Don’t compare your mediocre achievement in sports to NDC – Joseph Yamin to Bawumia

The NPP government comes nowhere close to the Mahama government when it comes to sports infrastructure development, Joseph Yamin, a former deputy sports minister has said.

Yamin says the Mahama administration undertook monumental projects in the sports industry unlike the Akufo-Addo government which is constructing mediocre and less-important facilities

He mentioned the Cape Coast Stadium and the Bukom Boxing Arena as two of the numerous projects built by the Mahama government.

“He has nothing to compare so anything he finds around, he thinks he should talk about it and make it look extraordinary. How can you say because you are building pitches around the country, you have done better than someone who has given you an international size stadium? We are not just talking about building the structures, we are also look at the structures giving us opportunities to be hosting international activities”.

“Today we can boast of hosting an international boxing bout not at the Accra Sports Stadium but now at the Bukom Boxing Arena which has everything boxing needs. You want to tell me that the amount in putting up such edifice which has open Ghana up to the international level, you can compare pitches being constructed to that” Joseph Yamin told www.ghanaweb.com in an interview.

He added that aside the infrastructure, the performance of national teams under both government shows that the NDC did better than the NPP.

“It is not only about infrastructure, it is also about performance. If we wanted to do the pitches Bawumia is talking about, the Cape Coast Stadium could have done twenty of that. Four years in this administration, they have struggled to pass the quarterfinals in any competition. Why he didn’t touch on that?” Yamin asked.

The former deputy Sports minister was reacting to some statements made by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at a town hall meeting held on Tuesday.

Dr Bawumia said that the NPP has since 2017 undertaken 68 projects.

“Total of 68 sports projects have been undertaken since 2017. Twelve have been completed and 56 are ongoing. One of the key projects we are doing in the sporting area is the construction of ten 5000-seater youth and sports centres of excellence in ten regions and these are at various stages of completion,”

“The Accra Sports Stadium which has not been renovated in a decade has now been renovated. Renovation works at the Essipong and Kumasi sports stadia have also begun. Work has also resumed on the University of Ghana sports stadium. We are also constructing at least 29 astro turfs in several communities across the country,” the vice president added.