Prez. Kufuor to address AU Sports Ministers Conference

Accra, Sept 25, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufour is to be the Special Guest of Honour and expected to deliver a keynote address at the Second Session of the Africa Union Conference of Ministers of Sports slated for the Accra International Conference Centre from Friday, October 10 to Tuesday, October 14.

The event is the second after the re-formation of the Africa Union and comes to Ghana in recognition of the invaluable contributions that the nation has made over the years towards Africa's socio-economic development.

It is also in the wake of the successful hosting of the 26th CAN football tournament which this year positioned Ghana in Africa and the world's view and raised the image of Africa's organization of sports worldwide.

The five-day event under the theme "Harmonizing and Coordinating Sport Policies for Sustainable Development", the conference will deliberate on issues including Draft Sports Policy framework for Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Africa Legacy Project. Ghana already holds the chairmanship of both the AU Conference of Ministers of Sports (Osei Bonsu Amoah, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports) and the Bureau of Experts of the AU Conference of Ministers of Sport.

Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, Director of Sports Development at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports in a release copied to GNA Sports mentioned the Report on the Restructuring of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the relations between Governments, National Sports Movements and International Sports Organization as other relevant issues penciled for discussion.

He said among events scheduled to run alongside the Conference are the Sports-for-Development Clinic for about 500 children between the ages of 12 and 16 as well as an exhibition for manufacturers and producers of sports goods and services, sports medicine and sports events management organizations at the venue of the conference. The sport clinic has been fixed for the Ohene Djan Stadium on the morning of Sunday, October 12 at the Ohene Djan Stadium with the exhibition billed for the venue of the event. The event is the second after the re-formation of the Africa Union in 2002.