Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif on Friday opened the African Paralympic Committee Regional Sports Training Program being organized for 15 African Countries at the Accra City Hotel.
In attendance were Mr. Samson Deen, President of the African Paralympic Committee, officials from the NPC- Ghana, the International Paralympic Committee, World Para Powerlifting, and World Para Volleyball.
Hon. Ussif commended the various international sports federations who are strong partners to Ghana, which facilitates the development and accelerates the growth of Para Sports in Ghana and all parts of Africa.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports is very much aware of the potential of sports in creating opportunities for the citizens, especially the youth.
Therefore, the Ministry sees this Regional Programme as very important and a catalyst for the capacity development of all participants with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed for para sports development and promotion on our continent,” he said.
He expressed that Ghana will host the rest of Africa in the 1st African Para Games, Accra 2023, the first of its kind in Africa.
“I am not surprised that Ghana was chosen to host this technical training, thus helping train and prepare various technical personnel for the Games. I commend the organizers for this decision” he said.
He welcomed all participants to Ghana in September for the Accra 2023 African Para Games.
Mr. Samson Deen thanked the African Paralympic Committee and its partners for choosing Ghana to host the second edition of the AfPC Regional Sports Training Program in Africa.
He named the 15 African countries for the Regional Sports Training event as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote Ivoire, Mali, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Togo, the Gambia, Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal, Nigeria, Seychelles, Guinea, and Ghana, the host; with 13-course instructors and IPC officials.
He said NPC-Ghana is proud to host the training as a prelude and precursor to the 1s African Para Games, Accra 2023 slated for this year from 3rd to 12th September.
The four-day Training course is being organized in two sports disciplines, namely, Para Powerlifting and Para or Sitting Volleyball with six separate courses thus: Technical Officials course, Coaching Course, Classifier course, and Training Camp in Para Powerlifting, as well as two courses in Sitting Volleyball – Coaching and Referees courses.
At the end of the training, participants will be assessed and subsequently awarded certificates on merit.
He expressed that the AfPC programme is aimed at building and developing the technical capacities of our NPCs across Africa, with a platoon of technical personnel to serve as the catalyst for the development and promotion of Para sports on the continent.
He urged the course, participants, to take the training seriously to account for the purpose of coming to Ghana.
