North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has voiced his disapproval of the decision by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to spend $3 million on the Black Stars despite their early elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
Mustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports, disclosed on the floor of Parliament that a total of $8.5 million was allocated for the tournament.
However, out of the $5 million that was disbursed earlier, a total of $3 million was utilized for the team.
Expressing his displeasure with the expenditure breakdown, Okudzeto Ablakwa vehemently criticized the decision and emphasized the need for the country to receive value for money.
“Mr. Speaker, it must be noted that the $3 million spent on the three matches played, in which the team performed poorly, exceeds the budgets of other countries for the entire tournament,” Okudzeto Ablakwa remarked. “Nigeria budgeted $1.8 million, and Zambia budgeted $2.1 million, according to publicly available information.”
He also disclosed the substantial amount of money invested in the Black Stars during their AFCON qualifiers in Ivory Coast.
“Mr. Speaker, according to the document submitted to the house by the Sports Ministry, the expenses for the Ghana v Angola home and away qualifiers totaled Ghc7.4 million, while the Ghana v Madagascar qualifiers amounted to Ghc13.2 million. The cost of airlifting supporters from Ghana to Qatar was Ghc5.3 million. We are investing hundreds of millions in supporting the Black Stars, yet we are not seeing the desired results,” he added.
“Just look at the condition of our pitches. We do not have a single FIFA standard pitch. Youth development is deteriorating, and the local league is suffering,” he continued.
At the 34th edition of the AFCON, Ghana, aiming for their fifth continental title, were eliminated in the group stage after finishing 3rd with only two points out of nine.
