The National Sports Authority (NSA) administration declared on Monday, November 20, that athletic events will not be held at the Accra Sports Stadium in December.
The NSA’s recent strategic shift toward revenue creation from non-sporting events is the basis for their decision to close the stadium to athletic events.
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The Accra Sports Stadium has hosted a number of significant events, particularly in December, and it is already set to host a number of highly anticipated performances, including Stonebwoy’s Bhim Concert.
As a result, those involved in the artistic industry will undoubtedly applaud the latest move, as the NSA’s decision benefits them by allowing them to use the stadium as one of their performance venues.
However, Graphic Showbiz believes that the current situation should actually exacerbate creatives’ worries about the difficulties associated with a shortage of appropriate locations for events.
The absence of venues has become a major problem in recent years, as individuals like George Quaye, the team lead of Image Bureau and an event planner, have made clear.
A few months ago, George Quaye stated in an interview with Graphic Showbiz that the National Theatre was the only “acoustically right” venue in the nation for events, and that as a result, many event planners were being forced out of business.
The fact that a nation like Ghana cannot boast suitable event centers and must temporarily halt sports programming at a key facility like the stadium in order to host events in December is not only disheartening but also extremely insulting.
It is important to note that starting next month, Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, Accra Lions, and Dreams FC would not be able to play home games in the domestic league or CAF inter-club competitions due to the closure of the country’s best sports venue to athletic events.
While there is nothing wrong with concerts being held at the stadium, it is important to remember that if there were adequate places for artists to display their work, football teams wouldn’t have been forced to move aside to make room for December performances.
Over the years, governments have been unable to recognize the critical need for investment in event facilities, despite the fact that private organizations can also make profitable use of this space.
