Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at 48th Nguvu SWAG Awards

Last night, I joined members of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) and the sports fraternity, for the 48th Annual SWAG Awards Night, which recognised and awarded outstanding Ghanaian athletes, sports officials and sports journalists.

Speaking on the theme, ‘leveraging the benefits of hosting the African Games,” I pointed out how our government’s strategic decision to host the African Games, for the first time in Ghana’s history, has resolved a generational problem of inadequate infrastructure for multi-sports disciplines, through the world-class sports facilities we have built at both Borteyman and the University of Ghana campus to host the African Games in March this year.

At the Borteyman Sports Complex, we have built a world class aquatic centre with 10-lane competition pool, and another 10 lanes for warm up. The Borteyman Complex also has a 1000-seater muti-purpose sports hall for indoor games such as basketball, boxing, volleyball, table tennis, judo, hand ball and other indoor games. It has an additional 5 world-class tennis courts, one of which is covered, with spectators stand of 1000 seats. The Complex also has another 1000-seater dome for more indoor games, a warm-up athletics tracks and  a standard football field.

At the University of Ghana campus, which will be another venue for the African Games, our government has virtually completed the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, which had been  abandoned for eight years by the previous NDC government. The Legon Stadium has now been upgraded to international standard, with modern athletics tracks and a standard warm-up athletics tracks beside the stadium. We have also built a standard football pitch and also, a standard a rugby pitch is nearing completion.

While pointing out how all these facilities, in addition to the 10 new sports stadia in each of the 10 regions, which six are ready, as well as the 155 astro turfs commissioned, fits into our new sports vision, and will propel Ghana’s sports development and promotion, I also stressed on the need for the adoption of a modern facilities maintenance module, to ensure the standard of the facilities are maintained at all times. 

Congratulations to all award winners.

Source Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia