Private owners for Accra, Ksi stadia?

The National Sports Authority (NSA), with the approval from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS), has begun the process to outsource the management of the state’s marquee stadia, namely the Accra, Baba Yara, Sekondi and Tamale to private organisations.

A highly-placed source at the NSA disclosed that the process was about to enter the competitive bidding stage with advertisements expected in newspapers in the coming weeks.  

The move forms part of recommendations made by a group of eminent football personalities who met last July at a two-day retreat held at the Best Western Premium Hotel in the Airport Residential Area to brainstorm on the future of sports in Ghana.

The eminent personalities, as part of their 15-point recommendations, proposed that the national stadia should be outsourced to competent private bodies which can ensure regular and proper maintenance of the facilities and also generate revenue for sports development in the country.

The national stadia are currently in need of maintenance, while others, such as the Baba Yara Stadium, are in debt, which resulted in a facility located in Kumasi being disconnected last month by the Electricity Company of Ghana for owing bills totaling Gh₵784,000. 

The Public Relations Officer of the MOYS, Michael Frimpong, confirmed to the Graphic Sports that the ministry had received communication from the NSA with regard to privatisation of the stadia, stressing that the decision was subject to cabinet approval.

He noted: “The decision is based on the recommendations made by the eminent football personalities, the NSA wrote to us and we gave our approval. The NSA will be in the best position to give details about the timelines but it is all subject to cabinet approval”. 

However, the NSA’s acting Head of Public Relations, Frederica Mensah-Davies, declined comment about the issue, stating that management was yet to inform staff about the developments. She explained that her outfit would issue a statement by next Friday.