In 2019, Ghana incurred approximately $36 million in stadium depreciation, as revealed in a Ministry of Youth and Sports feasibility report, which was submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
This report assessed the condition of two stadiums, namely the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi and the Sekondi Sports Stadium in Essipong, Western Region.
According to the report, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which underwent remodeling for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 with an initial cost of $40 million, had its value reduced to $20.04 million as of June 3, 2019.
As for the Sekondi Sports Stadium, which was constructed for the AFCON in 2008 at a cost of $50 million, its value depreciated to $25.6 million.
The Sekondi Sports Stadium’s condition is currently deteriorating further, with roofing systems torn and steel frames exposed to corrosion. Washrooms, office spaces, and hostels have all suffered varying levels of deterioration.
In 2020, the then Minister of Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, revealed that a contract had been awarded for the renovation of the stadium, to be carried out in two phases. The initial phase, costing over GH¢17 million, involved replacing defective roofing sheets, sandblasting corroded roofing steels, and applying a heavy-duty coating system to protect against further metal structure deterioration.
In 2021, Asiamah announced that the government would spend over US$3 million to complete the first phase of the renovation.
During the presentation of the 2022 budget in Parliament on November 17, 2021, Finance Minister Ken Yaw Ofori-Atta indicated that several national stadiums were undergoing renovation, with the Sekondi Sports Stadium said to be at a 90% completion stage in its renovation.
However, this claim was met with skepticism from some residents who believed that the progress observed at the Essipong Stadium was far from 20%, let alone 90%.
Read the reports below;
