Posted by Sports remains an integral part of our social interactions and an avenue for national cohesion. It has and will continue to offer opportunities to project our nation internationally and a tool for economic empowerment and development.
Ahead of the 2020 elections scheduled to take place on December 7, 2020, we take a look at what the ruling party, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and what the largest opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) have promised the sports fraternity in their 2020 manifestoes.
NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY (NPP)
• Build a fully-functional Multi-Purpose Youth and Sports Centres of Excellence in each of the six newly-created Regions in addition to the Ten (10) already under construction and near completion.
• Host and organise the 13th African Games in 2023. This will afford Ghana the opportunity to construct a National Olympic Stadium Complex to bridge the nation’s sports infrastructure deficit. The Games will also provide the opportunity to address capacity and facility deficiencies for the organisation of all sports and more importantly, rebrand the popular inter-schools and colleges sports towards mainstreaming their products into national teams for all international games.
• Upgrade the National Sports College into a National High-Performance Training Centre (NHPTC), equipped with the facilities and human resource, capable of conducting research into sports performance and management related issues and disseminating findings to relevant stakeholders. The Centre will also train and retrain sports coaches and officiating officials as well as offer camping/training facilities to national and international teams.
• As part of a rapid Elite Sports Performers Development Pathway, house National Sports Academies in three of the Multi-Purpose Youth and Sports Centres of Excellence, one each in the Southern, Middle, and Northern belts. Talents in selected sports disciplines in which Ghana has comparative advantage will be selected nationwide and put in the Academies to school, train and ultimately, compete for the nation.
• Continue to rehabilitate all other National Sports Stadia, and establish sustainable maintenance culture in our stadia management system. Government has already rehabilitated and brought to life the Accra Sports Stadium, and rehabilitation of Essipong and Kumasi stadia are ongoing.
• Having cooperated with FIFA, the world football governing body, to reorganise and strengthen the Ghana Football Association (GFA), support the nation’s football teams, especially the Black Stars and Black Queens, through the GFA, to bring back the glory and international stature of Ghana as a force in the world of football, and
• Under the Zongo Development Fund, introduce the Zongo Youth Football Talent Hunt (ZYFTAH) programme, a special program for the youth in Zongos which will help unearth, develop and promote football talents in Zongo communities through competitions and football clinics in collaboration with local and international partners. Having showed commitment to promoting the development of football in Zongos by building 10 Astro and Green turfs in Zongos across the country, and with the intention to build more, the Zongo Youth Football Talent Hunt (ZYFTAH) will make the construction of these parks, and many more to be constructed, more useful and meaningful to the youth in Zongos d many more to be constructed, more useful and meaningful to the youth in Zongos through competitions and talent-hunt programmes under ZYFTAH.
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC)
• Establish a Sports Development Fund to promote sports in Ghana.
• Develop a comprehensive National Sports Policy to outline the vision and strategies for sports development in Ghana with an emphasis on female sports and remuneration of sports persons.
• Provide opportunities for training in sports medicine, sports science and management/administration in sports through the proposed Sports University.
• Revive and invest in the inter-schools and colleges games.
• Support sports persons to win trophies in international competitions.
• Facilitate tax exemption/relief regimes to motivate private sponsorship and promotion of sports in the country.
• Promote and provide funding and invest in the development of the lesser-known and indigenous sports.
• Promote and develop Beach Soccer.
• Develop a framework with the various Sports Associations for promoting and marketing our domestic sports.
• Ensure the successful hosting and organization of the 13th Africa Games to be hosted in Ghana in September 2023.
• Develop a sustainable framework for sports financing in Ghana including the facilitation of financing reliefs to motivate public and private sector sponsorship and sports promotion in the country.
• Transform football from a large social entertainment enterprise to a strategic business with both Government and private sector investment.
• Encourage and support youth (colts) football and, by extension, youth sports as a cornerstone of Ghana’s sporting regime.
Sports Infrastructure Development
• Develop specific Sports Centres of Excellence in the three geographical zones of Ghana.
• Develop a strategic framework for the construction of stadia in all districts across the country to scout for sports talent.
• Upgrade the Winneba Sports College into a state-of-the-art Sports University with campuses in selected regions to enhance the human resource base and development of sports in the West African sub-region to provide opportunities for training and capacity building in sports management and administration as well as sports management and science.
• Continue and complete the New Edubiase Stadium started by the NDC Government.
• Establish sports recreational facilities in communities in every district.
• Use the Sports Development Fund to assist the Sports Associations to provide and improve remuneration and welfare of local sportsmen and women.
MahamaShaibu.com wishes both parties all the best in their quest for political power.