The Deputy Sports Minister (3rd L) with some dignitaries after the commissioning
The Member of Parliament for Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region, Oboafo Kwadjo Asante, has redesigned the Suhum Roman Park into a football standard pitch and commissioned it for his constituents.
The pitch was an old community park where most sports activities take place in the constituency, but lacked its standard form.
In 2018, the former Member of Parliament for Suhum, Fredrick Opare-Ansah, lobbied through the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to construct an astro turf for Suhum, which didn’t take effect.
However, the Member of Parliament for Suhum, Oboafo Kwadjo Asante, upon assuming office in the past three years, took the initiative to redesign the field and construct it in a standard form.
Speaking at the ceremony, he noted that, “We lobbied for an astro turf but we didn’t get, but since my constituents were yearning for it, I had to dip my hands into my pocket and use my money to construct this park for them.”
He explained that, “Suhum is my hometown and I hail from here, so I had to do this for my people.”
He added that, “I’m giving back to the constituents for the love they’ve shown me all these years. Football brings unity and I believe this project will help unite the people of Suhum. This will help in unearthing talents and I hope it generates commercial benefits for the people of Suhum.”
The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Evans Opoku Bobbie, who graced the occasion, also showered praise on the Suhum MP, for the construction of the community park in the area.
He said, “The MP has reduced our burden since it’s our responsibility to provide infrastructure for sports across the country. If one person has done this alone, then he needs to be applauded. This happens to be the 153rd pitch we’ve commissioned under the President Akufo-Addo-led administration.
According to him, “Before Akufo-Addo became the president, we had one astro turf pitch in the country. So he built an additional 152 astro turf pitches for talented young potential footballers who dream of becoming professional footballers.”
He also highlighted Ghana’s preparation for the upcoming African Games, which will be staged in the country next year.
He said Ghana will be hosting the African Games next year in March, adding that, “We are hosting 54 countries in this country. African Games are the biggest event on this continent. It’s the African version of the Olympic Games. With the help of President Akufo-Addo, we’ve been given the nod to host the African Games.”
BY Daniel Bampoe