African Games 2023: Volunteers were misinformed about allowances - LOC chair

The Executive Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 2023 African Games, Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, has addressed the recent protests by volunteers, stating that they were misinformed about the stipends.

Volunteers clashed with the police at the Games Village in Legon, expressing discontent over what they believed to be promised financial compensation.

Despite over 1,000 individuals offering their services as volunteers for the continental event, tensions arose when they were asked to vacate their lodgings without receiving any monetary reward, just four days after the conclusion of the Games.

In an exclusive interview with JoySports, Dr. Ofosu-Asare clarified the situation, attributing the protests to miscommunication and misunderstanding.

"There was miscommunication and misunderstanding, they did not get it well. I said give me a definition of volunteerism. The letter given to them, there was nothing about monetary consideration,” Ofosu-Asare told JoySports in an exclusive interview.

"I won't fault them too much because when they got evicted [residence], the hostels that were used [belong to] private people.

Addressing the volunteers' concerns about lodging eviction, Dr. Ofosu-Asare explained that the accommodations were privately owned, hence the necessity for volunteers to depart.

"Right now, they arrange to give them some money to go home. They got a lot of things wrong that we are paying dollars to external volunteers. No external volunteers came. We did not have external volunteers.”

JNA/ ADG