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Minister for Youth and Sports: Nii Lantey Vanderpuije reveals Sports Ministry is broke

By Allsports.com.gh
Sports News Minister for Youth and Sports: Nii Lantey Vanderpuije reveals Sports Ministry is broke
MAR 15, 2016 LISTEN

The Minister for Youth and Sports , Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has revealed that the sector is financially handicapped to satisfy all agencies under it.

The Parliament of Ghana approved GHS 22m for year 2016, but the Minister who took over office late last month says it is not enough to for the sector.

Speaking in meeting with the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), the Sports Ministers said:

"The Sports Ministry is broke. I am saying this because in tomorrow (future) someone will accuse me of not saying it as it is when I assume office so you may things that I am giving excuses.

"I need the support of the media in order to let people appreciate the difficulties. The total budget of the ministry is GHS 22m, but out of that, GHS 11m is for compensation, salaries of workers not only at the Ministries, but all the agencies under us, the sports college, the youth sectors and the national sports authority.

"GHS 4m is for goods and services. So what is left to undertake all sports programs in the year is only GHS 7m.

"[Meanwhile] the budget for all national teams alone is about GHS 42m. We will need about GHS 26m for our Olympics team to be able to go to Rio. How do we manage?

"It will call for prudence, it will call for ingenuity, it will call for support, and you (journalists) can do this for us. We want to seek for your support to get the corporate bodies out there to come to our aid.

"If you continue a negative picture for sports, note that the budget is not only for sports. It is for Youth and Sports so if we take out the ones for our youth training sectors for the programmes at the national sports authority, just about GHS 4m will be left.

"The Black Maidens and the upcoming Black Stars match against Mozambique will drop all the GHS 4m. I am being frank with you."

The former GBC sports broadcaster also revealed that he will hold a meeting with heads of the sporting associations and lay bare the issues facing the ministry.

He added that he won't interfere with bonuses of various teams.

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