Tamale Prepares For CAN 2008
AS PART of efforts to provide decent and affordable accommodation for sports fans during the CAN 2008 tournament, building projects have sprung up in the Tamale Metropolis.
One such project is the over ¢32 billion hotel being constructed by Alhaji Sunman Zakari, a renowned businessman in the region.
The five-star hotel, according to information made available to the Sports Desk of DAILY GUIDE, was expected to be completed in the middle of December.
The Site Engineer, Mr. Bawah Amudah disclosed that it would contain well over 120 rooms, 4 chalets with modern facilities, and an underground nightclub.
The facility, when completed, would be the first of its kind in the Tamale Metropolis. When DAILY GUIDE SPORTS visited the site, work was about 65% complete.
Mr. Amudah said they were working 24 hours a day to see to the successful completion of the project to ensure that football fans from across the world enjoyed their stay in the Northern region during the tournament.
The project was in response to Ghana Tourist Board's earlier call for private developers to help build facilities to accommodate the fans that would troop into the region during the CAN 2008.
The board said the region, which would host more than 2,000 fans, could only boast of 43 licensed hotels and guest houses.
According to the Regional Manager of the GTB, Mr. William Ayambire, current facilities had a bed capacity that was less than the expected number.
He therefore appealed to individuals who had the intention of converting their private homes into such facilities to notify the board for adequate advice and supervision.
The CEO of the hotel under construction said it was meant to unite the people of the north and create an enabling environment for big programmes to be held in the region to raise the image of the north.
He promised equally important ventures if the residents made good use of the facility.
He warned against the politicization of such facilities saying it belonged to Ghana and not any political party.