A flagship initiative to transform grassroots football across Ghana has hit a financial hurdle, leaving five communities waiting for promised world-class facilities.
The GNPC Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, revealed that 20 out of 25 scheduled “astroturf” pitches have been completed since 2019.
However, the remaining five projects are currently in limbo due to significant funding gaps and administrative oversights.
The delays came under the spotlight during a hearing of Parliament’s Assurance Committee on March 24.
Officials from the Foundation, appearing alongside Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor, admitted that several contracts were signed before the money to pay for them was actually secured.
“Most of these projects commenced in 2019, and in some cases, contracts were awarded without budgetary consideration,” a Foundation representative told MPs.
The Foundation is now reportedly working to regularise these legacy contracts to allow construction to resume.
The Energy Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, shifted the focus toward parliamentary oversight, noting that the Foundation’s hands are tied by the broader GNPC budget.
He explained that the Foundation relies heavily on Parliament to greenlight the GNPC’s annual budget before funds can be disbursed.
Furthermore, projects initiated seven years ago were not properly integrated into long-term financial planning, and fluctuations in oil revenue allocations have impacted the speed of completion.
Despite the setbacks, Jinapor remains optimistic, stating that the outstanding pitches can be delivered relatively quickly once adequate funding is secured.
The astroturf project was designed to move Ghanaian football away from “dusty pitches” to modern synthetic surfaces, aimed at nurturing the next generation of Black Stars talent.
For the five communities still staring at fenced-off, unfinished construction sites, the wait continues.
The GNPC Foundation has pledged to prioritise these outstanding sites to ensure that the initial investment of state resources does not go to waste.
Source: Ekow Segu
