Government used $60 million to host African Games yet failed to refurbish stadia – Afriyie Ankrah

A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has criticised the government for the poor condition of the country's stadia, which has sparked controversy.

He questioned why the government spent about $60 million to host the 2023 African Games but failed to rehabilitate the stadia to meet international standards.

The former sports minister claimed that the Akufo-Addo-led government has failed the nation in sports management and should be publicly condemned.

“If you consider the fact that this is happening just when we had spent over $200 million and $60 million to host the All Africa Games and refurbish already built hostels. Here we are, it’s barely a year after the hosting of the All Africa Games, we spent all the money, we didn’t have the sense and the foresight to even refurbish any of our pitches and talk about even the stadia itself, that is colossal and monumental failure.

“You say we shouldn’t politicise it, but who should we blame? It’s the government that has failed, a personal failure, completely. People are not thinking, you know, it’s all about what they will get. That’s why we’re in the mess we are in. It’s a total disaster,” he said as quoted by citinewsroom.com.

This follows CAF's withdrawal of approval for the Baba Yara Stadium due to issues like an uneven playing field, poor drainage, and inadequate grass cover.

This decision came after the Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying match between Ghana and Angola on September 5, 2024.

In response, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has instructed the Ghana Football Association to invite CAF officials to inspect the Accra Sports Stadium and the Legon Stadium to determine if they meet the requirements to host Black Stars games.

SB/ ADG