Former Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 13th African Games, Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, has called comparisons between Ghana’s spending on the African Games and the cost of hosting the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) a mistake.
Dr. Ofosu-Asare made the comments when he appeared before Parliament’s Sports Committee on Wednesday, September 16, to answer questions about the reported 250-million-dollar expenditure on the African Games, amid concerns over the Local Organising Committee’s management of funds.
According to Dr. Ofosu-Asare, the scale of the African Games, particularly the expenditure on infrastructure, operational costs and feeding, must be considered when assessing the total amount spent on the competition.
He argues that the African Games was a multi-sport event involving several disciplines and participating countries, requiring significant investment beyond the competition period.
Dr. Ofosu-Asare therefore believes that comparing the expenditure on the African Games with the cost of hosting the 2008 AFCON does not fairly assess the resources committed to the continental multi-sport event.
“That is a mistake we make as country, everybody is comparing us to 2008 AFCON. Mr. Chairman with all due respect, 2008 was just for one discipline, it was just for 16 countries”.
“We hosted 53 countries, 23 disciplines and 8 demonstrations disciplines, way beyond AFCON, and that’s the biggest mistake, Ghanaians have made and therefore we should look at differently from the AFCON” he said”.
Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare appeared before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports alongside the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams.
The appearance forms part of the Committee’s inquiry into the expenditure and management of funds for the 13th African Games, with particular attention to the reported 250-million-dollar expenditure on the event.
