Sports Minister pledges support for 3rd WAPOGA Games

Elvis

Accra, March 26, GNA - Elvis Afriyie Ankrah Minister of Youth and Sports, has pledged his Ministry's unflinching support for the upcoming West Africa Polytechnic Games Association (WAPOGA) Games to be hosted by the Accra Polytechnic later this year.

The Minister made these remarks when WAPOGA Executives and members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) paid a recent courtesy call on him to congratulate him on his appointment and to officially introduce the WAPOGA Executives to the Ministry as well as the Accra Polytechnic as Host Organisers of the third edition of the Games.

The visit, was to seek the Ministry of Youth and Sports' technical support towards successful hosting and organisation of the Accra Games.

'I assure you of my full support for the Games in my capacity as a Minister of Youth and Sports; and I will explore and engage all stakeholders as well as liaise with you based on the feedback I will receive especially from the Presidency', he told the delegation.

Magnus Rex Danquah, Executive Chairman of RICS Consult Limited, Marketing Consultants of the 3rd WAPOGA Games, Accra 2013 said it was important government paid attention to the impact events like the WAPOGA Games have on enhancing brand Ghana, considering the exposure and mileage that would inure to the nation and her people from the international media as some of the benefits.

He cited the example of AFCON 2008, where Ghana was on most major international media platforms like CNN, BBC, Sky and Carnal France for over a month at no direct cost to the nation and urged government to provide the requisite facilities and all other support for the marketing of Ghana through the Games.

He further appealed to the Minister to consider the possibility of creating a direct link between school sports and national sports for international events like the All-Africa, Commonwealth and Olympic Games so that student sportsmen and women who make the qualifying marks could have the opportunity to showcase their talents at such stages; even as the Minister engages his colleague Minister of Education to create the environment where they benefit from needed academic credits to support their continued participation in sports.

The WAPOGA Games was established by the Summit of Heads of Polytechnics and Sports Coaches from the West African Sub-region in Lagos, Nigeria in 2000.

The maiden West Africa Polytechnic (WAPOGA) Games was held at Yaba College of Technology (Nigeria) in 2007; with the 2nd edition of the Games at Institute Nationale Polytechnic Houphouet-Boigny (INP- HP), Yamoussoukro, Cote D'Ivoire in 2008.

The Accra Polytechnic has the hosting rights for the third edition of the Games which is scheduled to take place later this year for sixty (60) Polytechnics participating from across West Africa with over five thousand athletes.

The WAPOGA Executive delegation was made up of Prof. Sylvester Achio, Chairman (Ghana), Mr. Olufemi Abdulraheem, General Secretary (Nigeria), Prof. Mahadou Kone (Mali), Dr. N'Guessan Koffi (Cote D'ivoire), Prof. (Rev) Daniel Nyarko (Ghana), Engr. Sule Abdullahi (Nigeria), and J. V. K. Afun (Ghana).

GNA