GH¢7 million Navrongo Youth Resource Centre stalled for nearly nine years amid legal dispute

A flagship youth and sports facility intended to transform sports development and youth empowerment in the Upper East Region remains incomplete nearly nine years after construction began, despite earlier assurances that the project would be completed within months.

The Navrongo Youth Resource Centre, estimated at about GH¢7 million, was launched in May 2018 under the National Youth Authority's nationwide Youth Resource Centre initiative. The project formed part of a broader government effort to provide modern sports and youth development facilities in all sixteen regions of the country.

However, a recent visit to the site paints a picture of neglect and abandonment. Several structures remain unfinished, chairs have been damaged, and parts of the facility show signs of deterioration, including damage caused by fire.

The prolonged delay has become a major concern in a region that continues to face significant challenges with sports infrastructure. Apart from a handful of AstroTurf pitches, many football clubs in the Upper East Region still train and compete on dusty community fields popularly known as sakora parks.

Expectations were therefore high when government officials gathered in Navrongo on May 14, 2018, to cut the sod for the project. The ceremony was attended by the then Minister for Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, the then Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, the then Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Emmanuel Sin-nyet Asigri, project consultant Joe Hackman, and other dignitaries.

At the time, the facility was projected to be completed within nine months. Plans for the centre included a FIFA-standard 5,000-capacity football stadium, an eight-lane athletics track, ICT and entrepreneurship centres, career development facilities, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a modern restaurant, washroom facilities, maintenance units and floodlights.

The project was expected to become a major hub for sports, skills development and youth empowerment in the Upper East Region.

Nearly nine years later, however, that vision remains unrealised.

An investigative visit by journalist Ibrahim Abode found that the project site has been left exposed to the elements, with partially completed structures gradually deteriorating while several key components remain unfinished.

The state of the facility has renewed concerns among residents, youth groups and sports enthusiasts about the prolonged delay and the value derived from public funds invested in the project.

Gideon, a young man who currently oversees the facility, attributed the abandonment of the project to a contractual dispute between the contractor and the government.

According to him, the matter is currently before the courts, preventing further work on the project.

The Chief Executive Officer of Amecben Enterprise, Benjamin Ngoswini, confirmed the existence of the legal dispute.

“I cannot speak much on the matter because we are currently in court over the project,” he said.

The prolonged impasse has frustrated many residents who had hoped the facility would create opportunities for sports development, skills training and youth employment in the region.

What was originally scheduled as a nine-month project has now remained unfinished for almost a decade, denying thousands of young people access to the facilities and programmes it was intended to provide.

The issue gained renewed attention during the 2024 election campaign when the then Vice President and New Patriotic Party presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, assured chiefs and residents during a visit to Navrongo that the project would be completed before the elections.

With the elections long concluded and the facility still abandoned, residents are increasingly questioning when work will resume and the long-delayed project will finally be delivered.

Sports stakeholders, community leaders and youth organisations have continued to call on the government, contractors and all relevant parties to resolve the legal and contractual issues holding up the project.

For many residents of the Upper East Region, the completion of the Navrongo Youth Resource Centre represents more than a sports facility. It is viewed as a catalyst for talent development, skills acquisition, job creation and community advancement.

Until decisive action is taken, the unfinished project will remain a stark symbol of unrealised promises and a lost opportunity for youth development in northern Ghana.