NPC-Ghana News – Former England three-time amputee football World Cup winner Mr. Steve Johnson, the Point of Light Honour receiver from UK Prime Minister Theresah May is a renowned former Para-athlete and Disability Sports Manager at Everton Football Club and currently the Chairman of the England Amputee football Association. He paid a courtesy visit to the President of the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana Mr. Samson Deen, aimed at helping to develop para/disability sports, creating employment and educational opportunities for Ghanaian para sports athletes.
According to Steve Johnson and our sources at the NPC-Ghana, his visit to Ghana is not only to help develop disability sports in long term sustainable programs, but also an opportunity to share ideas on how the young ones can make a career out of disability oriented interventions, funding and educational opportunities available for the NPC-Ghana to take advantage through protocols in the United Kingdom. He used the opportunity to congratulate Mr. Samson Deen for winning the seat of President at the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana.
“It is really important to give my all-in support of promoting disability sports in Ghana, aimed at changing people’s lives’’.
“My visit is not only to develop sports but also to help the young ones to know the avenues available to them and not be a burden in society, this partnership with NPC-Ghana will go a long way, as he has so much trust in the leadership of the Committee.
“We have a huge football program at Everton and getting the Deaf/Amputee teams to come over and play on such a great facility is a huge honour, so I will urge the young ones to make a career out of this sport because I have played football and volley ball to the highest level, which has really inspired people’s perception about disability, he advised.
Mr. Deen, congratulated Steve for the Point of Light Honour given him by the former UK Prime Minister Theresah May in January 2019 then proceeded by urging the two bodies to have a memorandum of cooperation to formalise a long term program that will lead to adequate funding for development and support career, education and disability sports in Ghana to grow to the level that will see Ghana winning medals many years to come.
“This is a great partnership with Steve Johnson, the spirit of the Paralympic Movement in Ghana will lead a purposeful program for the benefit of the Ghanaian people in the world. The Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Isaac Asiamah has assured us and is fully in support of any initiative and would support in any way possible to see Ghana para/disability sports grow” in the immediate time and future.
By Philip Otuo
