Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Ghana, Mustapha Ussif, believes that it is important for Ghana and Qatar to strengthen their cooperation in the sports and youth sector.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of his official visit to the country, Ussif stated that he is looking to use the 2022 FIFA World Cup to deepen the relationship between the two countries with a memorandum of understanding already signed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Ghana and Ministry of Sports and Youth in Qatar.
During his visit to Qatar, Mustapha Ussif was briefed on the sports facilities available and praised the state for its efforts and readiness for the global showcase. He highlighted that the facilities were ‘excellent’ and ‘exceptional’.
He reckoned that the work put into preparations for the tournament was not an easy one and thanked HH the Amir for a warm reception.
On aspects of cooperation between Ghana and Qatar, he said that Qatar Charity is providing support in Ghana: digging wells for those in need of water, as well as building schools and hospitals. He hopes that the nation also benefits from Qatar in terms of sports infrastructure, as part of the World Cup legacy project.
Ussif assured Qatar that the Black Stars squad will be very happy to come to Qatar with a plan already in place for participation in group H of the World Cup. They will go head-to-head with Brazil and Nicaragua in friendlies on September 23 and 27 respectively.
“Only God knows what will happen if we pass the group stage,” Ussif said in response to the country’s targets at the World Cup.
He added that he is looking to provide opportunities to the youth in Ghana and sports is one way of doing that.
“It is a great opportunity and a great challenge, at the same time we have a high percentage of young people in Africa. In Ghana 70 percent of the population is young and we have to provide them with opportunities. Sports is one of the ways to give young people opportunities.”
His Excellency expressed his country’s need for support from Qatar and Africa, in order for Ghana to be able to make use of the talents of its youth, expressing his hope that Qatar supports sports development in the whole world, and in Ghana in particular.
