US$157m And More Spent On Stadia For Ghana 2008

total of $157.2 million has so far been spent on the rehabilitation and construction of four stadia to host the 26th Africa Cup of Nations tournament (Ghana 2008) in the country. The amount exceeded the $152.1 million initially projected by $5.1 million. The rehabilitated stadia are the Ohene Djan Stadium and the El-Wak Stadium in Accra and the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, while the newly constructed ones are at Tamale and Sekondi. The Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, made this known in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra. He attributed the increase in the cost of the projects to the construction of additional facilities "such as the expansion of the media stands to accommodate more media men and equipment for effective coverage of the tournament and additional work at various areas of the stadia as recommended by the inspection team of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), anytime they came around". He, however, said some marginal savings were made on the Tamale, Sekondi and EI-Wak works, which were projected to cost $77 million but which actually cost $71 million. For the Ohehe Djan stadium, he said the project was initially estimated at $39 million but due to the additional works, the cost shot up to $49 million upon completion. He said the government also had to spend an additional $1 million on the Baba Yara Stadium, which was initially pegged at $36 million. Mr Adjei-Mensah said the projects had been executed very well in spite of the cost, adding that "because of the urgency of the project to host the tournament and to satisfy the CAF inspection teams, the amounts were released on request". However, he noted, the entire project costs would be audited after the tournament to ensure accountability. Mr Adjei-Mensah said the cost of the training pitches was being compiled and pledged the commitment of the ministry to make the final figures public upon completion. The tournament kicks off on January 20, 2008 and ends on February 9, 2008. The participating countries are Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria, The Sudan, Cameroun, Angola, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, Zambia, Morocco, Tunisia, Benin and South Africa. As the host nation, four-time champions and making its 16th appearance in the tournament, Ghana is hoping to win the trophy for the fifth time.