Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture on Monday undertook a working tour of facilities earmarked to host the 2023 Africa Games to appraise themselves with the progress of work done so far.
The facilities comprise the multi-disciplinary Borteyman Sports Complex for indoor games and the University of Ghana Stadium for outdoor games.
The Borteyman facility includes a 1000-seater enclosed tennis court, a 1000-seater multi-purpose hall, and a 1000-seater aquatic complex for swimming, among others.
The University of Ghana facility on the other hand has a 10,000-seater stadium with track and field features, an athletics warm-up field, a rugby pitch and hostel facility for athletes.
The Borteyman complex, according to contractors, Contracta Ltd, is 100 per cent complete on the engineering front, 22 per cent complete with actual construction, and 15 per cent done with procurement.
Business Development Director of the construction company, Mr
Eliel Vieira, told the parliamentary delegation that the facility would be ready for use by end of this year.
“By December this year construction would be done if every other conditions are met. It is not impossible.
“If we have the materials and the resources we need, we can deliver because we have the expertise,” he stated.
According to Mr Vieira, they had received 60 per cent of funding and some of the materials needed to complete the facility had been procured and would be delivered to site soon.
He vouched for the facility, when completed, to last at least 20 years because the materials being used had anti-rust protection and could last longer with regular maintenance.
The University of Ghana facility, being executed by Consar Ltd, the Committee members were told is 75 per cent complete and was expected to be done by July this year with the Rugby pitch and the hostel facilities all expected to be completed by December.
Chairman of the Committee, Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng, MP, Berekum West, interacting with the media after the working tour said the Committee was satisfied with the level of work done, and expressed the optimism that with commitment from the government to meet the financial demands, the contractors would deliver in time for the games.
Ranking Member on the Committee, and MP for South Tongu, Kobina Mensah Woyome, on his part said hosting the games offered Ghana a huge marketing opportunity; an opportunity the country must not miss to further sell itself to the rest of the world.
Executive Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, said their target is to get the best of African athletes to participate in the games to give it the experience every Ghanaian looks forward to.
The games, the 13th since its inception, originally scheduled to be held in 2023 has been rescheduled from March 8 to March 23, 2024.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
