The Vice President and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that government took a strategic decision to host the 13th African Games, as part of its vision to provide adequate sports infrastructure for all sports in the country.
Speaking at the 48th SWAG Awards Night in Accra on Friday, Dr. Bawumia said hosting the African Games in Ghana, for the first time in the nation’s history, has addressed a “generational problem” of inadequate multi-sports facilities in Ghana.
“One of the areas our government realised Ghana was lacking, when we assumed office in 2017, was inadequate infrastructure for multiple sports disciplines at both national, regional and district levels.
“We also realised that our various national stadia were in ruins and needed urgent repairs,” Dr. Bawumia admitted.
“For these reasons, we set out an ambitious programme to invest heavily in providing sports infrastructure across board, in a manner that has never happened in the history of our country. For the then 10 regions of our country, we decided to construct a multi-purpose sports stadium in each of the 10 regions, commencing with Phase One in 2018. Today, six of the 10 sports stadiums, with multi-sports facilities and youth resource centre, are ready, with the Koforidua Sports Stadium already commissioned. In the coming weeks, the remaining five will be commissioned and the Phase 2 of the other 4 under construction are expected to be completed this year.
“Also, as part of our vision to develop adequate multi-discipline sports infrastructure, to aid the development of sports, and not just football, the government decided that Ghana should bid and host the African Games, which will be held in Accra in March 2024,” Dr. Bawumia said.
Hosting the African Games, Dr. Bawumia noted, does not only bring Africa’s biggest sporting event to Ghana, for the first time in the history of the country, but has also ensured that “we have achieved a generational objective of having world class facilities for multi-sports disciplines in Ghana”.
The Vice President went on to break down the multi-sports facilities at both the Borteyman Sports Complex and the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
“At the Borteyman Sports Complex, one of two venues for the African Games, we have built a world-class aquatic centre with 10-lane competition pool, and another 10 lanes for warm-up. The Borteyman Sports Complex also has a 1,000-seater multi-purpose sports hall for indoor sports such as basketball, boxing, volleyball, hand ball and other indoor games.
“The Complex has an additional 5 world-class tennis courts. One of the tennis courts is covered, with spectators’ stand of 1,000 seats,” stated the Vice President.
“Apart from the multi-purpose halls, the Borteyman Sports Complex also has another 1,000-seater dome for more indoor games, a warm-up athletics tracks and also a standard football field,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia continued: “At the University of Ghana campus, which will be another venue for the African Games, our government has almost completed the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, which had been abandoned for eight years.
“The stadium has been upgraded to international standard, with modern athletics tracks. Government has also built a standard warm-up athletics tracks beside the stadium, as well as a standard football pitch. Also at the University of Ghana, we are building a standard rugby pitch.”
The Vice President stressed that all these investments by the government, “coupled with our government’s remarkable investment in the construction of about 155 Astro-turfs around the country for district and local-level sports, further demonstrates our commitment to a new sports development agenda.”
