106 saloon cars, 30 Ayalolo buses: Breakdown of the 332 vehicles Ghana intends to use for African Games

It has emerged that the Local Organizing Committee of the 2023 African Games plans to use 332 vehicles for the competition scheduled for March 8 to March 24, 2024.

According to a handbook released by the LOC, the transportation plan for the competition will require the purchasing or hiring of 332 vehicles that will perform various roles during the tournament.

Per the document, the LOC intends to acquire 55 buses, 29 Land Cruisers, 106 Saloon Cars, 26 minibuses, 78 Wagons, 30 Ayalolo buses, 5 trucks and 3 Toyota Land Cruiser Prados for the competition.

The revelation comes on the back of allegations by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that the government is planning to spend a staggering US$48million as ‘operational expenses’ at the tournament.

On Monday, February 26, 2024, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, armed with documents, revealed what he purports to be the budget for operations at the 13th African Games.

He accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the sports ministry, and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the games of being complicit in the ballooned expenditure.

The three groups, he said in a February 26, 2024, post on social media, "have shockingly agreed to spend an elephantine, wrongful and unconscionable US$48 million on so-called 'operational expenses' for the 13th African Games to be hosted in Ghana between the period — March 5 to March 23, 2024. [Refer to intercepted documents attached]

"2. It must be noted that this staggering US$48 million is an entirely different amount from the mega US$195 million (GHS2.4 billion) already spent on infrastructure for the games. The LOC have meanwhile responded to the claims by Ablakwa, describing it as ‘erroneous and disingenuous”.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the LOC rejected what they claim to be a deliberate spinning of facts to divert the focus of Ghanaians from the supposed good works they have done so far.

EK