The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asked the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Mustapha Ussif and the Local Organising Committee of the 13th African Games to step aside following Ghana’s unpreparedness to host the competition.?
The NDC accused the government of bringing?’the name of Ghana into disrepute after rendering the national economy bankrupt’.
In a statement issued by Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, copied to the Ghana News Agency, it said the party’s leadership was disappointed with the rate at which participating countries were opting out of the competition.
‘The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has just sighted media publications about South Africa’s decision to withdraw its men’s and women’s hockey teams from the ongoing African Games due to the substandard nature of Ghana’s Hockey Pitch.?
The other day, Ghana’s Cycling Champion, Michael Naaba had to withdraw from the ongoing cycling competition after his personal bicycle which he was using for the co
mpetition broke down shortly after the contest started.’
The statement added that Ghana’s Swimming Team also withdrew from the 4×100 relay final for undisclosed reasons.?
The NDC accused the government for supervising a competition which had yielded nothing but embarrassment and shame for the country.
It described the preparation process as ‘scandalous’ and would be revisited by the next NDC government.
‘With immediate effect, and in line with the spirit of probity and accountability that undergird the Constitution of Ghana, the NDC demands the??resignation or dismissal of the Minister of Youth and Sports for his gross incompetence which has occasioned this monumental embarrassment to the nation.
The dissolution of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the ongoing All
African Games. A forensic audit into the budget and expenditure for the preparation and organization of the games. A televised probe by Parliament into the expenditure and organisation of the games,’ it said.
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Source: Ghana News Agency
WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service will next week announce the lead consultant for the renovation of the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.
This was revealed by the ministry’s Executive Director (ED), Erastus Haitengela, during an interview with Nampa on Monday.
Haitengela said football fans are frustrated by the fact that the Independence Stadium was declared unfit to host international football matches by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
‘We are finalising the appointment of a consultant. By next week the successful bidder will be announced from the 10 we received. Of the 10 who showed interest, two were international bidders. Two consultants out of these top 10 have been shortlisted and the winner will be announced next week,’ he said.
The ED added that their target is to see the stadium fully operational by the end of May 2025, ahead of the Region Five Games, scheduled for December next year in Namibia.
‘We are not going to aim for category five when doing renovations, we will at least target category three which is still a required standard by CAF and FIFA,’ he said.
Haitegela stated despite receiving the N.dollars 143 million to renovate the stadium the ministry does not know what the costs involved are and will only have a clear understanding of the cost implications once the lead consultant is appointed.
He also said that for the ministry to realise its goals and targets with the project, it will not only be using one contractor, but will make use of different contractors for the renovation to be completed within the stipulated time frame.
‘Our first target is to get the tartan track in place as we are preparing to host the Region Five Games,’ he noted.
Haitengela emphasised that their goal is to complete the project so that Namibians are once again be able to use their facilities with ease.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency