ORGANISERS of the much-awaited African Games, set to take place in Accra in March next year, have received a strong call to ‘double their efforts’ in preparing for the continental multi-sport event. The plea was made by Minata Samate Cessouma, chair of the African Union (AU) Technical Committee for the African Games (TCAG), following a three-day meeting with the Accra 2023 Organising Committee.
Samate Cessouma, who also serves as the AU Commissioner for health, humanitarian affairs, and social development, led the delegation in their visit to the ongoing construction sites where the Games are scheduled to be held. This marked the first in-person meeting between the TCAG and Accra 2023, allowing them to receive an update on the preparations and discuss collaborative efforts.
‘We are satisfied with the progress of work on the ground and call on all key partners involved in the process to double their efforts to ensure that the facilities are ready and handed over to the [Organising Committee] Accra 2023 in December 2023 as promised,’ said Samate Cessouma.
Ghana, as the host country, is gearing up to stage the African Games for the first time after the event was postponed from last year due to economic pressures, delays in preparations, and disagreements between the AU, the Association of African National Olympic Committees, and the Association of African Sports Confederation.
Mustapha Ussif, Ghana’s Sports Minister, emphasised the government’s unwavering commitment beyond providing sports infrastructure. ‘The Government of Ghana will endeavour to provide the necessary resources and support for all functional areas crucial to the African Games,’ said Ussif. He further expressed the government’s conviction in the transformative power of sports to enhance human and social development, foster economic growth, and advance political cooperation among African nations.
The Games Village is set to officially open on March 1 2024, with athletes and officials arriving from March 5 to 7 to participate in various Olympic qualifiers and sports competitions. The event’s diverse programme includes badminton, cycling, swimming, table tennis, tennis, triathlon, wrestling, as well as other sports such as arm wrestling, athletics, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, cricket, football, handball, hockey, judo, karate, rugby, taekwondo, volleyball, and weightlifting.
In addition to the official sports, the African Games will also feature demonstration sports like esports, mixed martial arts, pickleball, scrabble, speedball, sambo, and teqball, adding to the excitement and variety of the event.
The African Union highlighted the importance of frequent collaborations to ensure the smooth progression of the preparations during the meeting in Accra. As a result, further meetings are planned for August and September to keep the momentum going and make the African Games a resounding success.