Back in 2018, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) confirmed that Ghana was set to host the 13th African Games to be held in 2023 beating close challengers Egypt to host the multi-sport event.
In a press statement signed by then Deputy Minister of MoYS, Perry Okudzeto “The Ministry believes this is a unique opportunity to rewrite the scripts of Ghana sports for the next century.”
“The Ministry is committed to providing facilities for Ghana to host a successful tournament, as the continental sports event will be staged in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast.”
To 2020 now as a new 50,000-capacity stadium with multi-purpose sports halls for all indoor sports, aquatic centres for swimming and tennis courts was announced for the Games which would be built at Borteyman in the Greater Accra region and would cost a reported $200 million (GH₵1.1 billion).
“Presently, none of the sports stadia in Ghana meets the required standard for continental Games,” President Nana Akufo-Addo said about the project
“It is thus necessary to construct appropriate sports facilities in the country that will be able to host the 25 sporting disciplines from the African Games.”
It was also revealed that the plan is to turn the stadium and complex into a sports university after the Games.
We move now to this year 2021 where although it has been quite a chaotic year with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it was revealed that the lands for the stadium had been secured but the government is still working to secure funding for the project and as such no work has officially begun.
“I won’t come and sit here and say the President has given us every assurance that he is going to commit funds to building facilities to enable us to host the African Games,” The Local Organising Committee’s Executive Chairman Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare said in an interview with GTV Sport+’s Sunday Night Live show.
“So by saying that, the assurance the President has given us and the signs we have seen and where we have reached I have every belief that at least based on the options I put across earlier we may be able to utilise at least one of them.”
“I would favour the abridged version where we will have some facilities in place at Borteyman for the lesser disciplined sports that will also go a long way for us to unearth talent and create the facility for the youth to take advantage of those facilities.”
So when exactly will the project begin? and will it reach its conclusion? well current Minister of Youth and Sports Mustapha Ussif had this to say “I am not sure when actual works will begin because I do not control the process. As you know, the processes will involve the Finance Ministry, Parliament, Cabinet, Public Procurement Authority and all of that takes time.”
“Since 1965, we have never had the opportunity of hosting the African Games, and now we have the chance to do so. Already the President of Ghana has invested a lot of resources to help us host this tournament. We have the capacity to host these Games, and we will ensure it happens.”
