Akufo-Addo cuts sod for the construction of $145 million Borteyman Sports Complex
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for the commencement of work for the construction of the one hundred- and forty-five-million-dollar ($145 million) sports complex at Borteyman, in the Greater Accra Region, which will be used for the 2023 African Games.
The site is made up of a one thousand (1,000) seater competition swimming, an 8-lane warm-up swimming pool; a one thousand (1,000) seater multi-purpose sports hall for basketball, badminton, boxing, table tennis and weightlifting; and a five-hundred-seater (500) temporary dome for handball, volleyball, judo, karate and taekwondo.
Part of the complex comprises a five (5) tennis court complex, a 6-lane warm-up athletics track, one FIFA standard football training field and a 6-kilometre single lane road as well as a 3-kilometre double lane road.
President Akufo-Addo during the ceremony on Tuesday, 31st August 2021, at Borteyman, stated that, since the inception of the African Games in 1965, Ghana has never won a bid to host the games and this could be a good ground for a new beginning.
“It is in light of this that I instructed the Ministry of Youth and Sports, on 8th May 2018, to prepare, bid and win the hosting rights of the 13th African Games. At the meeting of the African Union’s Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture and Sports in Algiers, capital of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, on Thursday, 25th October 2018, our bid was endorsed, and Ghana was officially declared host of the 13th edition of the Games. COVID-19 notwithstanding, I am confident that Ghana will organize the best ever African Games in history,” the president mentioned.
The President also added that 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.
It was also addressed by the president that the University of Ghana Sports facility which was abandoned by past governments will be upgraded to international standards.
“In place of the Olympic Stadium Complex here at Borteyman, the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, which was abandoned during the eight years of NDC rule from 2009 to 2017, will be upgraded to international standards for some events for the African Games. I say a big thank you to the acting Vice-Chancellor and management of the University of Ghana for this opportunity,” he said.
By: Elisha Aberiganya | Follow us on Twitter @activtvgh
