The Minister of Youth and Sports Mohammed Mustapha Ussif has confirmed that the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was the official broadcaster for the 13th African Games.
“GBC was the official broadcaster for the African Games to the 13th African Games, and I can confirm that full payment has been made to GBC.”
Mohammed Mustapha Ussif Minister of Youth and Sports
However, when pressed for the exact amount paid, the minister admitted to not recalling the precise figure but indicated that it was “more than 3,000,000 US dollars.” According to the minister, the payments were made for the comprehensive coverage of the All-Africa Games.
Despite these payments, concerns were raised about the compensation of technicians who worked on the All-Africa Games. This issue will likely be revisited when GBC appears before the committee. The statement made clear that most of the technicians who worked on the All-Africa Games have still not been paid.
This underscores the need for further discussions to ensure that all involved parties are compensated fairly for their contributions.
Challenges with National Youth Resource Centers
Moving on to the status of the National Youth Resource Centers projects, the minister shed light on the legal hurdles that have halted the progress of the projects. According to the Minister, the National Youth Authority (NYA) had initially been the institution funding these stadiums, but a legal challenge disrupted the funding mechanism.
According to the minister, “a member of the NYA took the authority to the Supreme Court,” resulting in a ruling that prevented the authority from receiving funding from the District Assembly Common Fund. This decision has significantly hampered the completion of the stadiums.
“The National Youth Authority was the institution funding this stadium that we are building. But when our colleague took the common fund disbursement to the Supreme Court and the common fund was directed that we are not eligible per the laws that we have passed here, to get 5% of the allocation of the common fund to the National Youth Authority, … was the source of the funding for this facility.”
Mohammed Mustapha Ussif Minister of Youth and Sports
This ruling essentially cut off a crucial source of funding, leading to a significant setback in the projects.
The Supreme Court ruling means that the National Youth Authority can no longer access the District Assembly Common Fund to finance these projects. The minister’s statement illustrates the depth of the challenge
“We had started having issues for the past three years. So, we decided that the little that we are getting from the common fund because she has to use her discretion instead of what the parliament approved because of the supreme court ruling.”
Mohammed Mustapha Ussif Minister of Youth and Sports
This discretionary approach has forced the authorities to make do with limited funds, prolonging the completion timelines.
Phased Completion Approach
According to the minister, given the current funding constraints, the government has adopted a phased approach to completing the National Youth Resource Centers. The minister elaborated on this strategy, noting that “the little that we are getting is that we are now making sure that we finish them in phases.”
The minister highlighted that the approach aims to maximize the available resources and gradually complete the projects, although it deviates from the original comprehensive plan. The minister’s comments reflect the broader financial challenges that the country is facing, particularly about infrastructure projects.
This statement highlights the broader economic pressures affecting government projects, including those related to youth development and sports infrastructure. The minister’s statements reveal the multifaceted challenges involved in completing the National Youth Resource Centers.
The minister further pointed out that the funding issues, legal rulings, and limited resources have all contributed to the delay in the projects. While payments have been made for the coverage of the All-Africa Games, further discussions are needed to address the unpaid technicians and ensure that all stakeholders are adequately compensated.
The phased approach adopted by the government represents a pragmatic solution given the current constraints, but it remains to be seen how quickly these projects can be completed under the new strategy.
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