Mantrac Ghana, authorized dealer for Caterpillar products in Ghana through its collaboration with the Right to Dream Academy(RtD), has officially launched the state-of-the-art training facility dubbed theMantrac Centre at Old Akrade, near Akosombo in the Eastern Region.
The Mantrac Centre, which is comprised of eight first-class grass pitches, has provided Africa’s premier football academy with some of the best sports facilities in Ghana. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the Centre, Emad Adeeb, Managing Director of Mantrac Ghana, said: “Mantrac Ghana has played a vital role in the total development of Ghana for the past 75 years - we do not just provide world class construction & Mining Equipment, but also invest in people.
“The Right to Dream Academy fits perfectly in our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy - to impact our communities with sustainable initiatives that will travel beyond Ghana. This marks the first stage of our collaboration with the RtD Academy, which comes at a crucial time for Ghana football as it looks towards the World Cup in Brazil. We are proud that RtD is developing strong, self-disciplined footballers, who can go on to have a significant impact on the male and female national teams. We are proud that the Mantrac Centre will go a long way to help achieve the goals of RtD and impart on the greater glory of Ghana”. RtD Vice-Captain, Andrews Boakye, reflected: “On behalf of the student body, I want to thank Mantrac for supporting the growth of RtD. The Mantrac Centre has transformed our training sessions and the capacity to develop our footballing talent. “These eight pitches provide all 75 students with a top quality playing surface that suits our playing style and enables us to perform to our maximum capacity.
“It is also now easier to prepare for big international tournaments such as the Manchester United Premier Cup in the UK and the Gothia Cup in Sweden. I can confidently say that the Academy pitches can be compared to the ones we play on in Europe, thanks to Mantrac.” Mantrac has gone above and beyond with its support of RtD by also helping with the general road construction work at the Academy, coupled with the site preparation for the construction of the RtD Girls’ dormitory, contributing to the successful establishment of Africa’s first residential girls’ academy in May 2013. The Founder and CEO of Right to Dream, Tom Vernon commented: "I am hugely encouraged by the collaboration with Mantrac Ghana. Their generosity and support of the Right to Dream Academy is a great example of the positive impact the private sector can make in the development of young, African talent."
With the benefit of training on the world-class pitches at the academy, the RtD Academy in partnership with Tullow has gone on to play some prestigious tournaments in the world – achieving top eight status at the U15 World Finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup, and placing third at the U18 Gothia Cup in Sweden. The relationship between RtD and Mantrac started at the end of 2012 when Mantrac - the authorized dealer for Caterpillar products - generously donated the equipment and manpower to enable the construction of the pitches – with four full-sized pitches and four 8-a-side pitches – across 5 acres of land. The Mantrac Centre has played host to some of Ghana’s best clubs and national teams, including two-time African Champions, Asante Kotoko, the Ghana U-17 and U-20 male and female teams.
The launch of the Mantrac Centre is a landmark moment for the collaboration between the RtD and Mantrac Ghana.
