Is Ghana ready to host the 2023 African Games?

October 2018 marked a historical moment in the sport's history of Ghana. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee at the time, announced on Happy FM that Ghana has secured the bid to host the All Africa Games. The news was met with enthusiasm and ecstasy.

It signaled the first time Ghana would host the continental showpiece - The grandest sport competition on the continent.

Underestimating the importance of this bid will be like doing a disservice to sports in this country.

Of course, no one in 2018, ever imagined the world being thrown into a cataclysmic state. 2020 put the world at a standstill and the sports world wasn’t left out.

Preparations by Ghana towards the 2023 All-Africa games have taken quite the slow route. For a country that won a bid against top competitors like Egypt and Nigeria, we had hoped to see more enthusiasm in the preparations. This goes on to highlight the lack of urgency and the bureaucracy that has marred our sports industry. Whether the government had plans to kickstart works early, remains unknown. However, this delay is the number 1 reason why we may probably be stripped of our hosting rights.

COVID 19 came with woes and is a prime factor as to why the construction of the 50,000- capacity Bortey Olympic Stadium has been put on hold. The ministry pinning all the blame on this factor is a bit of an overstretch as well. If the Ministry of Sports is known for one thing then that will be the glaring delay in executing projects.

Of all the reasons why the All-Africa games have been postponed in other countries, lack of infrastructure has never been one of them. Ghana might fill the seat pretty much soon if officials do not sit up.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF GHANA IS DENOUNCED OF ITS HOSTING RIGHTS?

The main reason we went for this bid was to improve sports infrastructure in the country. Our sports infrastructure is obviously in dereliction and the maintenance culture is subpar. Losing this bid will cost us the chance to see the true development of sports infrastructure which is essential if we want to catch up with the world. The Bortey Olympic stadium looks like a dream on paper but one we would relish if well executed. According to the President of Ghana, the complex is set to have a 50,000 sitting capacity, a multi-purpose sports hall with the capacity of 10,000 will be built to stage badminton, basketball, boxing, table tennis, and weightlifting. Aside from that, there would be a 500-seat temporary dome to host handball, judo, karate,taekwondo, and volleyball. There will also be a 1,00-capacity-Aquatics center, featuring a 10-lane competition and eight-lane warm-up pool.

The problem on our hands right now is, time is catching up quickly, and consequentially, the ministry now has to improvise and resurrect the Legon Stadium which has laid in ruins for over 17 years.

The bid was won under former sports minister, Isaac Asiamah and now Mustapha Yussi,f the new minister has inherited the burden of seeing this event through.

The president of Ghana said in September 2021, said in a speech that With the government, determined to bring back the glory days of Ghanaians in sports, in athletics, boxing, football, and table tennis, the provision of the requisite infrastructure to this end is critical if our nation is to regain its pride of place in sports on the continent and in the world.”

The event is set to happen in three cities -Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi. Three important cities in the countries can see a boost in economic value if Ghana retains its hosting rights. 54 countries from all over Africa will converge in Ghana for the games and the country has proven how sports is first from the bottom on its priority list.

From now till August 2023, as we have been reduced to spectators, all the masses can do is to watch Hon. Mustapha Ussif and his team pull off magic. As to whether or not we are ready, time will be the only judge.