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The multipurpose Borteyman Sports complex was officially opened by President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, marking the culmination of Ghana’s preparations to host its first-ever All Africa Games showcase since independence.
The occasion will also mark the beginning of the 25-day countdown to the continent of Africa’s largest multidisciplinary sporting competition, which will take place at the University of Ghana’s newly built facilities and the Borteyman Sports Facilities.
The President claims that the smart choice that resulted in the adoption of the hybrid method has paid off, as the facilities at the University of Ghana and in Borteyman are prepared to host the 13th edition of the Games.
Following the unexpected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s infrastructure development plans and general preparations, Ghana has shown commitment and resilience despite preparations that were largely marked by challenges and uncertainties.
“When all hope appeared lost, we came up with a brilliant idea of adopting a hybrid approach to hosting the Games, that is, using facilities at the University of Ghana, which were under construction, as well as selected facilities we could develop on time, here in Borteyman,” President Akufo-Addo said at the brief yet resplendent commissioning ceremony.
In the face of calls and increased pressure by some pessimists, for Ghana to withdraw from hosting the tournament, the President told the gathering that, “Ghana remained resolute and can be proud of the massive sporting infrastructure we have put in place for the Games, which will be a huge legacy for the country.”
There will be thousands of spectators in the nation, 3,000 seasoned officials, 5,000 elite athletes, and an estimated 2.2 billion viewers worldwide across traditional and social media platforms during the games.
Ghana has never hosted the African Games in its fifty-seven years of existence, despite being a founding member of the organization under the direction of its first leader, Kwame Nkrumah.
Responding President Akufo-Addo in response to this, said, “there is a time for everything, and this is our time. We are now ready and capable of organising and hosting the rest of the continent, here in Ghana. The people and Government Ghana are honoured and grateful to the Africa Union for the opportunity to host the rest of Africa for the first time in our history.
He stated that, “the construction of these magnificent, multi-purpose facilities at Borteyman and the University of Ghana for the African Games, clearly demonstrate the Akufo-Addo Government’s commitment to the development of much-needed sports infrastructure in Ghana.”
“Over the last seven years, my government has renovated the Accra Sports Stadium, Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. In addition to this, Government has built ten sports stadia in the ten original regions of our country. Six of these stadia, namely Wa in Upper West, Dunkwa on Offin in Central, Axim in Western, Dormaa Ahenkro in Bono, Ho in Volta and Koforidua in Eastern, are ready, with the Koforidua Sports Stadium having been commissioned by me. The remaining four are expected to be completed this year.”
With only three public Astro turfs constructed across the country before January 2017, he disclosed that, government has invested massively in the provision of 150 astro turf pitches for various communities across the country.
Whilst offering the assurance of the best arrangements for planned events and a taste of the famed Ghanaian hospitality, he said, “Government, together with the African Union, the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (ANOCA) and the Association of Africa Sports Confederations (AASC) and other partners, will do everything possible to make our visitors welcome,” and admonished “the Minister for Youth and Sports, staff of the Ministry and the Local Organizing Committee to go all out and organise the best African Games in history.”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
