Cost of Azumah Nelson Sports Complex works to be known after completion — NYA CEO

THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has stated that the total cost of construction works at the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex will only be disclosed after the project is fully completed, as authorities are still awaiting final figures from the consultants.

The long-delayed facility was originally earmarked for refurbishment in March 2018 under then Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, with an initial projection of $4 million to transform it into a modern multi-purpose complex aimed at boosting grassroots sports development in Ghana.

However, after several years of stalled progress and implementation setbacks, the eventual cost is widely expected to rise when the project is finally completed.

Speaking on the matter, Ayariga emphasised the need for caution and due process before any financial figures are made public.

“I wouldn’t want to take the wind out of the sail since we’re already engaging the consultant to give us the figures. The figures have not yet come back to me, so I wouldn’t want to go into figures that I would find very difficult to defend in the future. So, I would rather ask us to be a bit patient if I have the full figures from the consultant, if we need to go to the right legal processes to have it approved,” he indicated.

He further assured that transparency would be maintained once the full financial scope was established, indicating that the public will be duly informed through the appropriate channels.

“The entire public will be aware if we have to advertise it; we have to do that. Everybody will be aware that this is what we need to complete it. This is the figure that we need. This is what government is giving us and this is when we’ll be able to complete it,” he said.

The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, once envisioned as a flagship youth and sporting hub, has become symbolic of Ghana’s broader infrastructure challenges. Its completion is expected to play a key role in revitalising community sports and youth development initiatives across the country.

According to Mr. Ayariga, the authority is optimistic about completing the project before the end of the year as efforts intensify to revive stalled youth infrastructure projects nationwide. He noted that contractors were expected to resume full work on the playing pitch next month as part of the next phase of construction.

Beyond the Azumah Nelson facility, the NYA boss indicated that three other youth resource centres are also close to completion, forming part of a broader national effort to provide modern sporting and recreational infrastructure for young people.

“Hopefully, we are looking at the contractor returning to site as soon as possible, maybe even before the end of this month. We hope to complete the entire sports complex before the end of the year, thanks to the capital injection from the Ministry of Finance and the support from His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.

“Currently, we have eight youth resource centres across the country at different stages of completion. The promise is to complete a minimum of two this year; the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex and one in another region. If we are able to go beyond two, we would love it,” Ayariga stated.

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