Joseph Allabey Bortey, Western Regional Director, National Sports Authority (NSA) has revealed challenges currently facing the Authority in the region.
According to him, all facilities being managed by the Authority in the region, are currently dilapidated due to years of neglect and poor maintenance culture.
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Making these revelations during an engagement with Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson, on Wednesday 19th March 2025, he explained that one of the facilities under the Sports Authority (Essipong Sports stadium) for instance, has been badly damaged and many parts of the stadium currently reeling under challenges.
The stadium, when it was in good shape, he said successfully hosted tournaments and the Authority kept the stadium busy.
Unfortunately, due to lack of resources to maintain it, Internally Generated Funds (IGF) from the NSA, are being used to occasionally support the management of the Essipong Sports stadium, which is not enough to take care of it.
Issue of rewiring the facility, broken doors, un-utilized hotel accommodation at the stadium, the presence of reptiles and insects at the facility, dried turf due to lack of constant watering, and broken seats all amounting to the visible challenges facing the facility.
The lighting system, Air conditions, and other parts of electronics fitted into the facility all stolen due to poor security management at the stadium.
All the doors fixed at the stadium, he lamented, have all expired and broken down. The repercussions of porous security at the facility, he underscored has been dire.
Consequently, the Authority under his leadership had to contract 2 additional security personnel to support existing 2 personnel manning the stadium.
He revealed that currently, there is no security at Gyendu Park as well, despite the usefulness of the facility. The Essikado park he noted, also does not have security.
In the case of Tarkwa stadium, he said the Authority had been in charge of managing the facility until the invasion of the stadium by hoodlums to drive away all officials of the Authority in Tarkwa.
Nothing concrete, has since been done about the issue following the forced acquisition of the facility by the hoodlums and subsequently the Tarkwa Municipal Assembly.
He therefore appealed to the Minister to intervene in the controversial circumstances under which the Tarkwa stadium was forcefully taken away from the Authority.
Currently, the cars of the Authority are not in good condition and therefore means of transport has been very difficult.
He disclosed that since 2019, there hasn’t been any subvention to cushion the staff of the Authority.
In response to all these issues raised, Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson assured the Authority of his commitment to collaborate effectively with the Authority to secure improved facility to guarantee efficiency and improved sports development in the region.
“I fully appreciates the issues,” he remarked.
He said while he would work closely with the sector Minister, central government and local government authorities to revive sports in the region, the Authority must also show commitment to deliver its mandate.
According to Joseph Nelson, stakeholders working together should be able to surmount the challenges outlined by the Authority “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said optimistically.
