The Ministry of Youth and Sports is exploring all the possibilities, within the confines of the law, to engage suitable service providers to sustain e-ticketing of sporting activities in Ghana.
The sector minister, Mustapha Ussif, who disclosed this in Parliament yesterday, said this followed the successful piloting of the e-ticketing at the first leg of the FIFA World Cup play-off between Ghana and Nigeria in Kumasi.
“Our objective was to test the effectiveness and efficiency of e-ticketing of sporting activities within the Ghanaian terrain. As in any other public sector institution, the ministry engaged many stakeholders, including officials of the ongoing e-Governance project,” he stated.
He was answering questions on the floor of the House during which he indicated that it was identified that the e-Governance platform could be used.
“As a trial based on convenience, the ministry upon discussion with e-Governance team, piloted the e-ticket with the help of e-Governance platform,” he reported.
According to the minister, despite some limitations encountered, e-ticketing significantly improved the availability and accessibility of tickets to the match.
“It also improved the attendee experience at the stadium by eliminating constraints in the system and the distribution. Further, it boosted revenue generated from the sales of tickets by eliminating malfeasance in the whole value chain,” Mr. Ussif said.
He added, “There was also just-in-time sales monitoring by all stakeholders. Lastly and not the least, there was cost reduction in the printing of the tickets, and continued, “I must therefore say that the piloting has actually met our expectations.”
He stated the pilot project was in line with the government’s digitalisation agenda.
Baba Yara Stadium
The Sports Minister also used the opportunity to dismiss suggestions that the Baba Yara Stadium was overcrowded during the match on March 25, 2022.
“The existing capacity of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium is about 40,500. However, with the ongoing renovation of the facility, it is expected that this number is being increased to 45,000.
“On the match between the Black Stars and Super Eagles, organised on March 25, 2022 at the stadium, a total number of 42,680 tickets were sold. I must say that all these tickets were e-tickets. Clearly, the number of tickets sold did not in any way exceed the capacity of the stadium,” he intimated.
According to him, the interest and enthusiasm of Ghanaians for the support of the Black Stars, can never be underestimated.
“It is even more so when the leg was taking place at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, a well noted area for massive football support. As the tickets got finished, the interest of many other enthusiasts increased, but being cautious of the danger of excess capacity, no additional tickets were sold out,” he explained.
Mr. Ussif said he was reliably informed that during the match, there were teeming spectators at the gates of entry, but the security did not allow them entry.
“I personally directed the managers of the stadium and all operatives to ensure that overcrowding was avoided,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House