The Local Organising Committee of the 2023 African Games has become aware of false, misleading and malicious claims that the supervisory team from the African Union is unhappy with Ghana’s preparation for the continental showpiece which is over 28 months away.
The reports and claims are untrue and completely borne out of wishes and feelings of detractors who want to see Ghana fail as a nation with regards to the event which happens once every four years.
Speaking on Peace FM’s nationwide morning show Kokrokoo, the Executive Chairman of the LOC, Dr Ofosu Asare, revealed to host Kwami Sefa Kayi that his outfit has been engaging in update meetings with officials from the AU including having discussions on the modern enterprise video communications platform – Zoom Meeting.
“The team from AU has been given us their full assurance that they will not withdraw the hosting rights of Ghana. We have heard some of the reports claiming that Egypt have lined themselves up and would quickly takeover once the AU decides to withdraw the hosting right,” Dr Asare told Sefa Kayi.
“They’ve reassured us that Ghana is one of the core members of the AU and there is no way that they will withdraw the hosting rights from Ghana.
“Unfortunately it is rather Ghanaians who are channeling these negative information about us to the AU and they tell us everything. They tell us those who are giving them the information and all such details. I would canvas for support from the media because the media is a key stakeholder in what we are doing. There is nothing wrong in offering positive criticism about our work but if it becomes a target to run us down then we have a problem,” he concluded.
Ghana won the bid to host the event in October 2018 after beating stiff competition from neighbouring nations Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
Meanwhile President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed his fullest support towards the construction of a multi-purpose Olympic standard facility to host the 2023 African Games, according to Local Organising Committee Executive Chairman, Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare.
Dr Ofosu Asare and his Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Rex Brobbey, as well as COO, Dr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, have held series of private meetings with the Ghanaian President on pertinent issues relating to details of the activities of the LOC dominating the discussions.
Construction of the Accra Borteyman Olympic Standard Stadium, which would be the main games village, is yet to get underway with a little over 28 months left for the event to take place.
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