The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, has pledged to “account for every cedi” spent during the recently held All African Games in Ghana.
Ghana hosted the pan-continental competition in March, and the Ministry confirmed that a total of $195 million was spent on infrastructure development in preparation for the 2023 African Games.
Presenting a statement on the post-African Games at Parliament House on Tuesday, Mr. Ussif assured, “We are not hiding anything; every penny will be accounted for, rest assured.”
His response came after the Minority demanded that he provide a detailed account of the expenditure.
Parliament, in the 2024 budget, approved GH₵150 million for the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and an additional US$48 million, translating into GH₵750 million for the LOC’s operations, plus another US$195 million for infrastructure for the games.
The minister also stated that the Ministry intends to institutionalize National Games competitions to utilize the new sports facilities, develop sports talents, and position Ghana as a hub for sports development on the continent.
According to the minister, the 13th African Games, Accra 2023, was largely successful despite initial challenges, fears, and anxiety about meeting deadlines for the provision of facilities, infrastructure, and acquisition of necessary equipment and logistics for the Games. “The timely intervention of His Excellency, the President of the Republic, ensured the resolution of all the challenges and made the organization of the Games possible as scheduled. With the organization of the 13th African Games, Ghana can now boast of world-class sporting facilities ready to host both local and international competitions,” he added.
By Eugene Davis
