The Minister for Youth and Sports says he is confident that the proposed 50,000 Olympic Stadium for the 2023 Africa Games will be completed in time to host the multi-sport event.
In October 2020, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) procedure commenced for the construction of a new 50,000 capacity Olympic Stadium for the 2023 Africa Games in Ghana.
The stadium, which will be sited at Borteyman in the Greater Accra Region will cost an estimated $200 million and is projected to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the African Games.
In an interview on Face To Face on Citi TV, the Yagaba-Kubori legislator said the Government of Ghana is working on securing external funds to help complete the project.
“Currently we have secured lands at Borteyman through the University of Ghana and the school was so generous to give us acres of land just around the Nungua farms.
“We have also started the process of getting external funding to enable us to complete this construction. A local organizing committee has also been inaugurated to see to it that the project is completed.
“We have also engaged more with the University of Ghana because it is their hostels that will be used during the Olympic Games to accommodate the athletes from the 54 African countries.”
“No foundation has been laid yet but an environmental impact assessment has been done to enable us to cut the sod and start the actual work on the site.
“But you know this type of construction is different and most often than not, fabricated steels are used, and we have been assured by the contractors that if a financial and commercial agreement is finally met, they will use at least 24 months to execute the project.”
When quizzed when actual works will start, Mustapha Ussif said he is uncertain of the timelines for the project, but he is fully committed to ensuring that the needed processes are followed to help the country have a successful tournament.
“I am not sure when actual works will begin because I do not control the process. As you know, the processes will involve the Finance Ministry, Parliament, Cabinet, Public Procurement Authority and all of that takes time.
“Just to say that I do not control these things, but I can assure you that the Government of Ghana is committed to this project. I am also committed to ensuring that the necessary things needed to complete this project ahead of the Africa Games in 2023 will be done.”
“Since 1965, we have never had the opportunity of hosting the African Games, and now we have the chance to do so. Already, the President of Ghana has invested a lot of resources to help us host this tournament. We have the capacity to host these games, and we will ensure it happens,” he said.
The 13th edition of the African Games, formerly known as the All Africa Games, will involve 54 countries competing in 25 sporting disciplines.