Communications Director for the New Patriotic Party’s 2024 election campaign, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has come to the defence of the appointment of legendary Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan as the chairman of the sub-committee tasked with drafting the youth and sports aspects of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s manifesto for the 2024 elections.
Despite raised eyebrows and critics questioning Gyan’s competence to contribute meaningfully to policies shaping the future of sports and Ghanaian youth, Aboagye rebuked such scepticism on Asempa FM, emphasising the competence and intelligence of Asamoah Gyan.
Aboagye sees the opposition to Gyan’s appointment as indicative of a stereotype that views footballers as lacking the capacity to contribute meaningfully beyond the field.
He rejects attempts to pigeonhole Gyan solely as a football figure, arguing that he possesses the resourcefulness to occupy significant positions in the country.
Aboagye points to George Weah’s journey from footballer to President of Liberia, suggesting that if Weah could achieve such a feat, then Gyan, whom he regards as an even better footballer than Weah, should be more than capable of chairing a manifesto committee.
“Was Oppong Weah better than Asamoah Gyan? Didn’t he become president? If Oppong Weah, a footballer, could become president, then what’s wrong with Asamoah Gyan’s position? Are we saying a football player cannot draft a plan? A footballer became a president so why is it a jump too high for another footballer to chair an ordinary committee?
“We like to box people and label them but what we don’t know how to do is spot and harness talents. Let’s watch out for Asamoah Gyan. You’ll be amazed by the sort of delivery that young man will come up with,” he said.
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Asamoah Gyan was appointed as a member of the manifesto committee for Dr. Bawumia’s presidential campaign. Taking the helm of the youth and sports sub-committee, Gyan has been entrusted with leveraging his expertise to formulate ideas and strategies for sports advancement and the empowerment of Ghanaian youth.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye shed light on Dr. Bawumia’s rationale for selecting Gyan to lead the committee.
“Asamoah Gyan, at his young age, is already a legend. He has travelled across the world for years and has now retired. The best we can do is tap into his talent for wanting to fix our sports. Asamoah Gyan is a deep young man; he has a lot of ideas. If there is one person in the committee we believe is a masterstroke, then it is the selection of Asamoah Gyan. We are very grateful to him for helping us share his knowledge of sports,” he said.