Gold Fields Ghana Foundation hands over 10,000 capacity T&A Stadium to NSA
The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) on Friday handed over the reconstructed and refurbished $16.2million Tarkwa & Abosso (T&A) Stadium at Tarkwa in the Western Region, to the National Sports Authority.
Work on the ultra -modern environmentally- friendly stadium, executed by Micheletti and Co. Limited,and assisted by Green Grass Technology, started in January 2020 and was completed in June, this year.
It has transformed the 400-seater stadium into an international standard facility with a seating capacity of 10,400.
However, due to safety reasons, the capacity now stands at about 8,000.
Facilities includes a VVIP stand, general stands for spectators and officials, parking lots, an ambulance bay, LOC Office, dressing rooms, offices for coaches and referees, a media centre and a commentary box.
Others are a FIFA standard soccer pitch, stand, dressing rooms, offices, park control, doping, media rooms, flood lights, a score board, a physiotherapy and first aid office, and office for Match Commissioners and referees.
Significantly, the new stadium will be the home of Tarkwa’s Ghana Premier League team, Medeama SC, which Gold Fields has supported for a number of
years, and were champions of the 2022/23 season.
At the handing over ceremony, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, who was the guest of honour, expressed joy about the historic opening of the magnificent stadium, describing it as “a testimony of the power of partnership and collaboration with community people.”
The event, he noted, was a symbol of hope for Tarkwa -Nsuaem, adding that, T&A was an incredible sports infrastructure to serve as vibrant legacy in orderto promote the local economy, foreign exchange and put Ghana on the global soccer scene.
The Vice President and Interim Managing Director, Gold
Fields Ghana, Mr Elliot Twum, reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to improve infrastructure like the T&A stadium in host of stakeholder communities.
He said, “The stadium is expected to facilitate the development of football in our host communities and the country, including women’s football. It will provide a boost for business activities- hospitality, trading, transportation and engage young people to be productive, instead of engaging in social vices.”
He highlighted that the game of football had the potential of fostering social cohesion and peace between communities, hence the reason Gold Fields embarked on the project.
“This is not just an international standard stadium, but a facility built with material from sustainable sources and developed with an innovative legacy plan,” he maintained.
Mr Twum appealed to the government, specifically the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to reinstate the confirmation initially issued to Gold Fields for this project, a public facility, to be treated as civil engineering public works, and therefore exempt supply for Value Added Tax (VAT) purposes.
The confirmation effectively meant that the project would not be chargeable to VAT, amounting to about US$2 million, which could be channeled into other impactful projects.
He stressed that, “The reconstruction of this public facility should not, we believe, attract the payment of VAT.”
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, stated that, “Today is a good time to say a big thank you to Gold Fields for such a wonderful project.This is huge investment in sports in the region and closing thegaps in sports laurels, as Samartex also joins the premier competition.”
In attendance were other high profile personalities including the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr George Mireku-Duker.