Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Friday, March 1, 2024, dedicated the University of Ghana Stadium (Legon Stadium), in a colorful ceremony in Accra.
The 11,000 capacity facility was completed to host the 13th African Games.
Commissioning the arena, the Vice President said: “The history of the African Games is linked to the history of the continent. I believe it is well known that the Great Pan-Africanist and first president of the Republic of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, is a founding member of the Games. The Games thus inhabit the spirit of Africa and Pan-Africanism.
“Our theme for this edition of the Games, ‘Live the African Dream’, is therefore steeped in the core values of unity, independence, political and economic cooperation, as well as historical and cultural awareness.”
He stated that “this is the time of the African Renaissance. The continent is highlighted by Trade Finance Global as having the potential to shape geopolitics and the global economy for decades to come.
“This potential will not be marginally realized to propel our people to prosperity without conscious and deliberate action on the part of all, especially leadership across social divides and aspects of society.”
The United Nations has “identified sport as the most appropriate vehicle for sustainable socio-economic development and made a declaration as such in 2018. Combined with the youth boom, the opportunity is here and the time is now. Ghana is ready to host the world.
“It is in recognition of the many social and cultural benefits inherent in sport that the government of Her Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic, has taken the bold decision to bid and win the rights for Ghana to host this edition of the African Games. This visionary step resulted in the construction of international standard sports facilities such as the University of Ghana Sports Stadium and the Borteyman Rugby Stadium and Sports Complex.
“Building these facilities has not been easy, but we know the returns will be immediate and substantial,” he concluded.
More than 13,000 elite athletes, sports technocrats, technicians and officials, including volunteers, are expected to participate in the African Games which conclude on Saturday 23 March.
The African Games is a celebration of the continent’s greatest sporting talents coming together and competing in an atmosphere of camaraderie, unity and celebration of the cultural diversity that is uniquely African.