By Winifred Lartey

Copyright asaaseradio

President John Dramani Mahama has renewed his pledge to build modern sports stadiums in the Upper East Region and other parts of the country that lack such facilities.

Mahama, speaking at a media encounter in Accra, said the Ministry of Sports and Recreation was finalizing designs and cost estimates for new stadia in underserved regions, including the Upper East.

He first made the commitment in 2024 while campaigning for the presidency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress, promising to site a modern stadium in Bolgatanga, the regional capital, if elected.

“As I speak the Ministry of Sports and Recreation is doing the design and the costing for the new stadia and Upper East is one of the regions that has been captured to receive a new sports stadium,” Mahama said in response to a question from Joshua Asaah of Bolgatanga-based A1 Radio.

Mahama argued the state could build standard facilities for far less than it has in the past, pointing to a $13 million stadium built by Gold Fields in Tarkwa for the company’s football operations.

“Tarkwa Goldfields built a standard stadium for their football activities and I was surprised to learn it cost about 13 million dollars when government of Ghana has built stadia that cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

“So we’ve asked them to find out the architects, the designers and everybody who did that stadium so that we can replicate in our other regions that don’t have stadia.”

The President added that funding for the new facilities would come under his proposed Big Push Infrastructure program.

For many in the Upper East, the promise is a familiar one. For years, residents have pushed for the completion of the Navrongo Youth Resource Centre — also known as the Navrongo Sports Stadium — which was launched in 2018 as one of 10 multipurpose youth centers planned across Ghana.

The facility was to include a green pitch, stands, offices and training facilities, but construction has stalled repeatedly amid payment disputes, legal challenges and contractors abandoning the site.

The delays have fueled frustration. In 2022, youth groups in Navrongo staged demonstrations under the hashtag #CompleteNavrongoStadiumNow, decrying what they called government neglect. The project’s deterioration, with weeds overtaking sections of the grounds, has become a symbol of unfulfilled promises to the region.

Navrongo Central lawmaker Simon Akibange Aworigo has pressed for answers in Parliament and held meetings with officials at the National Youth Authority and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He has described the project as a “vital springboard for the many talented young people in Navrongo and the Upper East Region,” vowing to continue lobbying until construction resumes.

A former Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif under the Akufo-Addo government acknowledged the setbacks, blaming funding gaps and unresolved contractor claims.

Public pressure for action has only grown louder. This year, tourism vlogger Dennis Apusika, creator of the “Visit Bolga” platform, undertook a 27-day, 785-kilometer walk from Bolgatanga to Accra to demand a stadium for his region.

Originally inspired by a football bet, Apusika said he decided to use the trek to highlight the poor state of sports development in the north. “Initially, I was doubting myself that maybe I could walk from Bolga to Accra. But one day, sitting in my room, I realised that in the Upper East Region, the state of our sports is not encouraging. So I said to myself, let me walk to Accra, advocate for a sports stadium and also use this walk to promote sports development and tourism,” he said.

As he passed through towns such as Walewale, Tamale and Yendi, Apusika spoke to residents about how the lack of infrastructure was stunting the growth of local talent. His walk became a rallying point for many in the region who view sports not only as a source of pride but also as a potential driver of tourism and economic activity.

Reporting by Mark Smith in the Upper East Region

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