The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has issued a stern warning to Ghana’s Sports Minister, urging him to take responsibility for the recent ban on the Baba Yara Stadium by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In a Facebook post, Ablakwa criticized the Sports Ministry for what he described as a failure to prevent the international embarrassment Ghana faced due to the poor condition of its national stadiums.
In his post, Ablakwa stated, “Ghana’s Sports Minister is basically saying that CAF is probably NDC and didn’t do their job by banning Ghana when the NDC was in power and made our stadia death traps. What a big joke!” He further lambasted the Minister for failing to apologize or resign over the incident, calling for the retrieval of funds allegedly spent on stadium rehabilitation.
He added, “Instead of this Minister apologizing for the unprecedented monumental international embarrassment, resigning and retrieving our monies from Kelvin Ofori-Atta, he is blaming CAF for securing NDC membership cards. Why is this Minister still at post? The Sports Minister, Kelvin Ofori-Atta, and all those who spent over GH¢85 million on stadia rehabilitations only for Ghana to be banned by CAF and be subjected to this unprecedented monumental international embarrassment should prepare for the day of accountability.”
Ablakwa’s comments follow CAF’s decision to withdraw its approval for the Baba Yara Stadium due to the poor condition of the pitch, despite recent renovation efforts. Ablakwa questioned how the government could spend over GH¢85 million on refurbishments and still face such a ban, suggesting that the funds may not have been utilized effectively.
In response, the Ministry of Youth and Sports described Ablakwa’s remarks as “disingenuous” and refuted his claims. In a detailed statement, the Ministry defended the renovation works carried out on the Accra, Baba Yara, and Essipong stadiums since 2018, stating that prior to these upgrades, some facilities had been neglected for nearly a decade.
“It is important to stress that, between 2009 and 2017, the erstwhile government did not carry out any major renovation on the Accra, Baba Yara, and Essipong stadia,” the Ministry’s statement read, countering Ablakwa’s suggestion that the renovations were ineffective.
The Ministry further noted that both the Accra and Baba Yara stadiums have hosted several high-profile matches since the upgrades, including FIFA/CAF-certified events like the 2018 African Women’s Cup of Nations, World Cup qualifiers, and AFCON qualifiers.
“It should be noted that FIFA/CAF Category 2 and 3 matches, including the 2018 AWCON, the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2023 AFCON qualifying matches were played at both the Accra and Baba Yara stadiums,” the Ministry highlighted.
Despite these claims, Ablakwa has remained resolute in his criticism, insisting that the Ministry must be held accountable for the situation and that those responsible for the expenditure should be prepared to answer for their actions.
The Ministry concluded its response by reaffirming its commitment to improving sports infrastructure in Ghana and ensuring that the country’s stadia continue to meet international standards.
