Minister-Designate for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has promised that Parliament will carefully review the money spent on hosting the 2023 African Games in Ghana.
Ghana hosted the 13th edition of the African Games in 2024, but the amount of money the government spent caused a lot of debate.
The former Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, faced criticism from the public over the reported $245 million used for the event.
This included $195 million for building facilities, $15 million for feeding athletes during the 15-day event, and $48 million for other operational expenses.
The Local Organising Committee defended the spending, saying it was necessary to make the event successful.
Speaking to the media at the Accra Sports Stadium, Kofi Adams assured that the investigation would be done properly to ensure transparency and accountability.
“I remember in Parliament, issues were raised about it. The only unfortunate thing is that we couldn’t take the report of the committee that looked into areas of sports before the 8th Parliament was dissolved.
“But the 9th Parliament is back, and we can see what we can do about that report—whether it will be retabled or the issues will be referred to the committee again for review and resubmission for consideration.
“So, we are not ruling out anything. But let’s go through the processes first, and then we’ll see what they look into and what will come out of it,” Adams said.
Kofi Adams stated that the investigation will reveal important details about the spending.
He is currently waiting for Parliament to approve his nomination after his vetting. Once confirmed, he will take on the role and work to promote transparency in the country’s sports management.