The Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon. Isaac Kwame Asiamah yesterday inspected the Cape Coast Sports Stadium to mark the commencement of renovation works of key installations of the facility.
The Cape Coast stadium, which was built with a grant from the Chinese government and handed over to the government in April 2016, is to receive a massive face-lift following a three-year maintenance MOU signed between China and Ghana in September 2018 when the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo visited the country.
The maintenance agreement also includes capacity training program where Ghanaians would be skilled in maintaining the edifice and the country’s other sporting infrastructures.
While expressing his gratitude to the Chinese government for the maintenance grant for the stadium, the sector Minister indicated that it is government’s priority to ensure that all the country’s sports facilities receive periodic maintenance, adding that huge sums of funds cannot be invested in providing modern sports edifices only for it to be left to deteriorate.
The Minister said he is particularly excited about the training program for selected Ghanaians to take over the maintenance of the facility and other stadia when the three-year agreement ends.
The Chinese Consular in Ghana, H.E Chai Zhi Jing stated that the inspection of the stadium and the subsequent meeting with the sector Minister officially pave way for works to commence.
The Project Manager, Jim Tan disclosed that the renovation works would cover the repairs of the scoreboard and floodlights, replacement of broken seats, repair and replacement of gym equipment, an extension of the main stadium walls as well the construction of emergency routes from the stadium among others.
In attendance during the inspection was the Deputy Central Regional Minister, Thomas Adjei Baffour, Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Frank Quist, Technical Advisor to the Minister Dr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, a representative from the Architects and Engineering Services Limited (A.E.S.L)
Source: MOYS