Mr.
Isaac Kwame Asiamah, Minister of Youth and Sports, has said rehabilitation
works at the Essipun Sports Stadium, has been catered for in the new six-year
Ghana Sports Renaissance Plan, to be launched next month.
To this end, actors in the sports industry were to develop sustainable plan to make the Essipun Stadium yield the desired impact economically and socially.
Professor Peter Twumasi Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) speaking on behalf of the Minister disclosed this at a forum of 120 leading actors in the sports industry in the Western region.
According to the Minister, the plan would lead to the revival of sporting activities at the Stadium and bring it back to shape since its construction in 2008.
The forum also coincided with the inauguration of all 14 district sports as well as the Regional Sports Committee by the Regional Minister.
He commended Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, in his effort to operationalize 2016 Sports Act 934 and pledged full cooperation of the NSA to achieve the vision of Western Region Sports Committee.
Mr. Darko-Mensah said the state of Essipun Stadium was a reflection of the current status of Western regional sports economy, adding that operationalising the 2016 Sports Act 934 in the region will provide the structure on which the new regional sports economy could be built.
Mr. Darko -Mensah was confident in the new committee which took 21 days to organize the forum to collate ideas on how to achieve the vision of making the Western region, the best in sports in terms of opportunities for talent development and economic contribution.
Nana Kobina Nketiah V, Omanhene of Essikado, who presided over the forum set the tone for discussions by prescribing attitudinal change and development of a pragmatic strategic sustainable plans, as requisite inputs to transform sports development in the Western region.
Mr. Wilson Arthur, Chairman of the Western Regional Sports Committee, said participants were carefully selected to represent the entire sports economy and were imbued with experience and expertise to share.
He challenged them to accept responsibility for the current state of the Western regional sports economy as their actions and inactions which had contributed to the outcomes.
Mr. Arthur was optimistic that participants after the event would have clearer goals and targets for sport development.
Mr. Rex Danquah a member of the Sports Policy Review Committee and Consultant for the Sports Fund, said there was the need for a paradigm shift among people involved in sports, to see
–GNA
