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Let’s support the 2023 Ghana African Games
It is less than two years left for Ghana to welcome more than 5,000 athletes from over 50 countries to the African Games. It would be Ghana’s first Games, 56 years since it roared off in Congo Brazzaville.
The nation’s pace of preparations has come under a barrage of criticisms, with many wondering whether the desired facilities including an ultra-modern Olympic-size stadium would be ready for the Games in 2023.
Number without count, Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2023 African Games, has indicated strappingly the nation’s readiness to oblige the continent to the 13th quadrennial festival.
Without any shred of doubt, there is a huge workload on the shoulders of the Organising Committee and its stakeholders to make the Games an engaging reality.
With the nation’s sporting infrastructure nothing to write home about as compared to our North African neighbours, it is important that we support the LOC to achieve its target.
Indeed, with the Government determined to claw back the halcyon days of Ghanaian sports, in athletics, boxing, football and table tennis, the provision of the requisite infrastructure, to this end, is critical if our nation is to recapture its pride of place in sports on the continent and in the world.
True, hosting the Games will afford Ghana the opportunity to address capacity deficiencies, by providing the relevant human resource capacity to run and manage sports in Ghana. The state-of-the-art sporting facilities, importantly, will support the development of sports as the Games serve as a pathway to reorganise less-financed sports in the country.
Apart from football, boxing and athletics, which are noted as big sporting disciplines in Ghana, over 25 other sporting disciplines are classified as ‘lesser-known’ or less-financed sports because of the lack of financial support and interest from government and the public – and the Games would be a perfect opportunity to realise the potential of these sports to make them burly disciplines.
For instance, the Games will produce a 1,000-seater multi-purpose sports hall for badminton, boxing, volleyball, and weightlifting, and five tennis courts complex including 1,000 centre courts. This should be a great heritage and huge elevation for the often disregarded disciplines in Ghana.
Obviously, that is not to say we should not whip the Committee into line when they go off beam or fail to live up to expectation. Members on the Committee are worth their salt and have to prove that mettle by wearing the skin off their hands to produce one of the finest Games ever in the annals of the multi-sports Pan African festival.
Member of the Committee, Ms Eva Okyere, may have put it more appropriate when she urged the media to treat the Ghana 2023 Games as a national project without any political colouration, “even as you go about your professional duties of keeping the LOC on its toes.” Great call!
We cannot wait for Ghana 2023. Let us prop up the effort, and make it a grand success story.
By John Vigah
Ghana’s parliament has marked the 2nd edition of May Day 2026 under the theme “ Welcome Home”.
It was special day meant to celebrate the invaluable support of the workforce, recognizing the commitment, resilience, and contributions of workers to institutional growth and national development.
Delivering the message on behalf of the Speaker, the 1st Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, described the theme as very apt, appropriate, and timely, noting that Parliament is more than a workplace, it is a shared home.
He emphasized that we cannot speak about work without speaking about people, reminding everyone that the true measure of our work is the well-being of our people.
He urged that our traditional clothing become an integral part of our everyday clothing, and that our local languages must become integral to our daily lives, interwoven into education and practiced at home.
Referencing Standing Order 63, which captures the use of local language as optional in deliberations, he encouraged a renewed commitment to identity, saying it is significant that we “come home” and present who we are so future generations can inherit a story they can fully tell.
The Clerk, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, in his remarks commended officers for their dedication and devotion to duty, calling on them to go the extra mile and leave legacies.
Echoing the reminder that an unexamined life is not worth living, he described the event as an invitation to reconnect with our roots through cultural revival.
The Deputy Clerk, C&FMS, Dr. Gloria Sarku Kumawu, urged all not to forget their roots, the people behind the stories of ministries, industries, and the strides made both in-house and beyond.
What began last year has now become a meaningful tradition, showcasing Ghanaian heritage, fostering unity, and encouraging innovation under the principle of diversity for unity and diversity for progress, she added.
The gathering brought together leadership, public officials, and staff across all levels, along with the media, standing as a unifying platform that honored service, celebrated culture, and reaffirmed a shared commitment to national development.
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Manhyia would serve as Ghana’s unifying force …Otumfuo assures on commemoration of 27 years on the Golden Stool
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, last Friday celebrated his 27th enstoolment with a colourful and culture-rich ceremony at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, drawing a distinguished gathering of dignitaries from across Ghana and beyond.
Clad in splendid kente and adorned in rich traditional regalia, the dignitaries added colour and elegance to the occasion, as the palace grounds came alive with a vibrant display of Ghanaian culture.
Traditional drumming, dancing and symbolic rites underscored the deep-rooted heritage of the Ashanti Kingdom, captivating guests and reaffirming the value of tradition in modern society.
Speaking at a high-level Executive Gala organised by the Diaspora Affairs Office of the Office of the President in strategic partnership with the E ON 3 Group, the ‘World-Meets-in-Ghana’ gala, the Asantehene urged Ghanaians to guard against the divisive tendencies of partisan politics.
The event was to honour the Asantehene’s nearly three-decade reign under the theme ‘Advancing Peace and Sustainable Economic Development through Royal Vision’.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted that such attitudes threatened the country’s long-standing values of unity, civility and brotherliness.
He assured that Manhyia would continue to serve as a unifying force for the nation.
The celebration also featured the presentation of commemorative gold coins to notable national leaders, including the President, John Dramani Mahama, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as well as Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a former Vice President in recognition of their contributions to peace and national development.
By Spectator Reporter
