Major renovation works will soon be carried out on the Swedru Sports Stadium to upgrade it to international standards to enhance quality sporting activities in the Agona West Municipality and beyond.
Mrs. Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West made this known when she led Swedruman Council of Chiefs and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Green Grass Technology to officially hand over the stadium for renovation works to begin.
The stadium which had not seen any renovation for over five years would have an inner perimeter, popular stands, dressing rooms, bath rooms, urinals, toilets, roofing of VIP stands and press boxes renovated with funding from Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Mrs. Morrison who is also the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection said the rehabilitation of the pitch will be financed from her share of the MP’s Common Fund.
A mosque would be constructed to enable players and other officials who are Muslims to pray before, during and after matches.
The MP said directives had been given to the contractor to engage workers from the local community as part of efforts to offer employment to people in the constituency.
She used the occasion to urge students sportsmen and women of senior High schools in and outside Agona West Constituency to study hard alongside their sporting activities.
Mr. Frank Boahen, the CEO of Green Grass Technology and a Consultant to the Ministry of Youth and Sports said the renovation of the pitch would take sixteen weeks (4months) to complete.
He said the majority of the pitch renovation would be done by Youth in Pitch management who were trained by the Ministry of Youth and Sports last year in collaboration with Youth Employment Authority (YEA) as part of the government’s efforts to offer employment to the youth.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports and MP for Agona West would take up the renovation of facilities at the stadium after completion of the renovation works.
Mr. Boahen said the Ministry was planning to increase gate fees and give a percentage of the proceeds to Swedruman Council of Chiefs for developmental projects.
He assured the MP, Swedruman Council of Chiefs, the youth and all football fans in and around Agona West constituency that the renovation works would be completed in 16 weeks as stipulated in the contract.