NSA Boss visits reptile-breeding Azumah Nelson Youth Centre

Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), visited the Azumah Nelson Youth Resource Centre in Kaneshie, Accra. This centre has been abandoned for years.

The facility was set to be refurbished in March 2018. Former Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah announced plans for a $4 million multi-purpose facility. It aimed to boost grassroots sports development in Ghana.

Asiamah stated, "This place will see a massive transformation." He emphasized that it had not changed since its establishment in the 1970s. He noted that youth often block roads for sporting activities and mentioned President Nana Addo's commitment to change this.

The centre was designed to include a 5,000-seater football stadium, volleyball and basketball courts, boxing gyms, athletics tracks, an ICT centre, and a counselling hub. Later modifications added floodlights and other features, increasing costs.

Seven years after construction began, the facility is now decaying. A recent video from Ampofo Ankrah’s visit shows thick bushes covering the area. An incomplete concrete structure looms in the background.

JoySports also visited the site in 2023 as part of their series on neglected facilities. The videos highlight significant neglect: public investment buried under vegetation with snakes roaming freely.

Initially scheduled for completion within nine months, work stalled in October 2020. By then, progress was estimated at 90%, according to former Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif.

Stakeholders say construction halted due to unpaid contractor fees from the government. This led to indefinite abandonment of the project.

A JoySports Right to Information request revealed about GHC 12 million (around $1 million) had already been spent on the site. However, officials claimed it was only 50% complete.

The Azumah Nelson Youth Resource Centre was part of a broader initiative by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Youth Authority. This initiative aimed to provide modern sporting infrastructure across districts.

About six facilities were commissioned last year; however, Kaneshie's project symbolizes state neglect instead. It has drained public resources without benefiting local youth.

It remains unclear when construction will resume or how further deterioration will be prevented at this site.