Dada JoeGhana participated in the just ended African Cup of Nations with the hope of coming home with some priceless ornament. That was not to be.
Describe our exit as a white elephant as that was not what the majority of the people anticipated.
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Our dream, though might have been shattered because of our draughty campaign at the tournament, the budget used for the competition has become highly topical.
Out of the $6 million earmarked for the tournament, $4.5 million was spent, according to the Sports Minister. This, to many a Ghanaian, is unacceptable.
While some hold the view that the amount is extravagantly huge, others see it to be outrageous to spend $4.5 million for a trophy that fetches the ultimate winner the same amount of $4.5 million.
To many, it is a tragic waste of resources to spend $4.5 million on a competition that gives the same amount to the ultimate winner.
It is in the light of these reasons and many others that some people are up in arms with the Sports Minister and the government over this expenditure.
Let us take a trip back into time to look at the budgetary expenditures which informed our participation in previous tournaments, including the World Cup.
- In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, we spent $2.5 million.
- In 2008, Ghana spent $3.5 million in the AFCON.
- In the year 2010, Ghana spent a whopping $19.5 million at the World Cup.
- In 2012, we spent $9.3 million on the AFCON.
- On the 2014 World Cup, $20 million was spent by the country.
- In the 2015 AFCON, $5.8 million was expended.
- In the 2017 AFCON, $3.37 million was spent.
- In the 2019 AFCON, we have spent $4.5 million.
Looking at these stated facts, it is clear that, much as the current figure may appear to be high, it is one of the lowest since 2006.
We owe it as a bounden duty to critique matters of national importance, but same must be done with incontrovertible facts.
Writer: P.K. Sarpong
Dada Joe
Emmanuel Quayson