COVID-19 Isolation Centre: GFA President tours Ghanaman facility

GFA President Kurt E.S Okraku, on Tuesday May 13, 2020 toured the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence at Prampram to inspect the progress of work done at the facility which has been made available to government for use as an isolation centre.

Mr. Okraku was accompanied by Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Football Association Mr. Samuel Aboabire and GFA Head of Communications Henry Asante Twum.

The President’s visit was to acquaint himself with first-hand information on the progress of work since the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health took over the facility. Some renovation works are currently ongoing to make the place conducive for patients and health workers.

Nana Sarfo Oduro, a member of the Prampram Management Committee gave the GFA Media team an update on the progress of work:

“We have given this place to the COVID-19 team, that‘s the Ghana Health service. We have done massive changes here… We have projected and installed security lights all around the compound.

“We have done carpentry job by polishing the wardrobes, filling in the broken louvers, changing the frames and fixing the ceiling. As I speak to you, we are now doing the painting. All the blocks are being painted. The magnitude of work being undertaken here has saved the Ghana Football Association millions of cedis.

“Our predecessors have been fighting hard to fence the place but unfortunately we couldn’t do it because of lack of funds. But giving this place to the COVID-19 team has given us the opportunity to batter for it.”

Nana Sarfo Oduro, who doubles as a member of the GFA Executive Council, added: “They delivered 50 TV sets on Monday, they have about 100 mattresses, and they will bring fridges and 250 curtains here. I will fight for us to have some here after COVID-19, at least we did not rent the place to them.

“In the MOU, we have agreed that even when they have not exited and the national teams have a game, the Ministry of Health will look for a place for the team to camp because we do not want to move them out unprepared.

“When you look at Airport side Hotel and the other hotels they used as isolation centres, those hotels have been penciled down for a long period of time that means there is an exit plan.”

“By exiting they are going to fumigate the place and put the place back to a friendly atmosphere,” he assured.

For his part, Maxwell Caesar, a GFA Administrative staff at Prampram says the President’s visit came at a very good time.

“It feels good to welcome the President of the GFA here. Ever since the place was given out, this is the first time he has come here, work is going on smoothly.

“This land especially, we have been fighting for so many years to fence it band immediately when we heard that the Ministry wants to take this place as an isolation centre, the first thing they prioritized was fencing,” Caesar noted.

The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association, on April 16, 2020, announced offering the facility to government for use as an isolation centre in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.