As part of efforts by government to nurture the interest of the youth in the country in sports, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 4th January, 2020, commissioned the construction of an AstroTurf at Alajo in the Greater Accra region.
The Alajo AstroTurf will be financed by the Coastal Development Authority under the One-constituency, One-million dollars project.
In an interview with Citi News’ Michael Ogbodu on the sidelines of the event, Member of Parliament for the area, Henry Quartey, indicated that the construction of the turf would help unearth sports talents in the constituency.
“I think that selecting AstroTurf as a project for this constituency is apt. It is going to unearth the hidden talents in the Zongo Youth in this constituency. My prayer is that the Youth Ministry together with the Minister of Youth and Sports will work hand-in-hand with me, so that as we continue to unearth the hidden talents in the youth in this constituency, we will be able to help them develop their talents and then represent our country, both internally, externally and at the higher level so that together we can work and bring success to this country,” he said.
Meanwhile contractor for the project, Robert Coleman said the project is expected to be completed in the next six months.
“We are going to do a standard pitch, an 11- aside full pitch, 98 by 58 square meters. In the phase one, we are going to have a panel mesh around it, so that people can play football, flood lights so that people can play football at night, a general washroom and drains around it. We hope that in the next six months we should be able to complete this project,” he noted.
Already, six AstroTurfs with spectator stands and dressing rooms have been constructed across the country.
On 2nd December 2019, the President inspected the new Madina Zongo AstroTurf.
In his 2018 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo reiterated his government’s commitment to sports development, revealing that a number of football pitches are under construction across the country.
He said each constituency will have an AstroTurf and this will help produce the next generation of football stars.
“We are constructing a number of football pitches in the Zongos and across the rest of the country, to aid in the revival of colts football, which has been responsible for the production of talents like Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah,” he said.
