerships begin with understanding those perspectives. Omenaa Foundation created a space for that exchange in Accra. I hope this meeting becomes the beginning of lasting cooperation between businesses in Ghana, Poland and across Europe.
Bola Ray, CEO of EIB Network Group.
I also want to show the world the Africa I know and love. An Africa full of talent, creativity, extraordinary art, flavours, colours and rhythms. An Africa of ambitious, entrepreneurial and incredibly hardworking people. Because hard work, courage and determination are the driving force behind everything I create. I am delighted that more and more entrepreneurs from Europe are joining our mission. Because this is not only about helping. It is about building bridges between continents, inspiring one another, sharing experience and creating opportunities that benefit both sides.” - Omenaa Mensah, Founder and President of Omenaa Foundationszans, które przynoszą korzyści obu stronom.
Omenaa Mensah, założycielka i prezeska Omenaa Foundation.
Sport that teaches more than winning
Sport plays a special role at the Campus. The sports fields and Gym Center give children access to regular physical activity, training and conditioning. Gym Center features professional training equipment, separate changing rooms for boys and girls, and a physiotherapy room. Its role, however, goes beyond physical fitness: sport is meant to teach perseverance, teamwork, coping with defeat and the courage to try again. Ambassadors of the sports part of the project include Pops Mensah-Bonsu, former NBA player and British basketball executive, Ewa Chodakowska and Łukasz Dojka, co-owner of Xtreme Brands, a group whose brands include the Xtreme Fitness Gyms club network.
This is not my first visit to Ghana, and it certainly won’t be my last. When I see how much this place and the children have changed over time, I know it is worth staying for the long term. We work with Omenaa Foundation on many levels, including through my own foundation, and I am proud and honoured to be part of this project. Movement is not just about fitness. It is about self-confidence, discipline and a sense of agency.
Ewa Chodakowska, friend of Omenaa Foundation, ambassador of the sports programme at Omenaa Sport&Art Campus.
During the Grand Opening, children played a match with well-known Ghanaian football figures, including Asamoah Gyan, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Stephen Appiah. Marcin Gortat and Radosław Majdan also joined the game. Marcin Gortat additionally donated sports balls to the children.
Above all, basketball taught me character. On the court, you learn teamwork, responsibility and that success means hundreds of hours of training that nobody sees. That is why I am so glad the Campus has a place to play basketball. For these children, it could be the beginning of something great, not only in sport, but in life.
Marcin Gortat, former NBA player, friend of Omenaa Foundation.
As a goalkeeper, I learned one thing: sometimes the ball ends up in the net, but what matters most is how you get back up after conceding a goal. These children already know more about that than many adults. Today was special for me, because I saw courage, joy and a tremendous fighting spirit in them. Sport gives them exactly what they need: the belief that you can always try again.
Radosław Majdan, former Poland national team goalkeeper, friend of Omenaa Foundation.
Art that builds bridges between Poland and Ghana
The opening of the Campus was accompanied by the inauguration of Omenaa’s Museum of Ghanaian-Polish Relation, a new institution dedicated to the history and contemporary development of Ghanaian-Polish relations. Its first exhibition, “Common Ground”, was presented by OmenaArt Foundation under the curatorial direction of Azu Nwagbogu and Natalia Bradbury. Bringing together artists from Poland, Ghana and other African countries, the exhibition explores memory, identity, cultural heritage and cooperation across continents.z Polski, Ghany i innych krajów Afryki, podejmując tematy pamięci, tożsamości, dziedzictwa kulturowego i współpracy między kontynentami.
Common Ground is a meeting point for different sensitivities, experiences and artistic languages from Africa and Poland. We wanted the works not simply to coexist, but to enter into dialogue – about identity, memory and the contemporary world. We believe art has an extraordinary ability to cross borders, bring cultures closer and open new perspectives.
Natalia Bradbury, Director of OmenaArt Foundation.
At the heart of the exhibition was “One Man Does Not Rule a Nation” by Janek Simon and Max Cegielski, revisiting a little-known chapter of Ghanaian-Polish relations from the 1960s. The work takes as its point of departure the monument to Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president after independence, designed by Polish sculptor Alina Ślesińska and unveiled in Winneba in 1965. Drawing on archival documents, photographs, witness accounts and 3D printing, the artists reconstruct a nearly forgotten story of cooperation between the two countries.
I believe the places where children grow up shape their future. The ‘Common Ground’ exhibition shows that art does not exist in isolation from life – it becomes an integral part of education, care for others and building relationships. The artists from Africa and Poland brought together in the exhibition reflect, in different ways, on the processes through which ideas, institutions, beliefs and communities are formed and shaped. In dialogue with one another, their works return to one fundamental question: what does
it take to shape a human being?Azu Nwagbogu, CEO and Director of African Artists’ Foundation.
“Common Ground” also features works by Marta Nadolle, Eliza Proszczuk and Ernestina Mansa Doku, first created for Malta Biennale 2026 as part of the award-winning project “Redefining. Polish-Ghanaian Textile Narratives”. The artists had previously worked with children at Kids Haven School in Ghana. The exhibition also includes works from the OmenaArt Foundation collection by internationally recognised artists including El Anatsui, Ibrahim Mahama, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Serge Attukwei Clottey, Gonçalo Mabunda and Moffat Takadiwa, alongside artists represented by Phenomenaa Gallery.
The Art Residence programme also includes site-specific works and international artist residencies. Polish sculptor Tomasz Koclęga, working with Ghanaian artist Nicholas Ofori, created “Meteoron”, a monumental sculpture approximately 4.5 metres high inspired by the classical discus thrower. The sculpture garden also features works by Ghanaian artists Constance Swaniker and Al Hassan Issah. In this way, art becomes part of the daily environment of the Campus rather than remaining confined to a gallery setting.
At Omenaa Sport&Art Campus, the Art Residence space was created for creative work, education and meetings. The building includes an Art Hub, a culinary workshop room, a cinema room and a music room, while the first floor houses three rooms for volunteers, a conference room and office space. Art Residence will host workshops led by artists from around the world, as well as vocational courses, including culinary training.
Health as a foundation for development
Children entering the Foundation’s care often need not only safety and education, but also diagnosis and treatment. That is why the Doctors Rooms medical clinic is an important part of the Campus. It comprises a reception and waiting area, a laboratory, an infectious diseases consultation room with a pharmacy, an ophthalmology room and a paediatric room. Medical care will be provided to children from Kids Haven School, children from children’s homes in Tema, deaf children from Tema and members of the local community. Doctors Rooms is also expected to join the national vaccination programme and provide vaccinations for the Tema community. The Foundation is also developing a volunteering programme involving medical students and young doctors.
Sport and art give children wings, but health matters most to us. At Doctors Rooms, we provide free paediatric care, diagnostics, screening tests, including eye examinations, medicines and health education. All of this is being developed with the support of doctors, professors and students from the Medical University of Warsaw. We start with the children in our care and their families, but the doors of Doctors Rooms are open to every family in need in Tema.
Vanessa Mensah, Medical Projects Lead & Coordinator, Omenaa Foundation Council Member.
From first vocational skills to independence
Community Center also houses PHENOMENAA CAFE. More than a place to meet for coffee, ice cream and Ghanaian snacks, it will become a practical training environment. From 2027, Omenaa Foundation, together with E. Wedel, will launch vocational courses in barista skills, kitchen assistance and customer service for teenagers transitioning out of residential care in Ghana and beneficiaries of Omenaa Foundation. On the first floor, TOP CHARITY Creative Lab combines workspace for the Omenaa Foundation team with a space for science workshops for children. The goal is to make sure support does not end with safety, but helps young people move step by step towards independent adult life. In the future, the Campus will also develop entrepreneurship programmes and workshops for young people, passing practical knowledge and skills on to the next generation.
“I believe that the future of the world belongs to people of action and to a young generation with the courage to think differently, act together and build across divides. To people who see possibilities instead of borders. Because real change begins where courage, openness and readiness to act meet. This is exactly the future we want to help create through Omenaa Sport&Art Campus. Because every child, no matter where they were born,
deserves an equal start in life.Omenaa Mensah, Founder and President of Omenaa Foundation.
Partners turning support into tangible solutions
The Campus was made possible by funds raised through TOP CHARITY and by business partners who contributed to specific parts of the project. Xtreme Brands equipped Gym Center, while ASTON provided funding for its construction. DDB Design & Build supported the fit-out of Art Residence. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nigeria provided funding for medical equipment for Doctors Rooms, part of Community Center, while NOS DUO Foundation financed the construction of the medical facility. Wedel supports the vocational skills programme at PHENOMENAA CAFE, and Entereo provided computer equipment for children’s education and the team’s day-to-day work.wyposażenie Art Residence. Ambasada Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w Nigerii przekazała środki na sprzęt medyczny do Doctors Rooms, będącego częścią Community Center, a Fundacja NOS DUO sfinansowała budowę części medycznej. Wedel wspiera program praktycznych kompetencji zawodowych w PHENOMENAA CAFE, a Entereo przekazało sprzęt komputerowy do nauki dzieci i codziennej pracy zespołu.
Toyota donated a vehicle to the Foundation for daily care, transporting children who require hospitalisation and supporting rescue operations. BC ARMS provided additional armouring to increase the safety of the team during interventions. This partnership model reflects the wider philosophy of the project: business is not simply a sponsor, but contributes concrete resources and expertise that respond to real needs on the ground.
I am deeply convinced that business has a much greater role to play in philanthropy than simply being a sponsor. It can contribute what it values most: knowledge, expertise, networks and the ability to scale good solutions. Omenaa Sport&Art Campus is the best proof that when entrepreneurs engage in a concrete project, the results are visible from day one, in the everyday lives of children who are given a real chance to grow. I am immensely proud to accompany Omenaa on this journey. Her vision and determination ensure that our shared projects have not only scale, but above all, meaning.
Rafał Brzoska, Member of the Omenaa Foundation Council, Co-founder of TOP CHARITY.
From auction room to lasting impact
A key financial engine behind the project is TOP CHARITY, founded by Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska to bring together entrepreneurs, collectors, artists and private donors around social-impact projects. Since 2022, TOP CHARITY has raised more than EUR 58 million and supported over 300 projects. In September 2026, its first international edition took place in Venice. The auction alone raised EUR 3.034 million, including EUR 1.15 million for Andy Warhol’s “Katie Jones”.
Omenaa Sport&Art Campus shows what happens after the auction. Capital raised around art and business has been translated into a project that works every day: giving children access to development, healthcare, education, sport and art, and giving the local community access to new resources and opportunities.
31 October. Children at the centre of the Grand Opening
The official opening ceremony of Omenaa Sport&Art Campus took place on 31 October at 12:00 in Tema. The most symbolic moment belonged to the children of Kids Haven School, who cut the main ribbon of the Campus. The programme also included the inauguration of individual spaces, the “Common Ground” exhibition, a match between children, Ghanaian football legends and Polish athletes, and a concert by DJ Cuppy. After the official part, the Campus became a meeting place for children, the local community, partners, artists, athletes and guests from Poland and abroad.
The Grand Opening brought together guests from Poland, Ghana and other countries, representing the worlds of business, culture, sport and media. Polish personalities included Quebonafide, Mikołaj Bagiński, Ewa Chodakowska, Małgorzata Rozenek-Majdan, Radosław Majdan and Marcin Gortat. The international dimension of the event was underscored by DJ Cuppy and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, among others. Their presence reflected the idea of the Campus as a project connecting Poland, Ghana and the wider international community around a shared purpose.
This is not my first time in Africa, and each time I return changed. As a member of the Omenaa Foundation Council, I have seen this project at many stages: from the plan, through construction, to today. That makes it all the more moving to watch the children cut the ribbon of their own Campus. This place was created for them and with them in mind, and that is the most beautiful thing anyone can build.
Małgorzata Rozenek-Majdan, Member of the Omenaa Foundation Council.
I want you to remember one thing today: your future matters. You have the right to learn, to play, to try and to make mistakes. You have the right to discover your talents, including those you do not yet know you have. And our responsibility is to stand beside you and create the conditions in which that becomes possible.
Omenaa Mensah, addressing the children of Kids Haven.
