The centre under construction
It appears the Youth Resource Center being constructed in the Volta Region will not have the 10,000 seating capacity modification promised as the contractor is still delivering the 5,000-seater originally budgeted for.
Residents in the region have not been happy about this development after reports went viral that the 10,000 seating capacity promised by government will not be a reality.
The Youth Resource Center is a project being done by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in all ten regions to promote youth development, fitness, healthy living and talent development.
The Public Relations outfit of the Youth and Sports Ministry has however, admitted the discrepancies in the figures but gave the assurance that it would be expanded per the Minister Isaac Kwame Asiamah’s promise.
The Promise
During the launch earlier this year, the Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah assured that the facility’s sitting capacity would be increased from 5,000 to 10,000. This was in response to a request by the Warlord and Divisional Chief of the Asogli State, Togbe Howusu Adzi Lakle who lamented about sports development in the region and wondered why a youth resource center was being built instead of a modern sports stadium as promised.
Mr. Asiamah who outlined the facilities of the center said the capacity has been increased after consultation with the Volta Regional Minister, Archibald Yao Letsa.
He said the needed modifications will be done to reflect the increment. The project being constructed by Wilkado Construction Company Limited is expected to have a FIFA standard football pitch, an eight lane modern track, tennis, handball and volleyball courts. It will also have a gymnasium, multi-purpose ICT center, an entrepreneurship center, counselling unit, a modern restaurant and a maintenance unit.
Why 5,000 Capacity And Not 10,000?
Explaining why the facility is getting 5,000 instead of 10,000 sitting capacity in an audio shared by VSR Sports Desk, the Project Manager, Mr. Williams Akpih said although the 10,000 promise was made, the construction firm is yet to receive official directives from the Ministry. He said they were going strictly by the contract document and until that is modified there is little that can be done.
He said “It was promised but there is no paper work confirming it for 10,000, the 5,000 is what we are working on now because that is what was confirmed in the contract to us. The 10,000 has to be confirmed and issued on contract bases.”
That notwithstanding, Mr. Akpih said all was not lost as should there be any concrete official communication and subsequent modification in the contract documents to reflect the 10,000 capacity request, they will make room for that.
He said “When it (contract modification) comes, we will make provision for the 10,000 by enlarging the stands.”
Project Behind Schedule
In another development, the facility which was launched in March 2018 and expected to be completed in nine months, thus December, 2018 will not meet the deadline for completion.
With two months to reach the expected completion date, the project is only 45 percent complete and the Project Manager, Mr. Akpih fears they cannot meet the scheduled deadline.
Attributing the delay to heavy rainfalls and the topography of the land, He explained that “The rains have been our challenge; the ground is such that when it rains no vehicle comes in which means no work goes on. This is the nature of the ground here.”
To this end, the company had to spend a lot more time and resources levelling the ground as “We have to resort to other means of getting the ground conducive for work. We used query products to fill the tarries and this took a lot of time.”
Mr. Akpih was hopeful that the facility will be completed in February 2019.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)