Historic city, Accra has been chosen as the main venue for the 2023 African Games, supported by two stadiums in Kumasi and Cape Coast, Ghana will have over four years to prepare and welcome the rest of the continent to the 13th edition of the African Games in 2023.
A press release signed by deputy Sports Minister Perry Curtis Okudzeto reads:
“The monumental achievement was declared at the 3rd Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture and Sports (STC-YCS) forum of the African Union Commission Ministers’ session in Algiers, Algeria on Thursday, 25th October 2018.
Ghana won the rights to host the 2023 African Games (previously christened All-Africa Games), the country’s Sports Ministry officially confirmed Friday.
The Ministry believes this is a unique opportunity to rewrite the scripts of Ghana sports for the next century.
The Ministry is committed to providing facilities for Ghana to host a successful tournament, as the continental sports event will be staged in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast Stadia.
The Games will also serve as qualifiers for the various disciplines for the Olympics Games in Paris, 2024.”
Ghana beat Egypt to the hosting rights. Meanwhile, Morocco will host the 12th African Games in October 2019.
Top Sports Marketing consultant, Magnus Rex Danquah led the Ghana delegation to bid for the hosting right. He was supported by Dr. Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, technical director at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Accra is the capital city of Ghana, with a rich socio – cultural – political and sporting history as the home of the glorious Accra Hearts of Oak, the oldest existing football club.
Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti region, the ancestral home of the great Ashantihene and popularly known as the Garden City.
Cape Coast was the original capital of the Gold Coast and the tourism hub of Ghana housing the famous castles and fort along the beach to Elmina.
Indeed Ghanaians are already experienced in event organizing, and this future games is going to be original and a great sports festival full of entertainment, art, culture, tourism, fashion and food.
Ghanaians are full of uniqueness, energy, originality, colour, leadership and these may be some of the characteristics that made Ghana won the bid for a better future for African Sports.
By Sammy Heywood Okine