The Minority in Parliament has described the just-ended 13th African Games as a monumental disaster and total embarrassment.
This is despite Ghana achieving its highest-ever medal count of 68.
At a media briefing in Parliament House today, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Ranking Member on the Youth and Sports Committee of Parliament, Kobena Mensah Woyome condemned what he deemed as the shambolic organization of the African Games.
Woyome pointed out issues such as poor organization, a lack of clear policies for promoting tourism and facilitating trade, and the absence of strategies for economic viability, despite the significant expenditure of $240 million on the event.
He emphasized that the Games could have been leveraged as a platform for tourism and trade promotion to generate revenue for the country, considering the substantial investment made.
“The just-ended games were a monumental disaster and total embarrassment to our dear country. The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government spent a staggering 240 million dollars on the just-ended games yet, the organization and management of the event were poor and shambolic.”
“Quite apart from the fact that it lacked the clear combined effect of economic viability, the organization of the games lacked clear-cut policies for tourism promotion and trade facilitation. This could have given us some economic value for the huge expenditure on the game.”
The South Tongu MP also highlighted concerns raised by Ghanaians regarding the substantial expenditure on the Games, particularly against the backdrop of the current economic challenges facing the country.
