Sports Ministry publishes upgrades done at Accra, Kumasi, and Essipong Stadia in reply to Ablakwa
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has responded to claims by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa suggesting that the Ministry wasted money on renovation works at various national stadia.
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The MP, amidst CAF's withdrawal of the approval license for the Baba Yara Stadium due to the poor state of its pitch, published several contracts related to the renovation of national stadia, questioning why Ghana would be banned from playing at home after all the awarded contracts.
In a 30-page response, the Ministry stated that it was "disingenuous" to use the poor condition of the Baba Yara pitch to question the volume of work done on the structures of the Baba Yara and Accra stadia over the past six years, as well as the ongoing renovation of the Essipong Stadium.
"Recent social media publications by the Hon. Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, have alleged wastage of national resources by the Government toward renovating national stadia," the statement read.
"The publications by the MP sought to mislead the public into believing that all these monies were paid without corresponding work being done, following recent issues with the Baba Yara pitch. Below is, however, a list of renovation works completed at the Accra, Baba Yara, and Essipong stadia."
The statement provided detailed accounts of the phased work done at the various stadia since 2018, including major works at the Accra Stadium, which the Ministry noted had been labeled a "death trap" by experts after being neglected for eight years under the previous NDC administration.
The Ministry further highlighted that since these major renovations, the Accra and Kumasi stadia have hosted several CAF and FIFA-certified matches, including the 2018 African Women's Cup of Nations, the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and AFCON qualifiers, countering the MP's claim that Ghana lacks adequate facilities.
"The statement by the MP sought to create the impression that funds were wasted without work done. However, it should be noted that FIFA/CAF Category 2 and 3 matches, including the 2018 AWCON, the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, and the 2022 World Cup and 2023 AFCON qualifying matches, were held at both the Accra and Baba Yara stadia, respectively. The recent 13th African Games, Accra 2023 football competition matches, were also held at the Accra and Cape Coast stadia," the statement continued.
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"It is disingenuous for the Hon. Member of Parliament for North Tongu to use the current state of the Baba Yara Stadium to imply that no work has been done at the aforementioned national stadia."
The Ministry also emphasized that between 2009 and 2017, the previous government, of which the Hon. MP was a member, did not conduct any major renovations at the Accra, Baba Yara, or Essipong stadia.
Read the entire statement below;