Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has promised the introduction of Zongo Youth Football Talent Hunt (ZYFTAH) programme at the various Zongos in the country.
He said the programme is a special sports-oriented initiative designed for the youth and aimed at helping unearth, develop and promote football talents in Zongo communities.
To him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), after careful observation, have realised the complete neglect of Zongo communities regarding sports infrastructure and human resource development; hence, the initiation.
And in its 2020 manifesto, the Vice-President said in Cape Coast, “ZYFTAH will seek to unearth, develop and promote football talents in Zongo communities through competitions and football clinics in collaboration with local and international partners.
“Indeed, the manifesto captures this initiative boldly under the Zongo Development Fund, and it reiterates the Akufo-Addo government’s commitment to achieve that by linking ZYFTAH to the number of modern artificial and green turfs it has constructed across Zongo communities in the past three and half years.”
He added, “Having showed commitment to promoting the development of football in Zongos by building 10 Astro and green turfs in Zongos across the country, and with the intention to build more, the Zongo Youth Football Talent Hunt (ZYFTAH) will make the construction of these parks and many more to be constructed, more useful and meaningful to the youth in Zongos through competitions and talent-hint programmes under ZYFTAH.
“The NPP government, in the past three years, has built or building AstroTurfs in Zongo communities across the country such as Madina, New Fadama, Keybi Zongo, Walewale, Oda Zongo, Bolga, Tafo.
He mentioned that the NPP government has decided to pay special attention to help promote these abundant talents as part of its human resource development in Zongos and inner cities, with many of such talents going unnoticed and ultimately unutilised.
“The government has also awarded contracts for the construction of ten more Astro and green turfs in Zongo communities.
“The NPP government intends to build fully functional multi-purpose youth and sports centres of excellence in each of the six newly created regions in addition to the ten already under construction and near completion.
“We will also host and organise the 13th African Games in 2023,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Zongo communities are renowned for football talents, and they have historically produced some of Ghana’s greatest names in football.