The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, situated in North Kaneshie, Accra, once a promising hub for sports and community activities, now stands in a state of disrepair following years of neglect by authorities and successive governments.
Originally part of a visionary plan to construct 10 Youth Resource Centers, including the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, the facility was slated for completion in 2018 with an ambitious scope to host over 40 different sporting disciplines.
However, despite these aspirations, the complex remains largely unfinished and unusable.
Historically known as the Kaneshie Sports Complex, it dates back to the 1970s, a period under General Acheampong’s Supreme Military Council.
During its prime, the complex served as a crucial training ground for the Black Stars and other national teams, notably during the 1978 AFCON, which Ghana both hosted and triumphed in.
It also regularly hosted football matches for Accra Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics when the Accra Sports Stadium underwent reconstruction in 2007.
Despite its illustrious past, the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex has suffered from neglect, with successive governments failing to fulfill promises of renovation and modernization. The facility’s deterioration highlights a broader issue of inadequate maintenance and strategic investment in Ghana’s sports infrastructure.
In a promising turn of events in March 2018, former Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah initiated renovation efforts at the complex. However, progress has been slow, leaving the facility in a state that sports journalist Jerome Octhere describes as disrespectful to the legacy of boxing icon Azumah Nelson.
“It’s disheartening to see the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex in such neglect. This facility, with its potential to accommodate up to 5,000 spectators and offer amenities like a swimming pool, standard football pitch, basketball court, and ICT and entrepreneurship centers, could be a beacon for sports development and community engagement,” Octhere lamented.