Ghana to establish new university for sports development - Mustapha Ussif

The Minister designate for Sports, Mustapha Ussif, says Ghana will establish a new university dedicated to sports development after hosting the 2023 All African Games.

The university, he said, will help to enhance sports development in Ghana and by extension, West Africa.

During his vetting at the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday, February 25, 2021, Mr Ussif said, when Ghana won the bid to host the All African Games, the government through the ministry decided that after the event, the infrastructural facilities that will be put up to host the event will be turned into a university.

Mr Ussif, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Yagaba-Kubori in the North East Region, said the Ministry will set up an Olympic Village to host the event and that, the Olympic Village will be turned into a university for sports development.

"We are setting up a sub-committee to look at the infrastructure development. We are going to put up, given the opportunity, an Olympic Village; and the Olympic Village will come with facilities which after the games, will serve as university for sports development," he explained.

When asked whether the establishment of the university was the plan of the Ministry, Mr Ussif responded in the affirmative, saying "Yes, Mr Chairman, that is the plan of the ministry per the briefings I have gotten."

He added that when President Akufo-Addo himself was inaugurating the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the games, he made an "emphatic statement that after the games, we will use the facility to establish a university for sports development; that will be the second university for sports in the whole of Africa."

In responding to what will then become of the Winneba Sports College after the establishment of the new university for sports development, he said, "This will be an entirely new facility that we are going to put up for the games, but after the games, we have to utilise the facilities and the government policy is that, we will turn the facility into a university for sports development."

He was of the view that the new university was important because there was no such university in the whole of West Africa dedicated to sports, saying "what we have currently is a college at Winneba."

Mr Ussif also hinted that Ghana is poised to make some strides at the 2023 All African Games, saying "We don't just want to host the African cup of nations without winning medals, adding “government is committed to host the best African games in the country."